VatorNews - Tagged why underrated but profitable

Entrepreneur interview by Rebecca Weeks Watson
October 12, 2009 | Remarks (1)
Short URL:
While the head-on levels of competition amongst MySpace,Pandora Jewellery, Facebook and Twitter stays sizzling, Tagged is inside the backdrop developing its user base by countless countless numbers every week. The company’s profits stream is sourced from ad networks too as direct sales, and not like several social networks, is rewarding.
I interviewed Steve Sarner, Vice President of Revenue, to learn how Tagged is positioned inside the industry and ways brand names are leveraging their loyal audience. Previously, Sarner was at Fox Interactive Media (FIM) in which he was accountable for integrated income across FIM's attributes,Pandora Bracelets, which includes MySpace, IGN, Photobucket and others.
Watson: Based on your website,Tiffany Engagement, Tagged is the 3rd most significant social networking website with 80 million registered users. How would you describe the group and way of life?
Sarner: Correct – comScore measures Tagged as the 3rd biggest social network while in the U.S. in terms of total monthly visits too as one of the most engaging, with an average user session of about 14 minutes. People use Tagged differently than better known social networks since we focus on social discovery – or making new friends. Other networks are designed to keep in touch with people you already know. We’re about future relationships. Our website attracts a wide variety of people mainly in their 20’s and 30’s who are typically single,Sterling Silver Beads, curious, self-expressive and adventurous.
Watson: Why do you think the web site has received such little press in comparison to its close competitors?
Sarner: Over the last several years we’ve been quietly focused on growing customers and engagement rather than issuing press releases and attending industry events. It’s been a matter of focus and it has paid off because in contrast to several social networks,Tiffany Necklace Heart, we’re solidly profitable with a diverse profits model. In addition, we aren’t widely used by people in media and the press who tend to write about things they know and use.
But, we aren’t alone within the lack of media attention which tends to flow to Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. There are many other social networks – not necessarily as large as Tagged but still important - that cater to unique segments and consumer passions such as MyYearbook for teenagers,Tiffany Earrings,Who's Running for President in 2012 ############## P, imeem for music sharing, Flixster for movies and even Dogster for dog owners. They don’t get very much press either.

Watson: What kinds of unique programs and campaigns are you creating for advertising clients?
Sarner: Tagged offers a complete portfolio of ad products and unique targeting. In addition we provide extensive customized integration opportunities. Often the best way to marketplace in a social media environment is to take a complete opposite approach from typical advertising methods. For instance,Tiffany Heart, it is better to be invited versus intrusive so aligning as a value-add element inside the actual flow and special features of a social site makes great sense.
Popular special activities and features on Tagged include sending virtual gifts and TAGS, both of which are user-generated graphics and represent two opportunities for advertisers to integrate into the person experience. We have hundreds of thousands of person created TAGS, Gifts and Skins and more than 10 million are sent daily among members. Featuring brand advertisers in this environment with their target audience is just one example of how to take advantage of a social network activity to uniquely connect makes with consumers. And they also can enjoy a huge viral explosion beyond the specific elements of a media plan or marketing campaign too. Those are just two examples; the possibilities are truly limitless.
Watson: I hear many publishers and social media executives complain about an ad’s click-through rate (CTR) being a poor indicator of a display campaign’s effectiveness. What other metrics are you presenting to clients?
Sarner: There’s a lot of debate on click-through rate, as you know. For a social network it goes beyond the consumer mindset and includes the fact that people within social media consume exponentially more page views than a traditional content website. So it really is comparing apples to oranges. Tagged is a charter member of the new Social Media Advertising Consortium (SMAC) which includes most leaders in the space and is working on developing specialized standards and metrics around social media. Measuring things like the viral factor and time spent interacting within special sub communities or custom profiles are examples of alternative and more meaningful metrics to quantify social media marketing successes.
Watson: I’m a member of SMAC as well, and hope that we can soon confirm and publish some new metrics.
It seems that the two biggest complaints about Tagged are the recent registration process error that caused countless numbers of users to mistakenly send invitations to all members in their address books, and spam bots that grab person profile information and spam consumer walls. What is management doing to improve these issues and change the public sentiment?
Sarner: One of these issues, the registration process error, has been resolved and Tagged is committed to having a very clear and industry leading sign-up and invitation process. We are sorry for the confusion some experienced a few months ago and have worked diligently to rectify the situation. I am happy to say that it has been resolved and this problem is behind us.
In terms of spam within social networks, it’s an ongoing problem and a reflection of our size and scope. Spammers don't waste time with small sites – they want to go where the people are and that is certainly the case with sites like Facebook, MySpace and Tagged. We have a dedicated engineering team focused on the issue of safety, security and anti-spamming. Furthermore,Tiffany Co, we provide 24-7 customer care support and are both proactively and reactively addressing these issues. We are also active within the industry to share and work together to mitigate and hopefully stop the problem. The bottom-line is we want people to have a positive experience with Tagged; our numbers and financials show that we’ve been successful so far and our commitment to a great website and user experience is stronger than ever.