Finding the "Goldilocks Zone" for Sucess on Facebook

On Tuesday, August 23rd I had the pleasure of sitting on on our webinar "How to Optimize Conversations on Facebook to Increase Your Social ROI" featuring Chad Estes, Vice President, Client Services at Vitrue.

If there is one real takeaway I learned from this webinar it is that there is no magical "right" answer for "When is the best time and day to post to your fans on Facebook?" In fact, as shown in the two slides below the optimal time to post can vary widely depending on what sort of brand you're representing.


The best way to find your optimal time and day? Try out different options, monitor responses, and see what works. What is "just right" for one brand may be all wrong for another.

Other takeaways from the presentation included:

• Be wary of using automated publishers, Facebook has begun grouping posts by source and even subject, so using a publisher like Hootsuite may cause some posts to be missed.
• A mix of deals or specials, exclusive content, conversational and informal content, and key events and announcements will provide maximum appeal for your audience
• Attention spans are limited: Keep posts short and sweet, and include an image if possible!
• Consider targeting your posts for greater impact

Sound interesting? You can view a recording of the presentation here.

If you enjoyed this content, consider joining us for the following upcoming webinars:

From Fragmentation to Integration: Understanding Customers at 360°
Chetan Saiya, Executive Director, Global MRM Sales, SAS

Thursday, September 1st, 2011, 1:00 - 2:00 PM EDT

Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/czmaqtw0y7x2

Today's marketing leaders have to be plugged in to sales, service, technology and every other division that interacts with consumers. Media fragmentation, accelerated product life cycles, widespread globalization, and punitive regulatory constraints have made the CMO's job very challenging. Traditional marketing practices are no longer effective in delivering a holistic experience for your customers OR significant ROI for your bottom line. A 360 degree perspective is required to fully grasp all of the data and tools that are being used, creatively and effectively, to better understand and communicate with your customers.

Fortunately, Internet based collaborative technologies and marketing analytics enable a convergence of data that paints an entirely new picture - one you can act on intelligently to move from fragmentation to integration. Find out how to leverage new strategies to overcome these challenges.

Join us to gain a deeper understanding of how to create a consistent, personalized experience for your customers. We'll discuss:
· Leveraging customer insights
· Marketing interoperability
· Right offer, right channel

The Future of Email: 2011 Trend Watch
Tuesday, August 30 1:00 – 2:00 PM Eastern Time
Nello Franco, SVP of Customer Success, Lyris, Inc.
Jennifer M. Cook, Director of Communications & Community, Lyris, Inc.

Are your email marketing approaches hot...or not? As an email marketer, you know the pressure you are under to stay abreast of and leverage best practices so that you can deliver results to your organization. From the ongoing blitz of social media to the ever-growing impact of mobile devices, the opportunities are limitless. Yet, where should you invest?

Take an hour and learn from the experts at Lyris. Nello Franco, SVP of Customer Success and Jennifer Cook, Director of Communications and Community will reveal to you the Top Trends to Take On in 2011. They will show you what's working for companies like you and how to leverage the trends for greater success in the second half of the year.

Top trends this webinar will cover include:
● Shopper Marketing
● Social currency: How to monetize social spend
● The impact of the Millennial generation
● How gaming is changing the landscape
● Disruptive innovation

As a special bonus, attendees will receive a free copy of The Future of Email: 2011 Trend Watch Guide, as a follow up to the webinar presentation. This downloadable how-to guide is designed to help improve your email marketing results immediately.

Register for this webinar: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/e5sby7ijbl22

The fastest growing segment in marketing?

As I recently mentioned, we'll be exploring more about mobile in a series of upcoming posts.
(In the last segment, I looked at the way mobile is changing the retail landscape.) I was pleased then to come across the following quote:

"Mobile spend will surpass email and social media – this year."

In this blog on Forbes, Vice President and Principal Analyst at Forrester Shar VanBoskirk reports that

"Mobile has the steepest growth curve in our study; spend in mobile ads and search will pass that in email marketing or social media this year. Email actually paces at a healthy 10% compound annual growth rate over the next 10 years. But the rapid adoption of tablets and their associated new and pricey ad formats will bolster mobile marketing investment."

More interesting stats come by way of Jumptap. Including the following:

"Mobile users in their 50s continue to click on more ads than any other age group. Meanwhile, we saw an 11% uplift in CTR for 14-17 year-olds, which may be related to increased device use during summer vacation."

and

"Since we launched the MobileSTAT in May, we’ve seen a steady rise in click-through rates for incomes of all levels, and those at higher income levels continue to click more."

It seems that mobile is on the rise everywhere you look, with more and more users clicking through on mobile ads on all operating systems. What are your predictions for the world of Mobile Marketing?

Michelle LeBlanc is a Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a specialization in marketing. She may be reached at mleblanc@iirusa.com

The Future of Marketing? Looking at Mobile

The recent $12.5-billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility by tech giant Google has the marketing world buzzing about the future of mobile. By purchasing the means of production, Google is cementing itself firmly as a mobile player well beyond the former implications of Android (even putting itself in competition with some of it's Android-running mobile partners.



So why is Mobile the next big thing? As reported by Memeburn:

"The overall growth of mobile over the next two years is predicted to be the most pronounced in the US, which will represent 28 percent of the global market, and Western Europe, which will account for 25 percent.

77 percent of the global population uses mobile phones and with current expansion rates, web access by people on the move — via laptops and smart mobile devices — is likely to exceed web access from desktop computers within the next four years."

We'll be exploring more about mobile in a series of upcoming posts.

Reason 1. Shopping To-Go
A recent report by comScore reported that "14 Million Americans Scanned QR Codes on their Mobile Phones in June 2011." With users scanning codes from printed materials and product packaging, suddenly both the marketing and advertising experience and the user experience have been expanded. While many are scanning codes from home, and likely experiencing marketing materials as a result, the report showed that "39.4 percent [of users scanned a code] from a retail store and 24.5 percent did so from a grocery store." Clearly users are interacting with QR codes as part of their shopping experience.

Taking that further, retailers can now also allow in-store comparison shopping via mobile apps. This could be a positive feature for brick-and-mortar stores, such as with the Best Buy Mobile app, or it could turn shoppers towards online shopping. For example, the new Amazon mobile app for students "Amazon Student" allows for in-store comparison shopping. According to Mobile Beat "Students standing in a bookstore can look at their syllabus, scan a book’s barcode with the iPhone or iPod touch camera, and determine whether the bookstore is ripping them off."

Clearly mobile is changing the in-store experience. Will you be using apps or QR codes to connect your online community to in-person experiences? What other mobile technology is being developed in this field? Share with us in the comments, and stay tuned for future explorations of mobile marketing.

Michelle LeBlanc is a Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a specialization in marketing. She may be reached at mleblanc@iirusa.com

Now Streaming Sports: Will Facebook Revolutionize The Way We Watch?

Do you "Like" Soccer? Budweiser UK is betting that you will, introducing the first live streaming sporting event to be broadcast on Facebook today with the FA Cup match between Ascot United and Wembley FC.

According to this post on The Sociable "'Ascot United has a capacity ground of just 1,150 people, so live streaming the game to potentially millions of Facebook users will be a real boost to the club.' Mick Harrison, Ascot United chairman stated"

The live stream will likely be a boost for sponsor Budweiser as well as fans click "Like" to access the stream. Streaming video isn't a new development for Facebook. Studios such as Universal and Warner Brothers have been playing with the idea of allowing video rental through Facebook pages since this past spring, with "The Big Lebowski" to mark the latest addition. However, the FA Cup match will be the first example of a live sporting event streamed in this manner.

Will you be tuning in? Have you ever streamed video content on Facebook before? Do you think this development will change fans expectations for Facebook pages?

Facebook and the power of 4 Billion "Things"

Today on Mashable we got another great infographic about social media marketing.
The graph pulled together many YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Location Based Service stats for a compelling look at the growing world of social.

One interesting stat: The price increase of Facebook ads during the first half of 2011 was 70%. How can they justify such a stunning increase? The answer can be found easily elsewhere in the chart, with 750 million Facebook users and 4 billion things being shared on Facebook each day, the service holds a solid position as a social media marketing mainstay. Try and find a brand that doesn't want their product to be amongst those things with a direct line to those 750 million users.

However, many brands are looking to pages and the news feed as the answer to Facebook marketing, not ads. Back in May, Allfacebook.com reported on a study of paid Facebook advertising versus news feed content amongst 320 graduate and undergraduate students. The study "found that college-age students have “positive feelings” about business pages on Facebook but consider banner ads and sponsored posts to be intrusions."

Is your brand using the news feed to connect with customers? Buying facebook ads? Share with us in the comments on why or why not?

Looking to learn more about news feed optimization? Join us for a complimentary Web Seminar: How to Optimize Conversations on Facebook to Increase Your Social ROI on Tuesday, August 23 from 1:00 – 2:00 PM Eastern Time featuring Chad Estes, Vice President, Client Services at Vitrue. Register for the webinar here. I'll be liveblogging the webinar on twitter for @community20 at hashtag #SocialROI.

Michelle LeBlanc is a Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a specialization in marketing. She may be reached at mleblanc@iirusa.com

The Mobile Marketing Conference: Call for Presenters

The Mobile Marketing Conference
Event Date: March 19-21, 2012
Location: Miami, FL

Submit a proposal to speak at the top industry event for mobile marketing.

Your Opportunity
Production has begun for the groundbreaking new event - The Mobile Marketing Conference (TMMC). A top destination for marketers, digital experts, strategists and mobile evangelists, TMMC reveals extraordinary ideas about leveraging the mobile medium to build brand awareness, consumer engagement and increased profits. The TMMC experience will empower you to connect more meaningfully with consumers through this "always on" medium. TMMC will be chaired by Jeff Hayzlett, Former CMO of Kodak and Author of The Mirror Test.

The Mobile Marketing Conference: Capturing Share of Mind, Catalyzing Transactions & Proving ROI

We are actively recruiting speakers to bring The Mobile Marketing Conference to life in 2012. The submission deadline is Wednesday, August 24, 2011. Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis so early submission is encouraged.

Added Bonus: All speakers will receive complimentary admission to the entire event (a $3,000+ value) and a discount code for 20% off standard rates to pass along to colleagues and contacts.

This call for presenters is limited to client side companies. If you are a vendor, consultant or solutions provider and wish to get involved, please see special notice below.
TOPIC AREAS
We are looking for best in class presentations around mobile strategy, user experience & engagement and what’s next. Specifically we are seeking case studies demonstrating the following key initiatives:
Maximizing Brand Impact in the Mobile Space
Using the Mobile Medium to Build Awareness & Engagement
Developing Brand Appropriate Short & Long Term Mobile Strategies
Translating Mobile Strategy at the Regional Level for Global Programs
Harnessing the Amplifier Effect: Integrating Mobile Into Your Overall Marketing Strategy
Triggering Desired Customer Actions Through Mobile
Extending Engagement Through Push Notification
Extending Your Loyalty Programs Through Mobile
Using Mobile to Drive Awareness of & Participation in Social & Digital Campaigns
Mobile Usage Insights: Emerging Patterns of Consumer Behavior
Capitalizing on Augmented Reality to Deliver Truly Personalized Mobile Experience
Generating Operational Efficiencies with Mobile
Allocating Your Mobile Spend
Understanding the Opportunities with LBS
Engaging Customers at the Point of Experience to Capture Real Time Feedback

Please do not feel limited by the list above. We are happy to consider topics not listed here that you feel would add value and be appropriate.

Formats include
1. Case study presentation (30 - 45 minutes long)
2. Interactive ideation and brainstorming sessions to engage the audience in discussion (30 - 45 minutes long)
3. Panel with 3 – 4 people debating/discussing a particular topic (30 - 45 minutes long)

Speaker Benefits
Speakers enjoy many benefits of presenting at IIR’s leading conferences including:
• Advance the purpose and value of mobile marketing
• Position their company as a pioneer in mobile marketing
• Reinforce their own position as a leader
• Share results of an exciting project
• Network with other industry leaders and participate in high-level discussions
• Access to IIR’s private online community exclusively for speakers

Submission Guidelines & Deadline
For consideration, please e-mail Krista Vazquez at kvazquez@iirusa.com with the following information by Wednesday, August 24, 2011.
• Proposed speaker name(s), job title(s), and company name(s)
• Contact information including address, phone and e-mail
• Title of presentation
• Brief overview of the presentation (1 short paragraph plus 2 bullets that illustrate audience takeaways): Please note: if your proposal is selected, portions of this description will be printed in the brochure and used online to promote your participation
• Brief speaker biography

SPECIAL NOTICE TO VENDORS, CONSULTANTS & SOLUTION PROVIDERS
Whether you are looking to build awareness, demo an exciting new technology, generate new business or strengthen existing relationships – a presence at The Mobile Marketing Conference will help you achieve your goals. Be at the right place at the right time. A limited number of sessions on the program are reserved for our event sponsors. Solution providers who wish to become part of the program should contact Melissa Ashley at mashley@iirusa.com.

Due to the high volume of responses, we are unable to respond to each submission. All those selected to participate as speakers will be notified shortly after the deadline.

Thank you for your interest in The Mobile Marketing Conference.

Krista Vazquez
Conference Director &
Director, Special Projects
IIR

kvazquez@iirusa.com
646-895-7336
708 3rd Ave, 4th Floor NYC 10017

Forward Focus Friday: An Interview with Cassandra Lin

Reposted from The Front End of Innovation blog in support of the 2011 Future Trends conference. Future Trends 2011 will feature a full day summit focusing on social media, technology, mobile and gaming trends on Tuesday October 4th entitled "THE NEW SOCIAL CURRENCY: Engage in the Relationship Economy." To learn more about Future Trends, visit the website here.

What do the letters T.G.I.F. mean to you? To young innovator and 2011 Future Trends Keynote Speaker Cassandra Lin, they stand for Turn Grease Into Fuel, a project she created that takes a step towards waste-free communities. The TGIF project encourages restaurants to donate used cooking grease to be turned into fuel for needy families, is currently working with 104 restaurants and has provided the equivalent of $32,000 worth of energy thus far.

Cassandra joined me recently for the second episode of our 2011 Forward Focus Podcast Series to discuss the project and her other visions for the future. To listen to the podcast, click here.

Cassandra is an Award Winning Community Problem Solver, U.S. delegate at the UNEP Children & Youth Conference, and Creator of Project TGIF. This October she will be presenting "Collaborating Youth to Change the World" at the 2011 Future Trends conference. To learn more, download the brochure here. Register here.

Want to learn more about the TGIF project? Check out their official YouTube video below.


Stay in touch with Future Trends, join our LinkedIn Community, follow us on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook for updates on the conference, discounts and industry news.

Michelle LeBlanc is a Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a specialization in marketing. She may be reached at mleblanc@iirusa.com.

New webinar series unveils the future of email, ROI of social conversations and more

The Institute for International Research invites you to join us for the following complimentary Web Seminars:

How to Optimize Conversations on Facebook to Increase Your Social ROI
Tuesday, August 23 1:00 – 2:00 PM Eastern Time
Chad Estes, Vice President, Client Services, Vitrue

Most brands & businesses are already on Facebook and have been managing their page(s) in a variety of ways, some effective and some not so much. In this discussion we'll review topics that will help businesses optimize their visibility in the hope page news feeds, ensure the conversations they start are timely and cut through the clutter. Mastering your social conversations on Facebook can be a lot of hard work, but with the right approach and the right technology it doesn't have to be as difficult as you might think.

During this webinar, Chad will discuss:
● News feed optimization
● Relevant messaging powered by social segmentation
● Efficient response management
● And more...

Register for this webinar.

The Future of Email: 2011 Trend Watch
Tuesday, August 30 1:00 – 2:00 PM Eastern Time
Nello Franco, SVP of Customer Success, Lyris, Inc.
Jennifer M. Cook, Director of Communications & Community, Lyris, Inc.

Are your email marketing approaches hot...or not? As an email marketer, you know the pressure you are under to stay abreast of and leverage best practices so that you can deliver results to your organization. From the ongoing blitz of social media to the ever-growing impact of mobile devices, the opportunities are limitless. Yet, where should you invest?

Take an hour and learn from the experts at Lyris. Nello Franco, SVP of Customer Success and Jennifer Cook, Director of Communications and Community will reveal to you the Top Trends to Take On in 2011. They will show you what's working for companies like you and how to leverage the trends for greater success in the second half of the year.

Top trends this webinar will cover include:
● Shopper Marketing
● Social currency: How to monetize social spend
● The impact of the Millennial generation
● How gaming is changing the landscape
● Disruptive innovation

As a special bonus, attendees will receive a free copy of The Future of Email: 2011 Trend Watch Guide, as a follow up to the webinar presentation. This downloadable how-to guide is designed to help improve your email marketing results immediately.

Register for this webinar.

CMO Survival Guide - 5 Best Practices
Thursday, September 1st 1:00 – 2:00 PM Eastern Time
Chetan Saiya, Executive Director, Global MRM Sales, SAS

Media fragmentation, accelerated product life cycles, widespread globalization, and punitive regulatory constraints have made the CMOs job very challenging. Traditional marketing practices are no longer effective. Fortunately, Internet based collaborative technologies and marketing analytics can be leveraged to overcome these challenges. This webinar describes 5 best practices that leading CMOs and their marketing organizations have used to deliver better return on marketing investment.

Register for this webinar.

$300 Off Future Trends Conference. This Week Only.

Can you believe these stats?
The Number of Americans that check their SOCIAL MEDIA profiles daily: 46 Million
The Number of Americans that use SOCIAL GAMING: 61.9 Million
The Number of MOBILE phones in use in the world: 4 Billion

Before you can finish reading this post, these statistics will have grown exponentially. Trends drive consumers, and consumers drive sales. So how can you utilize each of these mediums to form meaningful relationships with your consumers that ultimately grow your business?
Future Trends brings you a full day Summit "The New Social Currency: Engage in the Relationship Economy", exploring mobile, gaming, social media, and technology.

SOCIAL MEDIA
• Consumer Connections: Social Engagement Refined Utilizing Games, Interactive Participation with Facebook and Apps; Successful Strategies that Attract and Retain Consumers
Mary M. Rodgers, Director of Communications, CUSINART AND WARING
TECH & MOBILE
• Personal Health and Well Being: Ecosystem and Systems Thinking in a Connected World of Empathy
Rajesh G. Mishra MD, PhD, Vice President Research & Development, GLAXOSMITHKLINE CONSUMER HEALTHCARE
GAMING
• Legend in Your Living Room! Trends in Total Transmedia Entertainment Experience Adrienne Allen, Creative and User Experience Lead, XBOX LIVE

Download the brochure to see other sessions and session descriptions.

Plus, speakers from Unilever, Aveda, Philips Consumer Lifestyle, Hallmark Cards, PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, Wyndham Worldwide, Intercontinental Hotels Group, HP, General Motors, Faurecia, UHG, EMD Chemicals, Merck, GlaxoSmithKlein Consumer Healthcare, Target, Westfield, Junior Win Team, New Think, Pulp Inc, Coolhunting.com, Kimberly Clark, and Firmenich Perfumery will share personal and professional stories that will give you the inspiration to make positive change. Download the brochure to find out how the speakers' stories will impact you.

Whether this will be your first time or you are a veteran attendee, you will have an experience incomparable to any previous events you have attended. We hope you will join your community of trend spotters, corporate thinkers, and news makers at the Gansevoort this October in Miami. Register now as a reader of this blog with code SMS15 by this Friday, August 12th & save 15% off the standard registration rate. Register here.

We look forward to seeing you this October in Miami!
The Future Trends Event Team

Visit the Future Trends webpage for more details
Follow us on Twitter
Become a fan on Facebook

New Stats for Mobile Marketers

A report released by Jumptap reveals a state-by-state breakdown of mobile phone platform usage. As reported by Mashable, "Android patriots are amassed in South and Southwest states, while iOS loyalists are pooled together in Northeast and Midwest states. In particular, California, Texas and Florida over-index for Android use and states in New England and the Midwest over-index for iOS use."

With more companies turning to mobile, and particularly app development, for marketing purposes this information is extremely relevant. When investing in app development, finding the platform that your audience is using is key. Check out the larger map here.

Is your company using mobile technology for marketing or other purposes currently? Are you planning to? Participate in our poll!

Forward Focus Friday: An Interview with Scott Trowbridge of Disney Imagineering

Reposted from The Front End of Innovation blog in support of the 2011 Future Trends conference. Future Trends 2011 will feature a full day summit focusing on social media, technology, mobile and gaming trends on Tuesday October 4th entitled "THE NEW SOCIAL CURRENCY: Engage in the Relationship Economy." To learn more about Future Trends, visit the website here.

When you go to work, are you looking forward to another day of making dreams become reality? Scott Trowbridge, Vice President of Creative and Research & Development at Walt Disney Imagineering is.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Scott for the debut podcast of our 2011 Forward Focus Podcast Series. When asked what his dream project to get to work on would be, Trowbridge responded, "Every project we do is a dream project, because that is what we're in the business of doing: making dreams come true."

Trowbridge also described Disney Imagineering as "constantly looking at ways to invent the Future for our customer." Following in the footsteps of innovator Walt Disney, the team at Disney Imagineering starts every day with a challenge to figure out "what are the cool new things that we can use to be proxies for magic."

To learn more about the ways that Disney Imagineering meets the challenges of evolving technology and customer trends, listen to the podcast here.

Scott Trowbridge will be presenting "Imagine(er) It: Creativity in Innovation/Research and Development" this October at the Future Trends 2011 conference. Want to hear one of the minds behind Imagineering's Blue Sky Studio, the Disney creative think tank that develops new concepts and experiences that may not be seen for five to 10 years? Register today.

To learn more, download the brochure here.

Stay in touch with Future Trends, follow us on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Michelle LeBlanc is a Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a specialization in marketing. She may be reached at mleblanc@iirusa.com.

Join us for three complimentary webinars

The Institute for International Research invites you to join us for the following complimentary Web Seminars:

How to Optimize Conversations on Facebook to Increase Your Social ROI
Tuesday, August 23 1:00 – 2:00 PM Eastern Time
Chad Estes, Vice President, Client Services, Vitrue

Most brands & businesses are already on Facebook and have been managing their page(s) in a variety of ways, some effective and some not so much. In this discussion we'll review topics that will help businesses optimize their visibility in the hope page news feeds, ensure the conversations they start are timely and cut through the clutter. Mastering your social conversations on Facebook can be a lot of hard work, but with the right approach and the right technology it doesn't have to be as difficult as you might think.

During this webinar, Chad will discuss:
● News feed optimization
● Relevant messaging powered by social segmentation
● Efficient response management
● And more...

Register for this webinar: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/iys75v8c3pyk

The Future of Email: 2011 Trend Watch
Tuesday, August 30 1:00 – 2:00 PM Eastern Time
Nello Franco, SVP Customer Success, Lyris, Inc.
Jennifer M. Cook, Director of Communications & Community, Lyris, Inc.

Are your email marketing approaches hot...or not? As an email marketer, you know the pressure you are under to stay abreast of and leverage best practices so that you can deliver results to your organization. From the ongoing blitz of social media to the ever-growing impact of mobile devices, the opportunities are limitless. Yet, where should you invest?

Take an hour and learn from the experts at Lyris. Nello Franco, SVP of Customer Success and Jennifer Cook, Director of Communications and Community will reveal to you the Top Trends to Take On in 2011. They will show you what's working for companies like you and how to leverage the trends for greater success in the second half of the year.

Top trends this webinar will cover include:
● Shopper Marketing
● Social currency: How to monetize social spend
● The impact of the Millennial generation
● How gaming is changing the landscape
● Disruptive innovation

As a special bonus, attendees will receive a free copy of The Future of Email: 2011 Trend Watch Guide, as a follow up to the webinar presentation. This downloadable how-to guide is designed to help improve your email marketing results immediately.

Register for this webinar: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/e5sby7ijbl22

CMO Survival Guide - 5 Best Practices
Thursday, September 1st 1:00 – 2:00 PM Eastern Time
Chetan Saiya, Executive Director, Global MRM Sales, SAS

Media fragmentation, accelerated product life cycles, widespread globalization, and punitive regulatory constraints have made the CMOs job very challenging. Traditional marketing practices are no longer effective. Fortunately, Internet based collaborative technologies and marketing analytics can be leveraged to overcome these challenges. This webinar describes 5 best practices that leading CMOs and their marketing organizations have used to deliver better return on marketing investment.

Register for this webinar: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/czmaqtw0y7x2

NASA: Unexpected Social Media Success?

NASA Tweetup STS-135: Space Shuttle Atlantis Returns to Earth from Danny Engesser on Vimeo.
Given budget cuts and the recent end of the NASA's 30-year Shuttle program one wouldn't necessarily look to the agency to be a leader in the social media space. However, perhaps driven by said budget cuts, (according to this Mashable article "many of the journalists who traditionally covered the space have been laid off or given new assignments.") NASA seems to be moving forward with several innovative social media strategies.

Recently, I was discussing ways to take one's online community offline, and the agency is doing just that by opening up a series of tweet-ups to their dedicated twitter following. The upcoming #NASATweetup at the launch of the Juno spacecraft en route to Jupiter marks one such event. Ranging in length from two hours to two days, these events allow fans of the program an inside view and create vocal advocates for the agency. One result? Attendees create and share video and photographs such as the film above with their social networks

Similarly, the new NASA Slideshare page "The NASA Universe" is a curated repository of (easily shareable) information about the agency. Increasingly, Slideshare is becoming a well respected source for professional social networking.
Another NASA success? That of @Astro_Ron. Sharing stunning photographs like this one: This is what the Moon looked like 16 times today #FromSpace W... on Twitpic it's easy to see why his work has gone viral.
According to Stephanie Schierholz, NASA’s social media manager as quoted on Mashable “Our strategy is to share what we’re doing as widely and broadly as possible."
Do you think NASA has been sucessful with this goal? What can we learn from the innovative agency?



Michelle LeBlanc is a Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a specialization in marketing. She may be reached at mleblanc@iirusa.com