We're taking some much needed time off from our coverage of social media and online communities to celebrate the season with our loved ones. We want to sincerely thank you for your readership, your comments and your participation.
Here are our top posts from 2009:
Track Presentation: Southwest Airlines - Nuts About Online Communications
Enterprise Customer Communities: Hot Topics for 2009
Keynote: Traditional Corporate Communication is Dead
We'll be back in January with more coverage.
We wish you Happy Holidays!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Social Media Strategies & Community 2.0 Brochure Available
Welcome to Social Media & Community 2.0 Strategies
Targeted advice for business managers seeking real-life stories of how to leverage social media for real results. Not just entertainment value, hype or buzz, but real-world examples of driving revenue, cutting costs, and energizing conversations around your brand.
For more information, visit the webpage here.
Download the brochure here.
Targeted advice for business managers seeking real-life stories of how to leverage social media for real results. Not just entertainment value, hype or buzz, but real-world examples of driving revenue, cutting costs, and energizing conversations around your brand.
For more information, visit the webpage here.
Download the brochure here.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Facebook Campaign Beats Cowell's New Singer
CNN.com reports that Rage Against the Machine has claimed the prestigious No. 1 spot on the British singles chart on the last Sunday before Christmas, marking the first time in five years the winner of Simon Cowell's "X-Factor" has not won.
Joe McElderry's "The Climb" came in second, beaten by a huge online swell of support for "Killing in the Name," backed by a Facebook group with nearly 1 million members.
It was the first time a group had ever won the top slot based on downloads alone, BBC's "The Chart Show" said.
It's reported that this upset is the product of a very savvy social media pair. Jon and Tracy Morter, who led the Facebook campaign for Rage Against the Machine have since turned down offers by Simon Cowell to "be in marketing or even running the company!' reports The Daily Mail.
Learn more:
Joe McElderry's "The Climb" came in second, beaten by a huge online swell of support for "Killing in the Name," backed by a Facebook group with nearly 1 million members.
It was the first time a group had ever won the top slot based on downloads alone, BBC's "The Chart Show" said.
It's reported that this upset is the product of a very savvy social media pair. Jon and Tracy Morter, who led the Facebook campaign for Rage Against the Machine have since turned down offers by Simon Cowell to "be in marketing or even running the company!' reports The Daily Mail.
Learn more:
Friday, December 18, 2009
Social Media Plans a Must for Businesses in '10
Vanessa DiMauro has a fascinating look at social media policies in her recent post on CustomerThink.com. DiMauro warns that a social media policy should be implemented across an organization as soon as possible. This will arm the organization with a set of procedures and policies that can keep everyone on the same page with regard to corporate communication. DiMauro offers a few tips on what to consider when formulating at social media plan.
Some questions to consider when formulating a plan:
What is your company culture like? Make sure that the social media policy reinforces company culture - an informal organization will have a different policy than, say, a government agency.
How do you want the employees to engage with clients and prospects? Take into account the in-person sales and marketing channel strategy and align the social media policy to those best practices.
What is considered confidential to your organization? Spell out what hind of information can and can't be shared publicly.
How should staff represent them selves to others? Standardize or provide guidelines so that there is an evenness to your online footprint. Should all sales staff, for example, use a similar moniker in their twitter name or is it up to the person to decide?
What does transparency mean to your company? Too often people confuse personal opinion with company-representation. Can a staff of your organization share displeasure with the company's product or services online without disclosing she work for your company?
For more information on creating a social media plan, we encourage you to check our DiMauro's post in its entirety.
Learn more: Why You Need A Social Media Policy in 2010
Some questions to consider when formulating a plan:
What is your company culture like? Make sure that the social media policy reinforces company culture - an informal organization will have a different policy than, say, a government agency.
How do you want the employees to engage with clients and prospects? Take into account the in-person sales and marketing channel strategy and align the social media policy to those best practices.
What is considered confidential to your organization? Spell out what hind of information can and can't be shared publicly.
How should staff represent them selves to others? Standardize or provide guidelines so that there is an evenness to your online footprint. Should all sales staff, for example, use a similar moniker in their twitter name or is it up to the person to decide?
What does transparency mean to your company? Too often people confuse personal opinion with company-representation. Can a staff of your organization share displeasure with the company's product or services online without disclosing she work for your company?
For more information on creating a social media plan, we encourage you to check our DiMauro's post in its entirety.
Learn more: Why You Need A Social Media Policy in 2010
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Twitter's Top Trending Topics of 2009
There are plenty of lists on the PCWorld website, click here.
News Events
1. #iranelection
2. Swine Flu
3. Gaza
4. Iran
5. Tehran
6. #swineflu
7. AIG
8. #uksnow
9. Earth Hour
10. #inaug09
Technology became a disruptive force in Iran this summer when protests broke out over the results of that country's presidential elections. Tech tools like twitter, cell phones, digital cameras, Flickr, YouTube and Facebook were all employed to get the word out and raise global awareness about the controversy. Since the protests, the actual impact of Twitter and other technologies on the protests have been called into question, but there's no doubt Iran was a hot topic online this year.
Technology
Google Wave was the hottest technology topic on Twitter for 2009. Google's collaborative work platform grabbed a large amount of interest when it was first announced, but since then enthusiasm for Wave has diminished. Apple and Microsoft got their fair share of tweets after launching the Snow Leopard and Windows 7 operating systems. And Palm's Pre was the only smartphone to make any of Twitter's top ten lists for 2009.
1. Google Wave
2. Snow Leopard
3. Tweetdeck
4. Windows 7
5. CES
6. Palm Pre
7. Google Latitude
8. #E3
9. #amazonfail
10. Macworld
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Meet the speakers of Social Media & Community 2.0 Strategies: Ali McCourt, TurboTax Inner Circle
We’re pleased to announce d like to present you with the first of a series of speaker podcasts delivered by our outstanding Social Media & Community 2.0 Strategies speaker faculty.
Our first conversation is with Ali McCourt, who is the leader of the TurboTax Inner Circle.
Subscribe Free
Add to my Page
Download the podcast here.
Download the transcription here.
Can you tell us about the TurboTax Community?
Ali: I manage a community called The TurboTax Inner Circle. And essentially what it is is a volunteer army, a group of about 25,000 customers, and they participate with us by raising their hand and telling us that they want to help build better products and services. We work with them throughout the year to get those insights. So the goal for our community is two fold. On the product and marketing site, it’s really to obtain quick customer insight to help us drive enhancements and changes. On the customer side, it’s really building loyalty among those who want to engage with us. So it’s really great because as a result of interacting with them, and getting quick iterations on our product, obviously we get those benefits in that we get to push those to our product. And then on the customer loyalty side, we get to build this engaged group of evangelists who help spread word of mouth. And then they’re also leveraged for immediate feedback year round. We have great participation rates within our community.
How has it helped build a relationship with your customers? Has there been a financial benefit from creating this community?
Ali: Absolutely. Any time you really listen to customers and take their feedback to heart, and put it into your products, you’re going to see the financial benefits, because these are the people who buy your products. But chances are that more specifically within this community, I’ll give you an example. We launched a feature about a year and a half ago and we saw an immediate lift in revenue by $6 million. And since it’s been implemented, we’ve seen a lift of over $19 million in the last two years and that’s just with one feature. We do this year round, there’s upwards of 30 or 40 interactions per year that we have with this group. So financial upside is kind of a no brainer when you consider the cost of what it takes to listen to your customers.
Now for the first question, how does this help with engagement? I think this really helps us humanize our brand. So, this group of 25,000 customers sees me as TurboTax Ali. So now there’s a face and a persona with the brand versus “Oh, it’s Intuit,” or “Oh, it’s TurboTax.” They really have this special relationship with me and they know that they can come to myself or the community to get help or give feedback, to really know that they’re listened in their feedback and their time is taken to heart. So for us, I think that’s the biggest benefit. And that’s why we keep doing this, and it kind of creates this virtuous cycle of engagement. We’re able to close the loop with them and tell them where their feedback has been enacted. Pointing to it actually gets them more excited to get participating and giving us more ideas. I think this is the best way we’ve worked to create engagement.
You won a Groundswell Award for your work on this online community. Can you tell us a little more about that?
Ali: The Groundswell Award we won last year was for Company Transformation. So I have to give credit to my colleagues, so it wasn’t just the Inner Circle that won the award. It was our whole company. So QuickBooks community, who is another business division of our company, has their own community. The Inner Circle was also part of that, and then our TurboTax Live Community, which is a live question and answer based support site. This leverages the power of community in order to answer those questions.
What I think it really goes back to is that social is in Intuit’s DNA. Our founder Scott Cook is a huge advocate of listening to customers and building our products around their feedback and what they think would be easy to do. I think it’s really a part of our brand since we’ve been around in the last 25, 26 yeas. We think of it in three components. We’ve got the social media side, which is more marketing through Twitter, Facebook, contests, etc. Then we have the technology, which is the platform you build the components on. If you wanted to leverage social data, that’s where it falls into place. And then we have our communities, which is the Inner Circle and the live community side of things. The way we’ve broken this down into the different components has defiantly shown in winning the Groundswell award. It’s not just one silo in our company, it’s transparent throughout. No matter who you talk to, everyone is excited to talk to customers, and I think that’s kind of why we’ve been so successful.
To find out more about Ali McCourt's presentation and the rest of the Social Media Strategies and Community 2.0 event, download the brochure here.
Our first conversation is with Ali McCourt, who is the leader of the TurboTax Inner Circle.
Subscribe Free
Add to my Page
Download the podcast here.
Download the transcription here.
Can you tell us about the TurboTax Community?
Ali: I manage a community called The TurboTax Inner Circle. And essentially what it is is a volunteer army, a group of about 25,000 customers, and they participate with us by raising their hand and telling us that they want to help build better products and services. We work with them throughout the year to get those insights. So the goal for our community is two fold. On the product and marketing site, it’s really to obtain quick customer insight to help us drive enhancements and changes. On the customer side, it’s really building loyalty among those who want to engage with us. So it’s really great because as a result of interacting with them, and getting quick iterations on our product, obviously we get those benefits in that we get to push those to our product. And then on the customer loyalty side, we get to build this engaged group of evangelists who help spread word of mouth. And then they’re also leveraged for immediate feedback year round. We have great participation rates within our community.
How has it helped build a relationship with your customers? Has there been a financial benefit from creating this community?
Ali: Absolutely. Any time you really listen to customers and take their feedback to heart, and put it into your products, you’re going to see the financial benefits, because these are the people who buy your products. But chances are that more specifically within this community, I’ll give you an example. We launched a feature about a year and a half ago and we saw an immediate lift in revenue by $6 million. And since it’s been implemented, we’ve seen a lift of over $19 million in the last two years and that’s just with one feature. We do this year round, there’s upwards of 30 or 40 interactions per year that we have with this group. So financial upside is kind of a no brainer when you consider the cost of what it takes to listen to your customers.
Now for the first question, how does this help with engagement? I think this really helps us humanize our brand. So, this group of 25,000 customers sees me as TurboTax Ali. So now there’s a face and a persona with the brand versus “Oh, it’s Intuit,” or “Oh, it’s TurboTax.” They really have this special relationship with me and they know that they can come to myself or the community to get help or give feedback, to really know that they’re listened in their feedback and their time is taken to heart. So for us, I think that’s the biggest benefit. And that’s why we keep doing this, and it kind of creates this virtuous cycle of engagement. We’re able to close the loop with them and tell them where their feedback has been enacted. Pointing to it actually gets them more excited to get participating and giving us more ideas. I think this is the best way we’ve worked to create engagement.
You won a Groundswell Award for your work on this online community. Can you tell us a little more about that?
Ali: The Groundswell Award we won last year was for Company Transformation. So I have to give credit to my colleagues, so it wasn’t just the Inner Circle that won the award. It was our whole company. So QuickBooks community, who is another business division of our company, has their own community. The Inner Circle was also part of that, and then our TurboTax Live Community, which is a live question and answer based support site. This leverages the power of community in order to answer those questions.
What I think it really goes back to is that social is in Intuit’s DNA. Our founder Scott Cook is a huge advocate of listening to customers and building our products around their feedback and what they think would be easy to do. I think it’s really a part of our brand since we’ve been around in the last 25, 26 yeas. We think of it in three components. We’ve got the social media side, which is more marketing through Twitter, Facebook, contests, etc. Then we have the technology, which is the platform you build the components on. If you wanted to leverage social data, that’s where it falls into place. And then we have our communities, which is the Inner Circle and the live community side of things. The way we’ve broken this down into the different components has defiantly shown in winning the Groundswell award. It’s not just one silo in our company, it’s transparent throughout. No matter who you talk to, everyone is excited to talk to customers, and I think that’s kind of why we’ve been so successful.
To find out more about Ali McCourt's presentation and the rest of the Social Media Strategies and Community 2.0 event, download the brochure here.
Monday, December 14, 2009
How can publishers use Twitter?
J. S. McDougall of the Huffington Post recently wrote a list of how book publishers can best use Twitter. The tips are publishing specific, but how can you twist them to best fit your industry?
Social Media Strategies and Community 2.0 has a panel called How Can I Unlock the Business Value of Twitter to Innovate, Interact, Inform?" which pulls from businesses currently using Twitter such as Sega, Planet Hollywood, Southwest, The Travel Channel and Whole Foods. For more on this panel, and the conference, download the brochure here.
1. [Tweet this tip!] Sign up for Twitter then cruise through WeFollow.com,TwitDir.com and the new Twitter Lists to find and follow folks in your niche.
2. [Tweet this tip!] Create several Twitter accounts based on the niches in which you publish.
3. [Tweet this tip!] Avoid the temptation to automate. It is important that you are on Twitter to respond to the community.
4. [Tweet this tip!] Sell books by adding substantive information from your books and authors to the conversation. No hard sales pitches, please.
5. [Tweet this tip!] Have fun. Invent new ... ways to engage your Twitter community--contests, polls, jokes, raffles, giveaways, etc.
6. [Tweet this tip!] Twitter accounts dedicated to a single book are hard to build and sustain. Stick with the larger niche.
7. [Tweet this tip!] If you are one of a few people running a single Twitter account, be open about it by signing your name ala: -Jesse
8. [Tweet this tip!] Create and use hashtags to start and follow conversations in your niche.
9. [Tweet this tip!] Join appropriate Twitter groups (twittgroups.com) and have honest interactions with the folks there.
10. [Tweet this tip!] Use tools to track your Twitter success: ChartBeat,HootSuite, Google Analytics.
Social Media Strategies and Community 2.0 has a panel called How Can I Unlock the Business Value of Twitter to Innovate, Interact, Inform?" which pulls from businesses currently using Twitter such as Sega, Planet Hollywood, Southwest, The Travel Channel and Whole Foods. For more on this panel, and the conference, download the brochure here.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Social Media Influencing Holiday Purchases
InformationWeek.com reports that a recent survey by comScore found that 28% of online shoppers were influenced by info on Facebook or Twitter in making holiday purchases.
In its latest poll, comScore found that consumer-generated product reviews were the most cited social media purchase influence in the period with 13% of the poll respondents citing that category. Another 11% said they were influenced by an expert product review; followed by a Facebook fan page, 7%; a Facebook friend's recommendation, 6%; company recommendations on Twitter, 5%; and "tweets" from a friend, 3%.
Do you think that the holiday shopping experience has gone entirely social?
Learn more: Social Media Influencing Holiday Purchases
In its latest poll, comScore found that consumer-generated product reviews were the most cited social media purchase influence in the period with 13% of the poll respondents citing that category. Another 11% said they were influenced by an expert product review; followed by a Facebook fan page, 7%; a Facebook friend's recommendation, 6%; company recommendations on Twitter, 5%; and "tweets" from a friend, 3%.
Do you think that the holiday shopping experience has gone entirely social?
Learn more: Social Media Influencing Holiday Purchases
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Social Media Today Web Seminar: Adding Value with Online Community: How to Leverage Community for Fun & Profit
Adding Value with Online Community: How to Leverage Community for Fun & Profit
Webinar December 18, 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT
Register now: http://bit.ly/7nM0AE
Maggie Fox (@maggiefox)
Rachel Happe (@rhappe)
Neil Beam
Francois Gossieaux
Webinar December 18, 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT
Register now: http://bit.ly/7nM0AE
In the last two years, the business discussion around online community has evolved from “whether” to “how” and “for what purpose.” No longer regarded as peripheral to communications and marketing strategy, it is seen as core to development of brand, product, and positive customer experience.
The issues arising around online community are now more specific, and reflect the tremendous growth in understanding of communities and the value derived from them. Companies and organizations are creating or sponsoring communities of purpose everywhere on the web. They can be long-lasting, or intended to convene only for a single specific purpose. They are built and exist on many platforms, offered by a growing variety of vendors.
The measures of success also vary, but there is also an evolving set of “best practices” honed by leading researchers like Beeline Labs in its work with Deloitte. Increasingly, marketers are beginning to establish compelling case studies demonstrating significant ROI around communities for reducing costs, generating leads, and plain-old product sales.
In cooperation with Social Media Group, the leading boutique advertising agency for social media, Social Media Today is proud to present a live interactive webcast to explore these developments, the third in its series of discussions about the real events in the world of social media.
This webinar is also an opportunity to introduce you to our new online community, The Social Customer, which is devoted to the discussion of this important topic and other aspects of customer service today. By registering for this webinar, you'll automatically become a member of The Social Customer community.
We plan on delving into the following issues, as well as responding live to audience questions:
- What are the various types of community and what are some of their reasons for being?
- What makes an online community work?
- How do you measure success? Operationally? Bottom-line?
- What are the ways that communities fail?
- What are the best platforms and technologies available?
- How should you budget for costs?
Maggie Fox (@maggiefox)
Rachel Happe (@rhappe)
Neil Beam
Francois Gossieaux
Media Sponsor
IIR USA's Social Media & Community 2.0 Strategies
May 3-5, 2010 Boston World Trade Center and Seaport Hotel
Presenting Sponsors
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Recent Study Shows Phishing on Facebook has Increased
A recent study conducted by the internet security company Sophos has some shocking details as highlighted by this post on ReadWriteWeb. In the study Sophos created fake accounts to see how the majority of people acted towards friend requests and how much information is made publicly available by its users. Here are the results of Facebook users that gave "Freddi" (the fake account) access to their personal information.
- 72% of respondents divulged at least one email address
- 84% of respondents listed their full date of birth
- 87% of respondents provided details about their education or workplace
- 78% of respondents listed their current address or location
- 23% of respondents listed their current phone number
- 26% of respondents provided their IM screen name
Will Facebook up its phishing policy to put an end to fake accounts?
- 72% of respondents divulged at least one email address
- 84% of respondents listed their full date of birth
- 87% of respondents provided details about their education or workplace
- 78% of respondents listed their current address or location
- 23% of respondents listed their current phone number
- 26% of respondents provided their IM screen name
Will Facebook up its phishing policy to put an end to fake accounts?
Monday, December 7, 2009
Friendster's Facelift and Rumored Sale
Late last week there were rumors that the once wildly popular social network, Friendster, will soon be sold for a reported $100M. The social network, popular with 16-24 year olds in Southeast Asia has recently undergone a site transformation, perhaps prepping it for the big sale. SFGate.com reports, "We've responded to the needs and wants of our core user base, Asian youth," said Friendster spokesman Jeff Roberto. "Friendster is dominant among the youth sector in Asia, and today, Asia represents the largest and fastest growing Internet and mobile phone user populations in the world."
Roberto would not comment on a Reuters story that Friendster will be sold by the end of the year for more than $100 million to a firm based in Asia.
He said there were "inaccuracies'' in the story, but declined to comment further citing company policy. CEO Richard Kimber told The Chronicle in October that Friendster hoped to find a "strategic partner'' by the end of this year.
Learn more: Friendster undergoes "green" facelift, reported close to sale
Roberto would not comment on a Reuters story that Friendster will be sold by the end of the year for more than $100 million to a firm based in Asia.
He said there were "inaccuracies'' in the story, but declined to comment further citing company policy. CEO Richard Kimber told The Chronicle in October that Friendster hoped to find a "strategic partner'' by the end of this year.
Learn more: Friendster undergoes "green" facelift, reported close to sale
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Social Media and Movies Mix on Movieclips.com
Wednesday's launch of Movieclips.com by Zack James, 27 is an "unprecedented move" by the studios to allow free movie content.
Lauren A.E. Schucker of The Wall Street Journal writes, "Users of the site...can find clips from more than 1,200 films, ranging from classics like "The Wizard of Oz" to the latest "Twilight" sequel. The Movieclips site allows fans to rent or purchase films from retailers after browsing clips; it also offers ways to share clips on social networking sites like Twitter or Facebook...In a rare move, all six major Hollywood studios, including Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures and Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros., have agreed to license content to the site, perhaps hoping to boost DVD sales by sharing promotional content like clips."
Site Brings Movies to Social Media
Do you think Movieclips.com has the strength to compete with other video sharing sites?
Lauren A.E. Schucker of The Wall Street Journal writes, "Users of the site...can find clips from more than 1,200 films, ranging from classics like "The Wizard of Oz" to the latest "Twilight" sequel. The Movieclips site allows fans to rent or purchase films from retailers after browsing clips; it also offers ways to share clips on social networking sites like Twitter or Facebook...In a rare move, all six major Hollywood studios, including Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures and Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros., have agreed to license content to the site, perhaps hoping to boost DVD sales by sharing promotional content like clips."
Site Brings Movies to Social Media
Do you think Movieclips.com has the strength to compete with other video sharing sites?
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Facebook Integrates with Yahoo
This blog post in Search Engine Land highlights how Yahoo has announced that they will integrate many properties with Facebook Connect. Facebook will be integrated in Yahoo Mail, Yahoo News, Yahoo Answers, and Yahoo Sports. Yahoo users will also be able to see Facebook friends' activities on their yahoo pages and even share content from Yahoo. This is very exciting news!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Twitter, Facebook, Google Go Red for World AIDS Day
Today is World Aids Day, and popular social networks have shown their support by going "red" in remembrance of the individuals lost to this deadly disease. Mashable writes, the Twitterhomepage has turned red, but you can also help out by adding the hashtag #red to the end of your tweets, which will make them turn (literally) red. It also works with the hashtag #laceupsavelives, which is a part of Nike’s campaign, promoting their new product: RED laces, designed to fight AIDS in Africa. Follow twitter.com/joinred/ to learn more and support the cause.
There’s also a campaign on Facebook over at www.facebook.com/joinred; share the (RED) video and make your profile picture (RED) if you’d like to raise awareness about this campaign.
Google has added a link to its homepage with information on how you can help and join the various campaigns related to the World AIDS day.
Twitter, Facebook, Google Go Red for World AIDS Day
Do you think that this social media response will help spur awareness of AIDS?
There’s also a campaign on Facebook over at www.facebook.com/joinred; share the (RED) video and make your profile picture (RED) if you’d like to raise awareness about this campaign.
Google has added a link to its homepage with information on how you can help and join the various campaigns related to the World AIDS day.
Twitter, Facebook, Google Go Red for World AIDS Day
Do you think that this social media response will help spur awareness of AIDS?
Monday, November 30, 2009
Twitter Declared Most Popular English Word of 2009
Mashable reports that the word, "Twitter" has been declared the most popular English word of 2009. The Global Language Monitor, which tracks language trends, has once again compiled and released its yearly list of the most popular words and phrases within the English language. In 2008, the #1 most popular word was “change” (referring to the mantra of the top name of 2008, Barack Obama). However, Obama has been supplanted this year by the 140 character sensation that is Twitter.
Twitter Declared Most Popular English Word of 2009
Twitter Declared Most Popular English Word of 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Woot.com Launches Deal Crowdsourcing Site
The venerable spot for deal-seekers just went social. Woot.com has introduced Deals.Woot.com, an attempt to turn its rabid fans into a crowd-sourced deal finding-and-evaluating machine that finds dozens of bargains worthy of a “w00t, w00t!”says Wired writer, Ryan Singel.
Singel continues, While Woot isn’t the first to try this, Woot has already grown a fanatically loyal user community around its sites. Already the deal site is attracting more votes per item than any previous such attempts ever seemed to.
What do you think about this move by Woot? Will we see more deal websites trying to compete in the social/crowd-sourcing arena?
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Social Media is a Team Effort
I came across this post from Chris Brogan's blog in which he compares social media to a recent football game he was watching. What he was trying to get across in the post is that just like how football games can not be won solely by the quarterback or head coach, people will have trouble convincing companies to adopt social media if the industry is filled with solo players. To make things work in social media, every part of an internal + external team should be assigned a task. Instead, companies are assigning all these tasks simply to one person in the company, and this does nothing to help communication within these channels. There needs to be a more integrated approach. Do you agree with Chris?
Friday, November 20, 2009
Gamers get social media as Facebook comes to PS3
PS3 addicts can now access Facebook through their systems. Brandrepublic.com writes, Sony is promising more integration with Facebook to come, but in the meantime PlayStation owners will be able to check updates and those of their friends on Facebook and Twitter as well as other social media sites through the PS3's built-in browser.
Most importantly with Facebook on the Xbox gamers will be able to find out which of their Facebook friends are also on Xbox Live. Other features include the ability to browse photos and update their status.
For more on the Facebook's presence on PS3, please click here.
Most importantly with Facebook on the Xbox gamers will be able to find out which of their Facebook friends are also on Xbox Live. Other features include the ability to browse photos and update their status.
For more on the Facebook's presence on PS3, please click here.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
What can social media do for your business?
The MetroWest Daily News' Jeff Adair recently spoke with Bob Cargill, the Direct Marketer of the Year for 2009, recently commented on what social media can do for a business, from building more connections between the brand and customers to what the most effective social media tool is. Cargill believes social media is here to stay and not a fad, as it is on track to become more used than any other electronic communication.
Cargill also added this about how it enhances your in-person encounters with your customers:
"Yes, absolutely. Social media shouldn’t replace face-to-face meetings. Ideally, it should lead to even more physical encounters. It should help you make connections online with people who ultimately become customers and friends offline. There’s even a word for meetings between two or more people who have met on Twitter. It’s called a Tweetup. "
"Yes, absolutely. Social media shouldn’t replace face-to-face meetings. Ideally, it should lead to even more physical encounters. It should help you make connections online with people who ultimately become customers and friends offline. There’s even a word for meetings between two or more people who have met on Twitter. It’s called a Tweetup. "
Read the full article here.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Blogging Innovation: Five Steps to a Successful B2B Social Media Strategy
Matt Heinz of Blogging Innovation discusses today about how social media professionals can effectively manage B2B communication. Heinz offers five key ways to strategize your b2b efforts.
They are as follows:
1. Strategize
2. Publish
3. Follow
4. Engage
5. Convert & Measure
We encourage you to check out Heinz's post for his run-down of each element. Any that you'd like to add?
Five Steps to a Successful B2B Social Media Strategy
They are as follows:
1. Strategize
2. Publish
3. Follow
4. Engage
5. Convert & Measure
We encourage you to check out Heinz's post for his run-down of each element. Any that you'd like to add?
Five Steps to a Successful B2B Social Media Strategy
Monday, November 16, 2009
How to Build Brand Awareness of Facebook
This recent article in SearchEnglineLand.com discusses how a company can create brand awareness on Facebook. Kevin Gibbons give the example of Aleksandr Orlov, the founder of Compare the Meerkat. His status updates are sporadic and written in the way he talks, so it doesn't sound salesy. Not only that, but the online persona is not closely associated with the online website, and so it makes it ok to become a fan without all of the marketing that goes along with it.
Armed Forces Day is an example of an organization that has a lot of fans without any real marketing behind it. The reasoning behind this is because of the brilliance of what the organization stands for. Dunkin Donuts is another Facebook Fan favorite. Dunkin embraced a campaign that allowed its Facebook users to post pictures of themselves with any Coolatta drink. Involving your fans in the community is a sure way to get hundreds of fans.
What are some other examples of companies building brand awareness on Facebook?
Armed Forces Day is an example of an organization that has a lot of fans without any real marketing behind it. The reasoning behind this is because of the brilliance of what the organization stands for. Dunkin Donuts is another Facebook Fan favorite. Dunkin embraced a campaign that allowed its Facebook users to post pictures of themselves with any Coolatta drink. Involving your fans in the community is a sure way to get hundreds of fans.
What are some other examples of companies building brand awareness on Facebook?
Friday, November 13, 2009
As a social media professional, what should you be reading?
What books are you currently reading to learn more about social media? Mashable just published a list with what they believe are the top five books. What would you add?
Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith
The Whuffie Factor by Tara Hunt
Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel
Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuck
The New Community Rules by Tamar Weinberg
For commentary on the books, read the full article at Mashable.
Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith
The Whuffie Factor by Tara Hunt
Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel
Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuck
The New Community Rules by Tamar Weinberg
For commentary on the books, read the full article at Mashable.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
NYTimes: How to Market Your Business With Facebook
New York Times reporter Kermit Pattison writes today that small business owners may want to re-think their relationship with Facebook. As we've covered on this blog before, Facebook can be a powerful tool for small business owners. Utilizing the fan page and group functions, your product/service's reach can extend far beyond your target market. Here's what Pattison has to say, Businesses can easily create a Web presence with Facebook, even if they don’t have their own Web site (most companies still should maintain a Web site to reach people who don’t use Facebook or whose employers block access to the site). Businesses can claim a vanity address so that their Facebook address reflects the business name, like www.facebook.com/Starbucks. Facebook pages can link to the company’s Web site or direct sales to e-commerce sites like Ticketmaster or Amazon.
Read more of Pattison's claims for Facebook and let us know your thoughts.
Read more of Pattison's claims for Facebook and let us know your thoughts.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Free Web Seminar Next Thursday - Unlock a Better Business Strategy with Text Analytics
Start Date/Time: Thu, Nov 19, 2009 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST
With SPSS text analytics, you can read documents, blogs, wikis, tweets, e-mails, call center notes, surveys and other free form text – and turn the insight you gain into a true strategic asset. We’ll show you how to use text analytics with social media and other Web 2.0 sites to understand trends, and what your customers want, and how they’ll behave. We’ll demonstrate using text analytics in modeling to make your models better, and how to use automatic translation from more than 30 languages to make sense of your global customer base.
Your customers are talking about you, and you can gain a genuine advantage by knowing what they are saying. Attend this webinar and learn how you can “listen in” – and act on the information to gain a competitive edge.
This webinar will show how to:
- Use text analytics to make sense of any text, including Web 2.0 sources such as social networking sites
- Use the information to get a better understanding of your customers, your products, and your competitors.
- Make sense of free-form text resources, and act on the insight you gain
- Unlock predictive secrets from text sources, and combine that information with structured data to build powerful predictive
models that can inform decision making.
Featured Speaker
Jane Hendricks, Product Marketing Manager, SPSS, an IBM Company
Mention priority code MWS0026BLOG when registering:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/646359377
With SPSS text analytics, you can read documents, blogs, wikis, tweets, e-mails, call center notes, surveys and other free form text – and turn the insight you gain into a true strategic asset. We’ll show you how to use text analytics with social media and other Web 2.0 sites to understand trends, and what your customers want, and how they’ll behave. We’ll demonstrate using text analytics in modeling to make your models better, and how to use automatic translation from more than 30 languages to make sense of your global customer base.
Your customers are talking about you, and you can gain a genuine advantage by knowing what they are saying. Attend this webinar and learn how you can “listen in” – and act on the information to gain a competitive edge.
This webinar will show how to:
- Use text analytics to make sense of any text, including Web 2.0 sources such as social networking sites
- Use the information to get a better understanding of your customers, your products, and your competitors.
- Make sense of free-form text resources, and act on the insight you gain
- Unlock predictive secrets from text sources, and combine that information with structured data to build powerful predictive
models that can inform decision making.
Featured Speaker
Jane Hendricks, Product Marketing Manager, SPSS, an IBM Company
Mention priority code MWS0026BLOG when registering:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/646359377
Monday, November 9, 2009
Burberry Banks on Social Media Love for their Iconic Trench Coat
Reuters reports this morning that the luxury goods brand, Burberry is introducing its nearly 100 year old Trench coat to social media. The Web site, artofthetrench.com, will allow members connected via Facebook to submit images and stories about Burberry trench coats and share them with one other...The Web site, artofthetrench.com, will allow members connected via Facebook to submit images and stories about Burberry trench coats and share them with one other.
What do you think of stalwart retailers using the social space for their goods? Will they see a benefit?
What do you think of stalwart retailers using the social space for their goods? Will they see a benefit?
Friday, November 6, 2009
NACCM 2009: I Want To Tweet You Up
Here's another post from the Customers 1st blog which highlights a session called "I Want To Tweet You Up" from Michael Tchong at the NACCM Conference that just took place. Enjoy!
I Want To Tweet You Up: What Emerging Customer Trends Mean for Your Business
Michael Tchong, Trend Analyst & Founder, Ubercool
We should begin by discriminating trends from fads. Trends are consumer value changes. The best way to predict consumer behavior
Ubertrend – major movement, pattern or wave, emerging in the consumer lifestyle
Digital lifestyle – marriage between man and machine
The Compression – the acceleration of life
Unwired – The unhooked generation
Captin Sully’s situation reporting coverage was changed by Twitter. The first image was from Janis Krums from Sarasota, Florida from an iPhone. Comedians are the ones who best observe trends. The youths are on the front of this trend. The majority of Twitter users are abroad. Twendz lets you see Twitter trends as they are cascading down. Michael Tchong said Twitter will make or break swine flu.
Multitasking too much makes it harder for humans to remember things. The Wii now responds people to rehabilitate faster. Have you gone to “Wii”hab yet?
Tchong looks to microwaves for introducing Americans to instant gratification. Our state of mind has become a state of time. Culture has created a fast society, because we have a fear of being left behind.
Everyone is looking for innovation. In 1999, 95% of people stated that they wanted to be a leader. This is up from 37% in 1991.
We’re all facing the GPS Generation. We can get anywhere like a native, and leaving maps behind. Same can be said for speed dial and remembering phone numbers. Sit or Squat to find the restroom.
Time Compression. Food, photos, instant energy, etc. We are all trigger happy. Epic fail – Frequently used term in the video game community that means you really messed up and/or something/someone is an utter failure. This is video game culture seeping into life.
Digital lifestyle: We’ve gotten an unknown president into office. Twilight and New Moon made a mom from Phoenix a multimillionaire.
Download free Uberternds map at ubercool.com.
I Want To Tweet You Up: What Emerging Customer Trends Mean for Your Business
Michael Tchong, Trend Analyst & Founder, Ubercool
We should begin by discriminating trends from fads. Trends are consumer value changes. The best way to predict consumer behavior
Ubertrend – major movement, pattern or wave, emerging in the consumer lifestyle
Digital lifestyle – marriage between man and machine
The Compression – the acceleration of life
Unwired – The unhooked generation
Captin Sully’s situation reporting coverage was changed by Twitter. The first image was from Janis Krums from Sarasota, Florida from an iPhone. Comedians are the ones who best observe trends. The youths are on the front of this trend. The majority of Twitter users are abroad. Twendz lets you see Twitter trends as they are cascading down. Michael Tchong said Twitter will make or break swine flu.
Multitasking too much makes it harder for humans to remember things. The Wii now responds people to rehabilitate faster. Have you gone to “Wii”hab yet?
Tchong looks to microwaves for introducing Americans to instant gratification. Our state of mind has become a state of time. Culture has created a fast society, because we have a fear of being left behind.
Everyone is looking for innovation. In 1999, 95% of people stated that they wanted to be a leader. This is up from 37% in 1991.
We’re all facing the GPS Generation. We can get anywhere like a native, and leaving maps behind. Same can be said for speed dial and remembering phone numbers. Sit or Squat to find the restroom.
Time Compression. Food, photos, instant energy, etc. We are all trigger happy. Epic fail – Frequently used term in the video game community that means you really messed up and/or something/someone is an utter failure. This is video game culture seeping into life.
Digital lifestyle: We’ve gotten an unknown president into office. Twilight and New Moon made a mom from Phoenix a multimillionaire.
Download free Uberternds map at ubercool.com.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Millennial Moms -- The Most Connected and Tech-Toy Dependent Population
According to a free whitepaper by Mr. Youth, Millennial Moms, those born between 1977 and 1996, are quickly becoming the biggest users of the online space. The report documents this segment of the population's ability to multi-task, utilize multiple devices and over share on popular social networks. Another interesting point is that this generation utilizes communities, or even creates communities when they are dealing with important life changes.
We can see this with the gads of "Mommy Bloggers," who cover everything from child-rearing to household finance.
We encourage you to check out this whitepaper and to think about how you can connect and share with this population.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
NACCM 2009: Answering the Social Phone – Listening, Measuring, and Engaging in Social Media.
We're live this week in sunny Phoenix for the NACCM: Customer 1st 2009 conference. Our guest-blogger, Norma Huibregtse covered a session yesterday on social media and customer service. Follow along with us via our Customer 1st Blog as we continue our coverage from this year's event.
Below is her entry.
NACCM 2009: Answering the Social Phone – Listening, Measuring, and Engaging in Social Media.
Your social media phone is ringing. But are you answering it? Do the right thing by listening and engaging with your customers says David Alston, VP of Marketing & Community for Radian6.
What should we be listening for? Alston says that he listens for ideas, compliments, memes, crisis, complaints, competition, crowds, campaign buzz, and needs. Treat the conversations as if you are at a cocktail party. Don’t just jump in but look for the point of need from a customer. Listening first and then engage has been the common theme throughout many of the NACCM presentations today.
Alston shared the 5 C’s for engaging in social media. They include:
Content – give content because people don’t want your promotions.
Community – you want to create a place where your fans, customers and even critics can live together.
Conversation – they build the relationships that build your business.
Collaboration – because the consumer is more and more in control, it’s best to collaborate with your community than try to control it.
Connections – you can’t be a hermit. You must actively and consistently connect with your community.
What do you do if there are no conversations about you? Find people who share your passion and join their conversations. Eventually these relationships will evolve and bring you more exposure. The ultimate is to have customers share their positive testimonials about your business using tools like Twitter. Alston shared how he files positive tweets about Radian6 as “favorites” which he calls “twestimonials”.
Alston listed several reasons why some companies hold back from using social media to engage customers. They include restrictive policies, culture, bureaucracy, lack of momentum, concerns over window dressing, lack of top level support and lack of resources. When it comes to your culture, Alston says “if you suck in real life, you will suck on social media.” Make sure it’s right first.
In his Social Media Maturity Model, Alton talks about the various levels of engagement. We all should begin at the bottom and work our way up. That way you build credibility with each step.
Contributing - Contributing value through content and helping customers achieve goals
Sharing - Tell your own story. Share your brand’s passion & personality
Participating - Adding on and sharing your knowledge
Responding - Answering the “social phone”
Listening - Monitoring and analysis
For those still hesitant about getting engaged in social media, Alston says “find your path, and get started NOW!” Consumers want to connect with your brand. You’ll make mistakes but you will survive. Alston’s advice is to “have fun”. With over 11,000 followers on Twitter, you can bet that he is having tons of fun!
Below is her entry.
NACCM 2009: Answering the Social Phone – Listening, Measuring, and Engaging in Social Media.
Your social media phone is ringing. But are you answering it? Do the right thing by listening and engaging with your customers says David Alston, VP of Marketing & Community for Radian6.What should we be listening for? Alston says that he listens for ideas, compliments, memes, crisis, complaints, competition, crowds, campaign buzz, and needs. Treat the conversations as if you are at a cocktail party. Don’t just jump in but look for the point of need from a customer. Listening first and then engage has been the common theme throughout many of the NACCM presentations today.
Alston shared the 5 C’s for engaging in social media. They include:
Content – give content because people don’t want your promotions.
Community – you want to create a place where your fans, customers and even critics can live together.
Conversation – they build the relationships that build your business.
Collaboration – because the consumer is more and more in control, it’s best to collaborate with your community than try to control it.
Connections – you can’t be a hermit. You must actively and consistently connect with your community.
What do you do if there are no conversations about you? Find people who share your passion and join their conversations. Eventually these relationships will evolve and bring you more exposure. The ultimate is to have customers share their positive testimonials about your business using tools like Twitter. Alston shared how he files positive tweets about Radian6 as “favorites” which he calls “twestimonials”.
Alston listed several reasons why some companies hold back from using social media to engage customers. They include restrictive policies, culture, bureaucracy, lack of momentum, concerns over window dressing, lack of top level support and lack of resources. When it comes to your culture, Alston says “if you suck in real life, you will suck on social media.” Make sure it’s right first.
In his Social Media Maturity Model, Alton talks about the various levels of engagement. We all should begin at the bottom and work our way up. That way you build credibility with each step.
Contributing - Contributing value through content and helping customers achieve goals
Sharing - Tell your own story. Share your brand’s passion & personality
Participating - Adding on and sharing your knowledge
Responding - Answering the “social phone”
Listening - Monitoring and analysis
For those still hesitant about getting engaged in social media, Alston says “find your path, and get started NOW!” Consumers want to connect with your brand. You’ll make mistakes but you will survive. Alston’s advice is to “have fun”. With over 11,000 followers on Twitter, you can bet that he is having tons of fun!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Creating a Customer-Centric Social Media Strategy that Works
Here's a guest post from Norma Huibregtse on the Customers 1st blog that I thought might be of interest to our community readers. NACCM is currently taking place so make sure to subscribe to the NACCM blog for live updates from the event. Check the post out below.
Business owners want to jump on the social media bandwagon but just don’t know where to begin. Becky Carroll, founder of Customers Rock!, believes you must have a strategy to engage in social media today. In her presentation today, "Putting Together a Customer-Centric Social Media Strategy that Works: Deciphering the Hype from Reality", she discusses how to put together a customer centeric social media strategy that works.
Why consider social media? Carroll says because your customers want it or management wants it. She reminds us that 60% of Americans are using social media, 93% believe a company should have a presence in social media and 85% believe a company should interact via social media. Using social media helps to remove the “faceless veil” so that customers can get to know you on a personal level says Carroll.
According to Carroll, hitting the Social media sweet spot allows us to:
– build trust with customers
– build community
– WOM maximizer
– two-way conversations
Based on the book Groundswell, Carroll shares several reasons to use social media: to listen, talk, energize, help and embrace your customers. Ask your customers which social media venues work best for them.
How do you create a social media strategy? Carroll says you should participate by first listening, deciding what you want to do with your customers and choose the right tools. Establish social media goals. What do you want to do? Share your expertise, build relationships, create a conversation, customer service, or be more human?
Carroll shared several company examples which are successfully using social media. She mentioned the top three brands with the deepest brand engagement using social media Starbucks, Dell and Ebay. Other examples include Coca Cola, JetBlue and Cisco. Coca Cola’s Fan Page was developed by two loyal customers. JetBlue Airways uses Twitter for customer service and has over 1.4 million followers. Cisco CEO John Chambers was captured on video in his office doing duck calls. The video was posted on their blog and allowed customers to see his human side.
The key to social media is in the planning. Decide who is in charge of social media. Many are outsourcing to marketing companies and PR firms. Carroll believes you should not outsource this to someone outside of the company. Find someone in your organization who would love the opportunity to create conversations about your company. Everyone needs to be involved in strategy: marketing, customer service, R&D, C-level, and employees.
Decide which metrics are the most critical. Start with small, focused pilots. Remember, you must be consistent as it is a relationship-building activity for the long term according to Carroll. Ask for customer feedback and revise your strategy as needed.
You can engage in social media in a planned way. Set up the plan and get your organization involved. According to Carroll, it takes a little nurture and care. Little things like “thank you” matter to your customers. Begin by listening is Carroll’s strongest advice.
Business owners want to jump on the social media bandwagon but just don’t know where to begin. Becky Carroll, founder of Customers Rock!, believes you must have a strategy to engage in social media today. In her presentation today, "Putting Together a Customer-Centric Social Media Strategy that Works: Deciphering the Hype from Reality", she discusses how to put together a customer centeric social media strategy that works.
Why consider social media? Carroll says because your customers want it or management wants it. She reminds us that 60% of Americans are using social media, 93% believe a company should have a presence in social media and 85% believe a company should interact via social media. Using social media helps to remove the “faceless veil” so that customers can get to know you on a personal level says Carroll.
According to Carroll, hitting the Social media sweet spot allows us to:
– build trust with customers
– build community
– WOM maximizer
– two-way conversations
Based on the book Groundswell, Carroll shares several reasons to use social media: to listen, talk, energize, help and embrace your customers. Ask your customers which social media venues work best for them.
How do you create a social media strategy? Carroll says you should participate by first listening, deciding what you want to do with your customers and choose the right tools. Establish social media goals. What do you want to do? Share your expertise, build relationships, create a conversation, customer service, or be more human?
Carroll shared several company examples which are successfully using social media. She mentioned the top three brands with the deepest brand engagement using social media Starbucks, Dell and Ebay. Other examples include Coca Cola, JetBlue and Cisco. Coca Cola’s Fan Page was developed by two loyal customers. JetBlue Airways uses Twitter for customer service and has over 1.4 million followers. Cisco CEO John Chambers was captured on video in his office doing duck calls. The video was posted on their blog and allowed customers to see his human side.
The key to social media is in the planning. Decide who is in charge of social media. Many are outsourcing to marketing companies and PR firms. Carroll believes you should not outsource this to someone outside of the company. Find someone in your organization who would love the opportunity to create conversations about your company. Everyone needs to be involved in strategy: marketing, customer service, R&D, C-level, and employees.
Decide which metrics are the most critical. Start with small, focused pilots. Remember, you must be consistent as it is a relationship-building activity for the long term according to Carroll. Ask for customer feedback and revise your strategy as needed.
You can engage in social media in a planned way. Set up the plan and get your organization involved. According to Carroll, it takes a little nurture and care. Little things like “thank you” matter to your customers. Begin by listening is Carroll’s strongest advice.
8% Growth in Social Media -- Thanks to Aging Facebook Users
The Guardian reports today that social media has seen an 8% growth in popularity, largely thanks to the growing number of older persons on Facebook. Writer Mercedes Bunz says, the use of social media is still growing: a survey has revealed that 19% of internet users now say they use Twitter or another service to share updates about themselves or see updates about others.
Bunz also reports that Facebook users are getting a lot older. Its median age is now 33, up from 26 in May 2008, while the average Twitterer is still 31, a figure that has remained stable over the past year. By comparison, MySpace users' median age is 26, down from 27 in May 2008, while LinkedIn is 39, down from 40.
Bunz also reports that Facebook users are getting a lot older. Its median age is now 33, up from 26 in May 2008, while the average Twitterer is still 31, a figure that has remained stable over the past year. By comparison, MySpace users' median age is 26, down from 27 in May 2008, while LinkedIn is 39, down from 40.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wired: Organized Chaos: Viral Marketing, Meet Social Media
We encourage you to check out Curtis Silver's piece in Wired magazine in which he discusses the evolution of viral marketing and how it met with social media. Silver writes, viral marketing — the technique of wrangling word-of-mouth to create a buzz around your product or idea — has been a powerful tool since the first caveman started the first rumor. Spreading the word person to person is the stuff of Avon dreams — and Bernie Madoff nightmares. And it requires the confidence to lose control of the message by setting it adrift. He discusses 2002's BMW short film series, The Hire and how Mystery Science Theater 3000 played an integral part in the latter stages of "traditional" viral marketing.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
NASDAQ Goes Social
I came across this article in WebProNews that discusses that the world's largest exchange company has launched a social networking community called "NASDAQ Community". The aim of this group, according to NASDAQ EVP John Jacobs, is to promote market transparency and investor education among people in the financial sector with shared interests.
Members of the community are able to create profiles, ask questions on discussion boards and rate and review stocks.
Members of the community are able to create profiles, ask questions on discussion boards and rate and review stocks.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Google adds social media activity to search results
Utalkmarketing.com reports today that Google has launched Social Search facility that enables users to discover publicly available web content from their social circle online.
Currently still in its experimental stage, when using Social Search users will sometimes see a special set of "Results from people in your social circle" towards the bottom of the results page.
These social results include relevant websites, blogs, status updates, and other publicly-available content from users’ online friends and contacts.
Currently still in its experimental stage, when using Social Search users will sometimes see a special set of "Results from people in your social circle" towards the bottom of the results page.
These social results include relevant websites, blogs, status updates, and other publicly-available content from users’ online friends and contacts.
As a social networking user, will this help you find relevant content online? Or, are you able to find said content easily on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube?
Google adds social media activity to search results
Google adds social media activity to search results
Monday, October 26, 2009
Real-Time Search Results for Twitter
In the past couple of months we have seen major events unfold and witnessed Facebook and Twitter become real-time news reporters. According to this article in the NY Times, there has been talks of search engines like OneRiot, Collecta and Topsy trying to incorporate twitter in real-time search results, but recently Microsoft and Google have reached separate agreements to include tweets into their search engines.
One question that the article raises is how will these real-time results produce a cash flow for twitter? Analysts mention that this might not be an easy task, and twitter's chief executive has already mentioned that it is not the primary focus of the agreements made.
One things for sure, twitter has definitely become a force to be reckoned with and it's great to see Google and Microsoft recognize this and want to include it into their search results.
One question that the article raises is how will these real-time results produce a cash flow for twitter? Analysts mention that this might not be an easy task, and twitter's chief executive has already mentioned that it is not the primary focus of the agreements made.
One things for sure, twitter has definitely become a force to be reckoned with and it's great to see Google and Microsoft recognize this and want to include it into their search results.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Google and Facebook to join music distribution
According to the New York Times, Google and Facebook are teaming up with some of the music labels in order to make music easier to learn about music types, as well as find and sample music from different musicians. Google's initiative to team up with Capitol Records is expected to be announced next Wednesday. The different sites will not actually host the media, but will create partnerships with other sites such as iLike to stream the media.
What do you think? This is the first time we've seen the music industry join forces with someone on the internet to publicize their artists on the internet. I believe that by creating communities where artists are readily available for the public to hear will only increase the number of CDs purchased by buyers.
What do you think? This is the first time we've seen the music industry join forces with someone on the internet to publicize their artists on the internet. I believe that by creating communities where artists are readily available for the public to hear will only increase the number of CDs purchased by buyers.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
H1N1 Swine Flu Social Media Tools Provided by CDC
Huliq.com reports that The CDC partnered with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services(HHS)to create social media tools that provide easy to access information about the ongoing H1N1 Swine Flu pandemic. Widgets, mobile information, online videos and other tools help keep important H1N1 Flu information flowing.
For links to these potentially life saving networks, please click here.
H1N1 Swine Flu Social Media Tools Provided by CDC
For links to these potentially life saving networks, please click here.
H1N1 Swine Flu Social Media Tools Provided by CDC
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
CIA to start spying on social media?
Don Reisinger of CNET.com reports Tuesday that the CIA may start spying on social media conversations. Reisinger writes, visible Technologies, a company that monitors online social activity and packages the findings for clients, has forged a "strategic partnership" with In-Q-Tel, the CIA's not-for-profit investment arm, to give the organization insight into social media.
For more information about these companies and about their partnerships with the CIA, please visit Reisinger's original article here.
For more information about these companies and about their partnerships with the CIA, please visit Reisinger's original article here.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Live from The Market Research Event: The Skinny on Marketing Research at Facebook
We're live this week at The Market Research Event 2009 and we invite you to follow along with us via our blog and Twitter. Among our great presentations this year, we'd like to share one with you that's specific to social media, written by our guest blogger, April Bell.
Well, I am here for my first session at The Market Research Event in Las Vegas. What a great first session to blog about: Facebook. Meg Sloan, research lead at Facebook and Brant Cruz of Chadwick Martin Bailey shared a little glimpse of what life inside Facebook is like.
The Skinny on Marketing Research at Facebook
Well, I am here for my first session at The Market Research Event in Las Vegas. What a great first session to blog about: Facebook. Meg Sloan, research lead at Facebook and Brant Cruz of Chadwick Martin Bailey shared a little glimpse of what life inside Facebook is like.
Currently, Facebook has 300 million users worldwide and at least 1/2 of their users go to the site daily! Wow! How do they do it? Here's a tidbit....
Their guiding principles include:
Proactive
Scalable
Expertise
New School
Synthesis & Story-telling
Meg also gave us insight into how they view their small marketing research team:
1. Try our best to act like the rest of the org
2. Radical focus on the roadmap and prioritization
3. Making sure we all are doing things we feel strong at each day (staying motivated)
4. Supporting each other/sharing information/work etc.
5. Be nimble and use our resources and relationships to their fullest.
And last but not least: Ruthless Prioritization as well as Have Fun and create an awesome workplace. Their Q3 planning meeting involved pedicures--sign me up!
You can see more about life inside the marketing research team at Facebook. Check out this video about "life at facebook." Oh, and by the way, they currently have a marketing research position open for anyone who is interested...
I'm now a little more motivated to spend time on my facebook page...
Monday, October 19, 2009
Social Media for Farmers is a Growing Trend
Farmers across the United States are starting to reap the benefits of social media by utilizing it for personal and agriculture-specific purposes. The National Journal Online reports that The Center for Rural Affairs (CFRA), a Nebraska-based rural advocacy group, started seriously investing in social media less than six months ago, but they already have more than 700 fans on Facebook and nearly 300 followers on Twitter. "We've had way more success than I anticipated," said Brian Depew, rural organizing and outreach program director at CFRA.
The American Farm Bureau Federation, active in social media for nine months, has engaged an even bigger share of the farming community. With 4,000 Facebook fans and nearly 2,300 followers on Twitter, the Farm Bureau created a social media committee to design rules of use.
Leading the pack on Twitter is the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, who has about 100 more followers than its national counterpart, despite only officially announcing their social media presence in June (they'd been tweeting unofficially since last November). "We know that we can't reach the people we need to reach by just posting up on our Web site and hoping they find it through Google or a search engine," said communications specialist Dan Toland, who spearheaded the group's social media effort. "It's not all about the people coming to us, but reaching out to our members."
How else do you think the agriculture sector can benefit from social media?
Ag Groups Find Voice In Social Media
The American Farm Bureau Federation, active in social media for nine months, has engaged an even bigger share of the farming community. With 4,000 Facebook fans and nearly 2,300 followers on Twitter, the Farm Bureau created a social media committee to design rules of use.
Leading the pack on Twitter is the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, who has about 100 more followers than its national counterpart, despite only officially announcing their social media presence in June (they'd been tweeting unofficially since last November). "We know that we can't reach the people we need to reach by just posting up on our Web site and hoping they find it through Google or a search engine," said communications specialist Dan Toland, who spearheaded the group's social media effort. "It's not all about the people coming to us, but reaching out to our members."
How else do you think the agriculture sector can benefit from social media?
Ag Groups Find Voice In Social Media
Thursday, October 15, 2009
What your online communities can do for you
Venture Beat recently looked at a popular question in social media - how can you measure and track the efforts of online social media. They came up with a few answers that were very unique and showed not just profit the online community can make, but what the online community can do to save you money.
- Market research - Online communities are a great group of targeted customers who you can use to do market research, saving the normal market research spend
- Advertising costs/revenue - You can find out if new marketing campaigns are going to work before buying any media space by testing them on your community group
- Customer revenue - You can measure the spending of your online community members versus non-online community members
- Customer Retention - Those members of the community tend to have a greater sense of loyalty and stay with your brand, buying your products longer
- Market research - Online communities are a great group of targeted customers who you can use to do market research, saving the normal market research spend
- Advertising costs/revenue - You can find out if new marketing campaigns are going to work before buying any media space by testing them on your community group
- Customer revenue - You can measure the spending of your online community members versus non-online community members
- Customer Retention - Those members of the community tend to have a greater sense of loyalty and stay with your brand, buying your products longer
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Social Media Can Save Lives, Says Public Health Officials
Medscape.com reports that social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook are allowing public health officials to reach out fast and directly to the public on everything from salmonella-related food recalls to disease outbreaks and weather emergencies. Federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration have recognized the power of social media, using the broad reach of the online community to help distribute important health information and learn what issues are popping up across the country at any given time.
For more information about how public health officials are using social media, please click on the original article below.
Public Health Leaders Using Social Media to Convey Emergencies: New Tools a Boon
For more information about how public health officials are using social media, please click on the original article below.
Public Health Leaders Using Social Media to Convey Emergencies: New Tools a Boon
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Social Media Can be Profitable
Mashable recently posted this video in which Bloomberg interviewed Mashable CEO Pete Cashmore, in which he discussed how the blog which was first introduced in 2005 was able to utilize web 2.0 technology to provide 24/7 news coverage of what's happening on the web and in social media.
The site has many revenue streams including advertising, job boards, and even events. This is just an example of how web 2.0 technology in this day and age has replaced traditional media in the way we receive information. Watch the video below.
The site has many revenue streams including advertising, job boards, and even events. This is just an example of how web 2.0 technology in this day and age has replaced traditional media in the way we receive information. Watch the video below.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Complimentary Web Seminar: Shifting Media, Shifting Minds
Title: Shifting Media, Shifting Minds
Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT
Register here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/367946673
Mention Priority code: P1506LinkedInBlog
About the web seminar:
The days of one-way brand communication (i.e. advertising) are over. Engagement, utility and brand evangelism are the secrets to success in the user-controlled world of Facebook and Twitter. See how some major brands have exploited the new digital realities. Heartbeat Digital CEO Bill Drummy presents real-world examples showing how Bayer, J&J, Novo Nordisk, and UCB are racing ahead into the digital future.
What you will learn:
• The dramatic change in consumer media consumption patterns
• Who’s really using social networking and what are they doing
• The real data behind Facebook & Twitter
• The “reason for being” of various social networking environments and how to harness their unique capabilities
• Real-world examples of effective social networking campaigns
About the speaker:
Bill Drummy is CEO of Heartbeat Digital, an independent interactive marketing and software company he founded in 1998. Heartbeat is headquartered in New York, with offices in Brussels, Geneva, Paris and London. Named one of pharma’s “100 Most Inspiring People,” by PharmaVoice, Bill has provided strategic guidance at the highest levels for Amgen, GSK, sanofi-aventis, UCB and many other leading pharma and biotech companies. Bill’s reputation as a strategic thinker is well-known; he’s regularly published on industry issues and has been a featured speaker at major industry conferences, including DTC National ePharma Summit, and the Conference on Marketing.
Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT
Register here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/367946673
Mention Priority code: P1506LinkedInBlog
About the web seminar:
The days of one-way brand communication (i.e. advertising) are over. Engagement, utility and brand evangelism are the secrets to success in the user-controlled world of Facebook and Twitter. See how some major brands have exploited the new digital realities. Heartbeat Digital CEO Bill Drummy presents real-world examples showing how Bayer, J&J, Novo Nordisk, and UCB are racing ahead into the digital future.
What you will learn:
• The dramatic change in consumer media consumption patterns
• Who’s really using social networking and what are they doing
• The real data behind Facebook & Twitter
• The “reason for being” of various social networking environments and how to harness their unique capabilities
• Real-world examples of effective social networking campaigns
About the speaker:
Bill Drummy is CEO of Heartbeat Digital, an independent interactive marketing and software company he founded in 1998. Heartbeat is headquartered in New York, with offices in Brussels, Geneva, Paris and London. Named one of pharma’s “100 Most Inspiring People,” by PharmaVoice, Bill has provided strategic guidance at the highest levels for Amgen, GSK, sanofi-aventis, UCB and many other leading pharma and biotech companies. Bill’s reputation as a strategic thinker is well-known; he’s regularly published on industry issues and has been a featured speaker at major industry conferences, including DTC National ePharma Summit, and the Conference on Marketing.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Estee Lauder Offers Social Media Make-Overs
Cosmetics giant, Estee Launder is now offering free social media "make-overs" for individuals to use as their social networking profile photos. Brand Republic reports that the cosmetics brand will produce shots women can use for their online profiles on sites such Facebook and LinkedIn at department-store cosmetics counters in the US. The photos include the Estee Lauder logo in the background.The promotion, which also includes a 10-day supply of foundation, kicks off on October 16 at Bloomingdale's in New York. It will extend initially to Macy's, Saks and other Bloomingdale's stores in Southern California, Miami and Chicago.
What do you think about this move by Estee Lauder? We'd like to hear your thoughts.
Estee Lauder offers free social media makeovers
Monday, October 5, 2009
I Want to Tweet You Up: What Emerging Customer Trends Mean for Your Business
As a social media professional, you're well aware of the impact that this medium can have on your profitability and on your customer's experience. Yet, have you set up a structure within your business to figure out exactly how and when to use social media to connect with your customers? We'd like to invite you to join Michael Tchong, Trend Analyst & Founder of Ubercool as he gives one of the many keynotes at our 2009 NACCM Customers 1st Conference this November in Phoenix, Arizona.
Join Michael as he discusses how the Twitterati are reshaping society by propelling trends faster than ever before. Follow Michael as he takes us on an exhilarating journey through the landscape of now. He will connect what these trends mean for your business and how you interact with your cusotmers. Prepare to be amazed, amused and revitalized.
NACCM 2009
Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak
Phoenix, AZ
Event: http://bit.ly/4AFmET
Brochure: http://bit.ly/2wiWmY
Follow us on Twitter for exclusive discounts.
Join Michael as he discusses how the Twitterati are reshaping society by propelling trends faster than ever before. Follow Michael as he takes us on an exhilarating journey through the landscape of now. He will connect what these trends mean for your business and how you interact with your cusotmers. Prepare to be amazed, amused and revitalized.
NACCM 2009
Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak
Phoenix, AZ
Event: http://bit.ly/4AFmET
Brochure: http://bit.ly/2wiWmY
Follow us on Twitter for exclusive discounts.
Friday, October 2, 2009
McAfee creates online community to enhance business
According to the Silicon Valley Business Journal, McAfee will be launching a new online community that will function as a customer service tool and allow users to interact with each other. The community will allow McAfee to increase communication beyond the typical customer service methods and allow for more collaboration and interaction.
As more companies begin to create online communities, not only can they better service their customers, but they can begin to interact with them to fully meet their needs. Have you created a customer community around your product? How has it begun to enhance your company's interaction with the customers?
As more companies begin to create online communities, not only can they better service their customers, but they can begin to interact with them to fully meet their needs. Have you created a customer community around your product? How has it begun to enhance your company's interaction with the customers?
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Navigate Google Wave
With the recent release of Google Wave, they're now depending upon the users to communicate what will work best and how to work out the kinks of the beta version. Google Wave, the unique software that allow for real time communication and collaboration with others using the program.
Google Wave creates new possibilities when it comes to networking. Not only can one see editing happening real time, which is very unique, but the translation feature allows one to communicate with someone who speaks another language. Have you had a chance to work with Wave yet? What are you impressions of how Wave can work as a real time networking tool?
Google Wave creates new possibilities when it comes to networking. Not only can one see editing happening real time, which is very unique, but the translation feature allows one to communicate with someone who speaks another language. Have you had a chance to work with Wave yet? What are you impressions of how Wave can work as a real time networking tool?
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Considerations for Google and Microsoft
Andrew Keen of Telegraph.co.uk writes today that if giants Google and Microsoft want to succeed in social media, they must take a few things into consideration. For instance, Keen would like the giants to read Trust Agents. "The companies that will win in the social media economy are those who figure out how to both create and profit from trust," Keen says. Also, its important to remember that we are still in the "early stages" for social media; however, Keen contends that "we have yet to see the great social media company that will radically transform the world. And I suspect that this company’s secret-sauce will be based upon the agency of trust."
So what do you think? What can Google and Microsoft learn from Facebook and Twitter as they attempt to enter the social media sphere?
Social media's success formula
So what do you think? What can Google and Microsoft learn from Facebook and Twitter as they attempt to enter the social media sphere?
Social media's success formula
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
There is still a fear of social media marketing
This post on eMarketer highlights how most businesses and organizations have already adopted many forms of social media, the most popular being Facebook fan pages followed by twitter and then customer reviews. Yet, many retailers are still worried about losing control of their brand over social media platforms.
The goal of most online retailers is to boost customer engagement, and many believe that customer reviews were the best tool in driving engagement. One thing for sure is that businesses will have to learn to favor social media and not step away from it because there are no signs of it going away anytime soon. Here's a chart below from eMarketer that depicts the most popular online social tools used by retailers. Enjoy!
The goal of most online retailers is to boost customer engagement, and many believe that customer reviews were the best tool in driving engagement. One thing for sure is that businesses will have to learn to favor social media and not step away from it because there are no signs of it going away anytime soon. Here's a chart below from eMarketer that depicts the most popular online social tools used by retailers. Enjoy!
Monday, September 28, 2009
California taps celebrities and natives for travel California site
California Fives, a new online community for potential travelers to California, taps locals and celebrities to help potential visitors what are the five best of any part of their state to visit. This adds to the current arsenal of Visit California, which also includes Twitter, Facebook, and specific areas that cator to the different regions in California. Read more about the new initiative at PR Week.
Many states are jumping on the social network bandwagon. Do you think the additional of social media will help potential travelers? Hearing first hand from natives about what they enjoy in their state could shed exposure on local gems, as well as reaveal the real culture of some cities to interested travelers. Have you used a website like this to plan a vacation of yours?
Many states are jumping on the social network bandwagon. Do you think the additional of social media will help potential travelers? Hearing first hand from natives about what they enjoy in their state could shed exposure on local gems, as well as reaveal the real culture of some cities to interested travelers. Have you used a website like this to plan a vacation of yours?
Friday, September 25, 2009
The key to a successful online community: Listening
Eric Ries recently wrote a great article for Vator News discussing the importance of listening to your online community. Although we see many articles today that discuss the importance of listening to your online community, it's still a much tougher job to commit to. Many times, listening to the customers can be a defeating, trying process. They also need to understand that you're taking the time to listen to their opinions.
Read about their experience here.
Listening to the community is much like dealing with customer service. While you have great contributors who constantly interact and provide great information, many others will complain and criticize about your product you've worked hard to launch. How do you make sure that your community realizes you're listening to what they have to say?
Read about their experience here.
Listening to the community is much like dealing with customer service. While you have great contributors who constantly interact and provide great information, many others will complain and criticize about your product you've worked hard to launch. How do you make sure that your community realizes you're listening to what they have to say?
Monday, September 21, 2009
Google vs. Bing: What's Your Choice?
Jennifer Van Grove recently posted on Mashable 5 reasons why one should switch over from Google to Bing. Bing is the fastest growing search engine which currently holds 10.7% of the search market compared to Google's 65% dominance. Here's a recap of 5 Bing features that separate it from the rest of search engines.
1. Travel Insight - Bing's farecast technology shows you when you search if airfare prices are expected to stay the same, get cheaper, or rise in price depending on market trends,
2. Cashback - The benefit here for consumers is that if they start their product search on Bing, they are able to save and cash in on rewards when they buy.
3. Visual Search - This alternative user interface allows you to search when you can't recall the name of something and it's a more powerful way to uncover valuable information.
4. BingTweets - Trending topics on twitter are shown side-by-side with Bing search results.
5. Enhanced Search - The enhanced view is a simple addition that gives more information on your result ensuring that the URL isn't relevant your search result.
1. Travel Insight - Bing's farecast technology shows you when you search if airfare prices are expected to stay the same, get cheaper, or rise in price depending on market trends,
2. Cashback - The benefit here for consumers is that if they start their product search on Bing, they are able to save and cash in on rewards when they buy.
3. Visual Search - This alternative user interface allows you to search when you can't recall the name of something and it's a more powerful way to uncover valuable information.
4. BingTweets - Trending topics on twitter are shown side-by-side with Bing search results.
5. Enhanced Search - The enhanced view is a simple addition that gives more information on your result ensuring that the URL isn't relevant your search result.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Columbus synagogue serves the world
On the verge of the high Jewish holidays, The Columbus Dispatch looks at how one synagogue began to build and online Jewish community to serve the younger generation of online Jews, but soon found that they were serving many new commmunities they hadn't intended on: those who never felt comfortable in a synagogue, the elderly, shut-ins and those who grew up with synagogue. The rabbis also communicate with these online community members through Facebook and Twitter.
When you begin your online community, you typically have a target and focus of customers you'd like to find. As with this synagogue, they found that they could serve more than they'd originally planned. Have you found a new target you hadn't originally planned on by starting your online community? Have you found an effective way to communicate with this audience, whether it's through Twitter or another medium?
When you begin your online community, you typically have a target and focus of customers you'd like to find. As with this synagogue, they found that they could serve more than they'd originally planned. Have you found a new target you hadn't originally planned on by starting your online community? Have you found an effective way to communicate with this audience, whether it's through Twitter or another medium?
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Study Says Stay-at-Home Moms Dominate Social Media
The Denver Business Journal reports today that The Retail Advertising and Marketing Association study released Wednesday showed that more than 60 percent of stay-at-home moms are more likely to use Facebook, more than 42 percent are more likely to use MySpace and nearly 17 percent are more likely to use Twitter. That's compared to average adults – 50 percent of which use Facebook, 34 percent that use MySpace and 15 percent that use Twitter. The article says that, the findings show retailers what advertising and marketing opportunities can be found on the Internet and within social media sites.
We've seen the introduction of "Mommy Blogs" and frugal homemaking blogs, but do stay-at-home moms really dominate the social media sphere? We'd like to hear your thoughts.
Study: Stay-at-home moms dominate social media
We've seen the introduction of "Mommy Blogs" and frugal homemaking blogs, but do stay-at-home moms really dominate the social media sphere? We'd like to hear your thoughts.
Study: Stay-at-home moms dominate social media
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Good Riddance to Twitter Spammers, Impersonators, and Serial Abusers!
Jennifer Van Grove from Mashable recently posted a great article on a list of 10 people that we will no longer see on Twitter anymore. This comes after Twitter recently announced changes to its terms of service, in an effort to crackdown on bad behavior on the site. Here's a list of the 10 people we will no longer see, as detailed by Jennifer on Mashable.
1. The Impersonator
2. The Bot
3. The Naked Chick
4. The Serial Abuser
5. The Squatter
6. The Slimy Salesman
7. The Hashtag Spammer
8. The Plagiarizer
9. The Uber Oversharer or Bully
10. The Faker
Which are you most excited about never seeing again?
1. The Impersonator
2. The Bot
3. The Naked Chick
4. The Serial Abuser
5. The Squatter
6. The Slimy Salesman
7. The Hashtag Spammer
8. The Plagiarizer
9. The Uber Oversharer or Bully
10. The Faker
Which are you most excited about never seeing again?