Yesterday, we dove into Search Plus Your World (catch up here if you missed it).

Here’s how this new social searching platform can have great potential for your brand:

Let’s say John Doe is looking to remodel his bathroom. Because Google is the largest search engine, we’ll assume he uses Google to search out how-to tips and product recommendations. For now, let’s assume that John Doe has a Google account. On his personal search page he sees a few of the people in his circles have +1’d a particular brand of paint and added photos to Google+ of remodeling projects they have completed using certain floor tiles. John Doe also added The Home Depot to his circles and sees posts from them about bathroom remodeling tips including videos they posted to YouTube.

Now let’s assume that John Doe doesn’t have a Google account. He searches for the same keywords and in the right hand side bar he sees several Google+ profiles from prominent remodeling companies and DIY stores. Next to some of the search results he sees a picture of the person or brand who authored the post.

Because people trust people they know and because the human eye is naturally drawn to pictures as opposed to text, the search results that are associated with a Google profile will most likely get more hits than those that are not. If your brand has a Google profile and is using it to its full potential, you could start seeing the benefits of Search Plus Your World very soon.

It seems like every few weeks there’s something new from Google to talk about. This week’s hot topic is Search Plus Your World. You’ll recall that when Google Plus was introduced there was a lot of talk about the concept of social searching, the idea that search would be about more than keywords; it would integrate a person’s social network into the search experience to deliver better results. We first saw this take shape in the form of the +1 button on Google and Facebook Likes displaying in Bing. Search Plus Your World is phase two of the social searching phenomenon.

Search Plus, as most are calling it, will deliver personal search results for anyone logged in to their Google account, including photos and information shared by their contacts on Google+. In addition, a list of related people and pages on Google+ will appear in the right side bar even if the searcher is not logged in to their Google account.

Google also has been slowly adding use of the rel=”author” HTML tag. This tag is designed to designate who is the original author of any content on the web and link it to their Google profile, which Google hopes will one day serve as the central location for information about the author/brand. What this means right now is that, if set up properly, when a post you write or a page you authored shows up in a search result, your picture will display next to the result with a link to your Google profile. For well established brands and thought-leaders, this can add instant credibility to the search result and increase the likelihood that someone will click through to your website. This feature is still being phased in and there’s no word yet on when displaying pictures will become standard issue for anyone with rel=”author” added to their page, but it is starting to show up.

Check in tomorrow to learn how this can have great potential for your brand.

By now I’m sure you’ve either asked or been asked one of the following questions: “Why should my business be involved in social media?”… “Is my Facebook page really generating more sales?”… and “What’s the ROI of paying someone to manage my presence on social media?” These are all very important questions, but unfortunately they are often very difficult to answer with concrete numbers, unlike the same questions about more traditional advertising methods. Until now.

Previously, these questions were usually answered with a narrative explaining how social media differs from traditional media and that included the words “fans,” “followers,” “comments,” “likes,” “retweets,” and “engagement.” These words however, never conveyed concrete figures that could be turned into ROI. And, inevitably, a few weeks or months later the same questions were being asked.

These conversations are now changing thanks to the new Facebook Insights. Think of it as website analytics for your Facebook page. The new Facebook Insights offers a barrage of data including how many fans you have, how many friends your fans have (the potential number of people you could reach if fans share your content), how many people are talking about your page, your page’s weekly reach, and how each of these numbers have changed from the previous week. You can also see what content was the most effective by looking at the reach, engagement, talking about, and virality numbers for each of your posts.

Digging deeper, the Likes, Reach, Talking About This, and Check-ins tabs break the data down by demographics so you know if you are reaching the right audience. These pages also let you know how you reached people (organic, viral or paid), daily breakdown of page views and unique views, the most popular tabs on your page, external referrers, and how people are accessing your page. You can break all of this information down into whatever time frame you prefer for accurate comparisons.

Taking all of this into consideration you should be able to present some pretty concrete numbers on whether or not your efforts on Facebook are reaching the right people and whether or not they are responding.

Demonstrating conversion rates with these numbers is still going to require some extra effort (like asking new customers where they heard about your company, offering deals only on Facebook and measuring the response, etc.), but it’s a good start. But you should not only be using these numbers for reporting… use them for improving as well. Take a look at what kind of content you get the best response from and do more of that. You should constantly be honing and refining your online strategy (not just on Facebook) by looking at the numbers (Insights, Analytics, or any other reports you generate).

I would suggest that you open up your Facebook page right now and click on the Insights tab. Take the guided tour and if you’re looking for more information and ways to use the data check out the Facebook Insights Guide for Page Owners.

Very recently, Google made two big announcements – one you probably heard about, and the other you probably didn’t. Most people know that Google finally introduced brand pages for Google+, its social network launched this summer. Since the beginning, brands have been trying to get on to the site but Google has repeatedly denied their attempts, stating the network “wasn’t ready” for brands. But it seems like it’s finally ready. The brand pages have a similar look and feel to profile pages and allow users to subscribe to the page by adding it to a circle, just as they do with people profiles. And just like with Facebook and Twitter, it provides companies with another avenue to connect with their customers.

But more important than all that is the effect these pages will start having on search and online advertising. With the introduction of the +1 button, internet users could rate pages that they like, indicating to their friends which sites may be worthwhile and which are not. In essence, the +1 button made search more social. And now brand pages will make it even more social by aggregating all the +1 of a brand or company into a central location. The +1 history of a user and people in their circles will factor into the Google search algorithm to make search results more relevant to each person. In addition, this data will be factored into the Google Ad targeting algorithm, taking into account the +1 activity of a brand’s connections and the +1 activity of paid ads. Content that the brand generates with high +1 activity (on any platform) will feed information into the targeting information, allowing brands to better target ads and increase their influence. Google doesn’t just want brands to use this as another communication platform; it wants brands to increase their cumulative online presence.

Another announcement by Google last week flew lower on the radar and was overlooked by many companies in the excitement of Google Plus. Think Insights with Google was officially taken out of beta with a brand new look. The website is essentially a think tank of research about a variety of trends, industries and insights. For example:

• 70% of smartphone users use their device while shopping in stores
• Search activity doubles after becoming a mom: moms conduct 21 searches per week vs. 11 for non-moms
• Adding seller ratings to a search ad can boost click-through rates by more than 10%

In addition, Think Insights for Search (still in beta) also offers a wealth of information about search trends like:

• Canada produced the most searches for home building on the internet, followed by Australia and the US (Montana was the state with the highest number of searches for home building)
• Green home building is the top rising search in the home building category

Allowing you to organize search data by regions as small as cities, businesses can tap into this knowledge bank to improve their search optimization and online ad targeting. It also gives access to case studies and insights like the Zero Moment of Truth theory, organized by industry, media platform, audience, and marketing objective. I highly recommend that you spend some time on these sites… discovering what information is available.

All in all, it was a big week for Google and a big week for businesses looking to improve their online presence. How do you plan to use Google+ Brand Pages and Insights for your brand?

Remember when we talked about the facial expression reader, an application that collects data about a participant’s facial expressions when watching video ads? Marketers are speculating that this technology – facial recognition – could be the next big thing in marketing. Imagine if experiences were customized based on how you look when reacting to something? If you doubt this clever technology, think about this: some say that facial recognition is already woven into our everyday lives. Take Facebook, for example, which uses facial recognition to automate tagging when photographs are loaded onto the site.

This technology can be leveraged in other ways, too. Studies have shown that when faced with too many choices, buyers will gravitate toward familiar sources. Marketers can use this to their advantage by gaining successful marketing results.

Consider these examples of situations that, when outfitted with facial recognition, could offer consumers convenience:

1. Ditch the password and login to social platforms by simply using your face. Just a glance to your computer’s camera, and you’re in.
2. Walk into a coffee shop, and the barista already knows what you want based on past visits and what you look like.
3. Receive a coupon for instant use on your mobile device when you enter a favorite retail location.
4. Turn on the television and receive a playlist of suggestions based on past use.
5. Login to video games and begin playing spontaneously.

Although most consider facial recognition scary (hello privacy!), marketers can’t get past the myriad of possibilities, especially the chance to get to know their customers on a deeper level.

What do you think? Is facial recognition a complete invasion of privacy, or is it a chance to help consumers develop a personal relationship with their favorite brands?

Generation Y (the Millennials) has been getting a lot of attention lately. As the most recent consumer group to enter the housing market, many believe that the nation’s economic recovery rests largely in the hands of this generation. And buying homes is just the beginning. These young, enthusiastic couples and families need things to fill their homes and companies have taken note, launching new ad campaigns targeted directly at Gen Y.

A few weeks ago, I talked about the importance of design to Millennial customers and touched briefly on the idea that Millennials like sharing things with others. The Pew Research Center did a study over this very topic and found that Millennials not only like sharing things now, but they plan on continuing to share as they age. This love of sharing explains why social networks have become so popular among this generation.

Millennials enjoy helping others and building relationships. Helping someone solve their problem is a mutually rewarding interaction to Gen Y. Receiving credit for answering a question is reward enough for these individuals. They enjoy sharing things with the people they know because they want to be the first person to tell their friends. Being first gives them credibility and elevates their status among their network. And speaking of networks, helping each other and sharing new ideas is amplified through social networks. Not only can someone answer a question on a discussion forum, but that question and answer live on to benefit future users. Sharing new ideas is quick and easy on social networks, where information travels at light speed. And as people help and share more online, the number of people they reach increases, their network grows, giving them exponential opportunities to interact. . These types of online activities are just what Gen Y has been looking for – a way to share and help people taken to the extreme.

And of course we can’t forget about doing things for the common good. Not only do Gen Y-ers want to help one another, they want to help society as a whole. Wikis that rely on the efforts of many individuals to survive, attract these types of people. Increasing world knowledge on Wikipedia helps everyone and satisfies the user’s need to share. The crowdsourcing phenomenon feeds off this enthusiasm as well – why leave a decision to one person in a company when there are thousands of online participants, willing to help you out for free? The concept of open source platforms also has become popular with Millennials because a brand’s willingness to share and accept advice from users is what Gen Y looks for. They want to have a say in what a company does, and they want to help you improve.

So why ignore them? If your customer base is willing to give advice and help you make decisions, why not let them? There is a wealth of knowledge that exists in the crowd just waiting to be tapped. And Millennials don’t require much: they don’t need payments, they don’t need shiny bells and whistles… they just need you to be as open and honest with them as they are with you. They need you to trust them. Share with them, and they will share with you. Solve their problems, and they will solve yours.

Citigroup calls it the “Consumer Hourglass Theory.” Others cite a “trading up, trading down” trend. No matter the label, America’s swiftly evolving consumer markets have created a fairly distinguishable divide.  And to win in this economy, you’re going to need to do it without the middle class.

Luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. saw a 33% rise in earnings during its second fiscal quarter and as reported by the Wall Street Journal, “lower-priced silver baubles, once a favorite of middle-class shoppers… are now its weakest sellers in the U.S.” What’s more, Porsche sales management claimed “the highest order intake in the company’s history” and predicts that the numbers will climb higher still. Similarly, BMW and Mercedes-Benz executives reported positive sales, with no indication that demand may slow. And luxury retailer Saks promoted that sales for the first half of this year were up 11% and announced a return to profitability with great resiliency on the part of the affluent consumer.

So is the secret to success as simple as chasing the high-end target market? Not so fast.

Consider Dollar General and web discounters who attract value conscious consumers, capitalizing on the gap between the “haves” and “have nots” Even power player WalMart is mired in the middle. Have you seen the new Walgreens drugstore on Wall Street that sells sushi and offers nail salon services or visited a Costco that serves as a one-stop shop for both bulk pack toilet paper and a bottle of first-growth Bordeaux? Proctor & Gamble, for example, saw how shoppers’ habits were changing, and fundamentally changed how it develops and sells product. The company’s strategy now is to please both high-end and lower-end markets by offering home goods such as soap, toothpaste, razors and paper towels through distinctly price-differentiated brands.

The popularity of Target's new Missoni collection introduction crashed its servers last week. Photo credit: Paul Nelson

At K&A, we’re seeing a considerable and distinct balance between opposite ends of the buyers’ market. There’s a bifurcation taking place in the U.S. whereas the clout of the middle class is seriously diminishing. Just this past week at the Casual Market show in Chicago, we witnessed higher end products and low price alternatives co-existing within the same experiential event… appealing not to the middle-of-the-road consumer, but instead to shoppers at one end of the spectrum and the other. Take EcoSmart and Eco-Fue, two brands represented at Casual Market. Both introduced new Bioethanol fireplaces. EcoSmart’s high price-point fireplace carries a suggested retail of around $1000 while Eco-Fue markets to a more price-conscious consumer with burners starting at $75. Both brands keenly recognize and are taking advantage of the split market phenomena, manufacturing profitable products to meet increasing demand at both ends of the economy.

While median household earnings fell for the third consecutive year according to the Census Bureau and more than 15% of Americans are living in poverty, consider that…

• Luxury clothing and accessories purchases are demonstrating significant strength this year compared to a similar time period last year, according to  American Express Business Insights
• Custom residential markets seem to be recovering faster than other types of housing with Southern California rising for the first time in some 14 months.
• Luxury markets are experiencing greater stability and are demonstrating stronger numbers than other entry-level segments
• Home sizes may be growing slightly, as 60% of residential architects say upper-end home sizes are increasing or staying the same

Most Millennials are old souls striving for a successful, yet carefree existence not easily found in what many would call a difficult reality.

According to MediaPost’s “’90s Nostalgia: Millennials Long for Simpler Times,” by Melanie Shreffler, Millennials surprisingly long for the past… a time when they felt safe and secure. According to Shreffler, these were the “good old days.” For many, it’s hard to think that Millennials have anything less than a privileged life, but it’s quite the opposite. Millennials have spent most of their lives believing that they can do just about anything, an idea that their teachers, parents and friends instilled in them. But this group of mostly 20-somethings is learning that not everything is picture perfect.

Millennials are becoming adults in one of the worst economic slumps the U.S. has seen in decades. Instead of seeing the light at the end of a long tunnel of hard work, many Millennials are finding themselves unemployed. Many of them can’t even find their first job and are working for little or nothing just to gain experience for their resumes. Frequently feeling stressed and anxious, many are afraid to make their next move for fear that it will be the wrong one.

90s show "All That" brings back memories for Millennials

It’s no surprise that now Millennials are gravitating toward activities that bring them back to their childhood and youth – a time when everything was easy. They’re finding comfort in things that transport them back to that time, including indulging in television shows that make them feel as carefree as when they watched it for the first time. Stations like Nickelodeon have picked on this need. The network recently introduced a midnight programming block called “The ‘90s Are All That!” airing programs that were favorites of Millennials a decade ago. MTV is making a similar move by bringing back some of its more popular ‘90s shows with minor updates, including Beavis and Butthead and 120 Minutes.

Others have deemed a comeback for the decade, which is nice for the 20-something Millennials who are stuck between childhood and adulthood. Will going back in time give them the motivation to grow up?

And how do these trips down memory lane affect marketing initiatives aimed at the influential Millennial generation?

If consumers really said what they were thinking, marketing to them would be so much easier, wouldn’t it? Forbes.com recently debuted an app that takes us one step closer to getting inside the mind of the consumer. The facial expression reader app, developed by Affectiva and the MIT Media lab, asks participants to turn on their Web cams and watch video ads while the app gathers data about their facial expressions and reactions.

This technology was originally developed at MIT to help people who have difficulty reading emotion, but is now being commercialized with the potential to aid marketers with everything from their calls to action to analyzing and changing product offerings based on how users respond.

Imagine if every company with an online presence had the ability to implement this technology on its website. Businesses would essentially be able customize what each user sees. For example, say a user is watching a video with information about granite countertop “A,” and he smiles; the facial recognition technology analyzes that data and could send the user to a page with more information about that particular product or even directly to the purchase page. The same situation could apply if a user looks confused or discouraged; the app reads the expression and adjusts information accordingly by changing products, providing additional information or sending the user to a different page. With this technology, organizations will essentially be able to sell online almost the same way they would in a face-to-face setting. Being able to read an expression and adjust your “pitch” through a website would be revolutionary!

Additionally, the analytics that would result from this technology would be incredibly beneficial. Organizations would be able to gather data about what products, pages and/or information that viewers are most interested in, least interested in, most confused about, and where the drop off occurs. Being able to gather this data and build a better offering gives online business a new dimension. Every industry, including the home and building industry, could greatly benefit from the opportunity that this face recognition technology could provide.

It seems the more you have, the more you need. What if Americans traded in all of their “somethings” for nearly nothing? The recent “extreme-downsizing” trend is becoming a tempting challenge for many, and as their piles of possessions shrink, so do their homes.

In “Forget Marta Stewart—Try Martha Hubbard,” Ellen M. Kozak claims she is on the verge of tossing nearly all of her possessions and moving to a small space because the idea of less junk to dust, less floor space to sweep and less to account for is appealing. So appealing, in fact, that some are even setting a limit on the number of things they own. The 100 Thing Challenge, a grassroots movement in which people eliminate all but 100 of their possessions, is a minimalist trend that is proving successful for people across the country who are “overwhelmed with stuff.”

One reason for the purging of our possessions is the technological advances we’ve seen in the past few years. Electronic readers have replaced the books on our bookshelves and iPods have diminished our CD collections. Smart phones have virtually everything we need: camera, calculator, computer, alarm clock, and so much more including, of course, a phone. These things that took up space before are now all housed in one or two central systems. We don’t need alarm clocks, calculators, CD players or books if there’s an option to consolidate all into one device. These objects could even be considered irrelevant, especially to those adopting the “100 Thing” mentality.

But even if you do have more than 100 possessions and haven’t packed up your car and headed to warmer weather where you can toss your bulky winter wear and never worry about that snow shovel, the idea of having fewer items in smaller spaces is a continuing and noticeable trend, especially in the housing industry. According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the average size of a new- single family home declined from 2,521 square feet in 2007 – the peak of the housing boom – to 2,377 square feet in 2010. After the economic downturn in 2009, it seems everyone learned to cut out what they don’t need. People are now making the most of the space they do have; they’re remodeling their homes instead of moving into new ones.

Whether it’s an extreme elimination of items or a simple downgrade, it looks like the “bigger is better” mentality is on its way out. Much like we’ve seen the change from big gas guzzling SUVs and trucks to fuel-efficient eco-friendly cars, the change from excess to absence in possessions – and subsequently living spaces – is right behind.