Id33B5: 2012

luni, 23 ianuarie 2012

Giveaway – Reviva Pomegranate Scrub – Ends 2/5/12
Giveaway – ShaveWell Fog Free Mirror – Ends 2/5/12
Giveaway – The Sylvan Horn by Robert Redinger – Ends 2/5/12

Giveaway – Reviva Pomegranate Scrub – Ends 2/5/12

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 06:08 PM PST

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Giveaway – ShaveWell Fog Free Mirror – Ends 2/5/12

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 05:18 PM PST

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Giveaway – The Sylvan Horn by Robert Redinger – Ends 2/5/12

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 02:57 PM PST

The Sylvan Horn Book One of The Sylvan Chord by Robert Redinger isbn 978-0595484898 Pub. date 2/25/09 Excerpt: Before the days of men, there were elves. In a time they were great and powerful, the...

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[New post] YouTube: Most Viewed Videos of ALl Time in All Categories [INFOGRAPHIC]

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20 New Social Articles on Business 2 Community

Does Social Media Advertising Actually Work?
Top 10 Social Media Blogs to Follow in 2012
13 Social Platforms Your Small Business Should Consider Using
How to Optimize Your Business’ Google Plus Profile
Is Email More Important Than Social Media?
Avoid These 3 Killer Blogging Mistakes
Social Media Is Like NFL Special Teams – It Can Make Or Break You
How to Get the Most From Social Media Training
How To Schedule A Facebook Post Using Hootsuite
Google Social Search: Three Things You Need To Know
Listen, Plan, Analyse, Then Engage. Your Social Media Mantra for 2012
10 Best Social Media Conferences To Attend In 2012
5 Reasons Not To Fear Social Media Burnout
Social Media, Journalism, and the Death of Joe Paterno
Facebook’s Big Revenue Push Ahead of IPO [VIDEO]
10 Things I Hate About You, Facebook
How Instagram Harnesses the Awesome Power of Mobile, Social Media and Photos: 3 Success Stories
Social Networking @ Work
If This Than That: A Social Media Tool to Drive Engagement
Blogging and the Fairness Challenge

Does Social Media Advertising Actually Work?

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 03:00 PM PST

Many years ago, adverts run by Google started showing up on web pages in virtually every country in the world. Even today, Google certainly do not make much of a song and dance about their Google Ads, preferring instead to allow them to blend into the pages on which they show up in.

They have done very handsomely out of it too. As many businesses will testify, a well-run ad campaign through Google's pay-per-click advertising can really help a company to develop, especially with its easy-to-use analytical programs that have the ability to place these ads.

It makes it straightforward for businesses to see just how productive these adverts are for them and to make instant decisions that can cost or earn millions.

Of course, despite the fact that Google like to hold as many of the cards as possible, it was inevitable that other web-based companies would soon look to take a chip out of Google's gold block.

Social media sites have garnered a huge proportion of today's most valued web users – Facebook alone has 800 million active users – so it's unsurprising that which have looked to mirror and even eclipse Google's efforts in terms of generating money through advertising.

Social media advertising is a new approach. This Reddit how-to guide from 'The Oatmeal' says it all:

The question is of course: does social media advertising actually work? To answer that we have to take a look at some examples and none spring to mind more readily than Facebook.

Facebook Advertising

The first thing to note about Facebook advertising is that it is easy to use, the administration is straightforward and the targeting is finely tuned.

Secondly, and just as importantly, it is accessible to everyone and you do not need a big budget to start a pay per click campaign.

Facebook will allow you to target potential clients through the use of keyword targeting and this is an attractive part of the package. You can also focus on individual countries too, so you know that your product or page is being seen by the right people.

However, a 2011 survey by Webtrends, using over 11,000 Facebook campaigns as a test group, noticed that they underperformed compared to some traditional banner ads in terms of click-throughs despite reportedly also costing quite a lot more.

So why is it that trillions of adverts are served on the platform if it doesn't work for advertisers?

There's no doubt that Facebook campaigns can deliver views, and small marketing campaigns often do well getting their brand in front of millions of people via this platform.

Recommendations from friends definitely improve Facebook's advert performance too. Click-through rates on adverts that users see their friends have 'liked' have been shown to double in clicks.

But what is really important with Facebook advertising is the lasting effect of the adverts via word of mouth. This is again friend-driven, so even if some campaigns experience lower click through rates and high view counts, the discussions amongst friends outlast the adverts by weeks.

This ultimately means visits to the page or products will come in slowly and surely for some time to come following the initial campaign.

The bottom line for Facebook is that it is a site that retains the people who are browsing it – users spend around 8 hours a month on Facebook, far more time than is spent on Google, Yahoo, YouTube, Wikipedia and Amazon.

Considering buyer behaviour, if a site like Facebook manages to retain a customer during the purchasing decision up to the point of sale, then it's on to a winner.

Can Twitter Work In Isolation?

Twitter's decision to start offering what are effectively pay-per-click ads on the site came as a bit of an unwelcome decision to some, although it was not a shock. It was inevitable given a lack of other obvious ways to monetise the site.

Wrigleys were the main sponsors of the Coachella festival in America last year, and they have used Twitter as a driving force in their ad campaign.

Surprisingly, the basis of their promotion has been to drive traffic from Twitter across to YouTube so potential customers can view live content through their YouTube channel.

It's hard to be sure of the exact success of the campaign, but if the rumours are to be believed then Wrigleys are spending in the vicinity of $120,000 per day on Twitter advertising.

Stats back in April of last year showed that their content had been viewed almost a million times, which indicated a great result. The growth in their social audience also increased:Facebook fans grew about 10 per cent to 208,000, and itsTwitter followers grew about 16 per cent to top 87,050.

But when the click-through to the actual social object (the video) are scrutinised the campaign quickly starts to lose credibility with only 36,207 clicks.

So it transpires that Twitter did a superb job at building awareness of the campaign, it just didn't deliver on it.

A key question to ask would be: why run a Youtube campaign on Twitter?

But all this comes down to is the industry getting used to these new advertising methods and in Wrigleys' case the result was a good deal of interaction – but one that could have been managed better.

Would you read it on Reddit?

If you intend to advertise on Reddit, you have to tread carefully. This is a social bookmarking site which is used predominantly by some very web-savvy individuals, so without targeting the right subreddits, you are likely to find nothing more than scorn (no smiley face).

However, the very fact that it allows you to target specifically is a big plus. You should be able to hit your target market fairly easily with a bit of research and this should yield good results.

Advertising on the home page of Reddit is also a tried and tested approach and can work well. The format is an interesting one, with bids for the top spot taken between $20 and $9,999.99.

You then receive a proportional amount of time atop the page for that day. This means some degree of trial and error is involved and you can never be sure from one day to the next how much time you are going to enjoy on the home page, which can be unnerving.

The fact that the sponsored links look so similar to the normal subs only goes to help conversion rates.

You will find plenty of tools to help you to assess the performance of your adverts, which makes Reddit a great site to advertise on, as long as you know your market.

The key to Reddit advertising is that you have to know the community and what makes it tick. Selling something on Reddit without playing to the community's use of language or memes would be a pointless waste of money.

Should You Use YouTube?

YouTube is a great way of making money if you know how to use it. YouTube itself will tell you that it can give you a 53 per cent increase in message recall when linked with television adverts, which gives you some indication of just how many users are using YouTube and paying attention to what they see.

One option when using YouTube is to go for video ads. There are reach ads, which include home page ads over the course of 24 hours, or can be first-watch videos in the suggestion column. Another route is the more traditional display ads located right next to popular video footage.

Prime positions on YouTube do cost a hefty sum however, with a homepage advert costing over $375,000… a day. With over 18 million eyeballs viewing it, some would argue that it's worth it.

Social Media Advertising Works!

There's no doubt that social media advertising works, but caution is essential if you want it to work well for you. Know your market, get a strong understanding of the online social behaviour of your potential customers and you should be able to use social media advertising to draw them to you.

Just don't rely on one network, rather use a whole range together to make sure that you are covering all the bases.

Check in a few times a day to monitor progress and make sure your accounts are up-to-date and relevant to current trends for best success.

Top 10 Social Media Blogs to Follow in 2012

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 02:30 PM PST

Social media has gone from being a pastime to a necessary component of any brand and business. To build up your stockpile of social media knowledge, you need to stay informed of the latest news and trends by reading the best blogs in the business. You already know about the "famous" social media blogs – but what about those logs that consistently publish good information but just haven't been exposed to the same traffic? Similar to my list last year of top social media blogs to follow in 2011, I wanted to update that list with 10 more blogs who I think deserve more recognition and your follow in 2012.

As in 2011, I tried to find those to recommend you follow that were not yet in the Top 50 of the AdAge Power 150 of top marketing blogs as well as those that were focused on social media and had consistently high quality. As a rule, I also did not include any blogs that I recommended you follow in 2011. With that, I'd like to share with you my picks for the top social media blogs to follow in 2012. Enjoy!

Conversation Agent – This blog, authored and maintained by veteran marketing strategist Valeria Maltoni, gives us various insights into digital marketing, communications and brand strategies. A recognized leader in her field with 20 years of real-world business experience under her belt, she helps veterans and new entrepreneurs alike take advantage of the growing social media space in their marketing efforts. Valeria is also a truly engaging participant in social media and the founder of the #KaizenBlog Twitter chat. Recommended blog post: Blending Personal and Business on Facebook.

Social Media B2B – Social Media B2B serves as a relevant news source and discussion site on how social media impacts B2B companies. Through expert advice from site publisher Kip Bodnar, who is also Inbound Marketing Manager at Hubspot, and managing editor Jeffery L. Cohen as well as other recognized leaders in the field, Social Media B2B is your virtual classroom and business school online for a hot topic that should see a renaissance of activity in 2012: B2B social media marketing. Recommended blog post: 10 Rules for Epic B2B Blogging.

Beth's Blog – Readers of my blog should already be familiar with the work of Beth Kanter, as her co-authored The Networked Nonprofit book made my best social media books of 2010 list. Beth's personal website is one of the go-to blogs for nonprofits. She was recently recognized by being a recipient of the inaugural Pepsico Women's Inspiration Award. For those involved in social causes or those employed by nonprofit organizations, this blog can serve as your indispensable guide to harnessing social media in furthering your advocacy. Read Beth's blog for inspiration and guides on how to reach out to wider audiences through social media, network building, and relationship marketing best practices. Recommended blog post: Facebook Changes for Organization Pages: Focus on Results

Awaken Your Superhero – I've already spoken praise for Christopher Penn, the man behind this site and an extremely valuable newsletter, in my post on Top LinkedIn Open Networkers and Connectors to Follow in 2011. Chris portrays himself as being a bridge – a connector between differing fields, professions and ideas in order to help both sides understand each other. "I can speak and sling code, but I'm not an IT professional. I can design campaign strategies and write copy, but I'm not a marketing professional. Where I provide value is in helping IT understand marketing and vice versa," he shares. Penn states that we all have social media superpowers. He hopes that this blog will help in your journey of discovering your own powers and harnessing it to better yourself and those around you. Recommended blog post: How to Get Started with Google+ pages for Business.

ConverStations – Mike Sansone believes that blogs are "Conversation Stations". He dubs himself a "Conversation Condutor", guiding companies in building their own business sites. He coaches small businesses and solopreneurs in using blogs and social media not only as platforms for conversations, but also as a vehicle for linking with customers and forging lasting relationships. The subjects covered in ConverStations are valuable roadmaps for navigating the social media highway. Recommended blog post: 4 Social Elements and the Talk-nology Empowering web.

Jaffe Juice – Joseph Jaffe is the first one that I remember hearing the quote "Social Media is a Commitment, Not a Campaign" from. From a once a week op-ed column online, Joseph Jaffe's site Jaffe Juice has evolved into a no-holds barred site tackling new marketing, advertising and creativity. Offering rich interviews with top-notch leaders in the field and insightful commentary from new-media thinkers and doers, the site fosters healthy discussions on the issues that face social media today. Recommended blog post: Photos as Sales Drivers

SocialWayne.com – One of the most sought-after advisers in his field, entrepreneur and tech journalist Wayne Sutton has helped countless individuals, startups and businesses achieve success by harnessing the power of communicating through the social web. Through his blog, ranked as one of the 50 best technology and social media blogs in the world, readers get to partake of his valuable know-how and business intelligence to their advantage. Recommended blog post: 29 of your top social media questions answered on Quora

Smedio – Backed by a diverse team of experts with extensive experience across various disciplines, Smedio is the new media and social web guide designed for marketing professionals. With its aim of continuously defining the business value of new media and the social web, it supplies readers with the social rocket fuel they need to help their businesses reach new heights in 2012 and beyond. Recommended blog posts: How to Save a Dying Business with Social Media

Heidi Cohen – Heidi Cohen's blog provides marketing insights–grounded both in digital and direct marketing–that provides readers with the competitive edge for making it big in their respective industries. She provides practical tips and relevant case studies gathered from her 20 years of experience and expertise as a renown marketing professional. Recommended blog post: Twitter Marketing: 5 Ways to Maximize Your Returns .

Ask Aaron Lee – If you have been on Twitter and are interested in social media, you've surely seen the handle @AskAaronLee appear in your news feed on several occasions. Aaron has contributed to this website through his 3 Alternative Ways to Find Great Content to Share on Twitter post, and he has become a good friend of mine over the years. He also has an excellent blog. Geared towards small businesses, Aaron sets out to give businesses a human dimension and to professionalize people through social. As co-founder of apparel company Leneys, Lee has a keen understanding of the workings of small and medium enterprises and what it takes for them to survive in the ever-changing business landscape – and I expect 2012 to be a breakout year both for his company and his blog. Recommended blog post: 8 ways to humanize your business on social media.

As always, there is some subjectivity in how I chose the above blogs , but I hope that it helps you discover new content to follow in 2012.

Are there any other social media bloggers that you think deserve recognition in 2012? Please let me know in the comments below. Thanks!

13 Social Platforms Your Small Business Should Consider Using

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 01:30 PM PST

Route 13 You know, every once in awhile it helps to go back to square one. Those of us who live in the social media bubble often talk so much about what is going on that we forget the basics and often feel that if we address the basics we aren't doing anything new.

But the fact of the matter is, the primary audience for my blog consists of small businesses owners and operators, many of whom have still not made the full leap into the online social world. Additionally, some of my readers are social media and communications consultants, and like me, their job is to help businesses make that leap.

Quick caveat: when I say you should consider using these, I don't just mean you should create an account or presence. I mean you should USE them. Properly. And don't bite off more than you can chew. Each platform I list has it's own culture, language, and set of best practices and unwritten rules. You'll need to pay attention to those as you seek to engage.

So as a reminder for me, and a checklist for you, here's a quick rundown of perhaps the most important Social Media platforms that you and your business should be using as you seek to maintain relevance in an increasingly digitized world.

1. Facebook – You'll often hear me say that a business needs to choose wisely when determining which channels it will use online. Don't just create an account because you can. Make sure the platform is one where your customers already hang out. Having said that, I think we're at the point where Facebook is a no-brainer for every business. Trust me: in some way, your customers are on there. It's that big. Your business should definitely consider a Facebook business page, but also remember that depending on your philosophy of things, your personal profile can also be very helpful. And Facebook's groups are also great tools for businesses, especially to use for internal communication.

2. Twitter – Many ask me, "Should I be on Facebook OR Twitter?" This isn't an either/or proposition. The two are very different platforms and I don't see them as competing. But together, they are incredibly powerful. Some people believe that Twitter is easier, but I'm not in that camp. It might take more time to learn, and I believe it is the most personal of all the social platforms, but you can't beat it for truly building relationships.

3. Google + – I'm still not fully convinced this platform is ready for your small business, but keep an eye on it. There are some great features on there, but the biggest drawback in my mind is: where are the people? While they are touting big numbers and growth, I'm not seeing it. The platform seems to be mostly a home for techies and early adopters, not John and Jane Customer. The general public doesn't seem to be there, or if they are, they aren't very active. But this is Google, and there is a good chance the platform will take off, at least for some sorts of businesses. Again, like Facebook, you should consider both a personal profile and a business page.

4. LinkedIn – This is a great platform, especially if you are in one of the more professional fields. You can connect with other like-minded folks as well as potential customers. Plus, you can create a company profile for your business. Another up-side of LinkedIn are the groups where you can gather and network with others in your field of interest.

5. YouTube – Video can be a very powerful tool for your blog or website, or even on other platforms like Facebook. Add to that the fact that YouTube is the second largest search engine (behind Google, as well as owned by Google), and you've got a compelling case for YouTube. But there are other video platforms as well, including Vimeo, which some people prefer. A branded YouTube channel can be a great addition to your online arsenal, especially if you commit to creating compelling instructional and informational videos.

6. Flickr – Flickr is to photos as YouTube is to video. If you are using photographs to promote your business, consider housing them at Flickr as a way of saving bandwidth and getting greater exposure. Another photo app that is showing more promise for businesses is Instagram, which integrates well with mobile picture taking. A branded page of photos will give you more ways of being found, and people not only love photos, but love seeing photos of themselves.

7. Foursquare – There are a number of geolocation gaming sites, Foursquare is the most popular. Registering your business on Foursquare, and then offering badges or special deals, can be a compelling way of inducing people to check-in when they visit. Or, if the special deal is good enough, it may even give people a reason to visit your business in the first place. People love games. People love competition. People love special deals or freebies. And remember, your customers might already have created a Foursquare account for you by checking in. You just need to claim the account and optimize it with your information.

8. Google Places – Again, this account might already exist, but you need to claim and optimize it. Bing, Yahoo!, and other search engines have similar platforms. It's just one more way of getting found in search results, with information that you control and provide. You can even attach a coupon or deal. Plus you can encourage your customers to write online reviews on the platform.

9. Yelp – This is probably the largest and most popular of the online review sites. Even if you haven't created an account, your customers might be reviewing your business on Yelp or other review sites. Either way, you need to control the account by claiming it and making sure all of the info is correct. The downside? People might write bad reviews of your business. The upside? If you're doing your job well and offering great products and customer service, you're more likely to get good reviews, and the good will eventually outweigh the bad.

10. Pinterest – This is one of the newer and more unique platforms that seems to have some legs, and the possibilities are rather exciting. While it tends to be heavy on the female demographic, there are a number of ways you can use it for your business. One of the phrases I keep hearing from people as they talk about Pinterest is, "I'm addicted!" For a business, that's a good sign and is an indication that if you're creative in your thinking, you might do well on this platform. I'm starting see some businesses creating some interesting Pinterest accounts, as well as integrating the platform on their site. Gini Dietrich recently had a good overview of Pinterest over on her blog.

11. A blog – Some don't consider a blog to be a "social" platform, but that is changing. With plugins like Livefyre, many blogs now have a much deeper community sort of feel. I believe that a blog is quite possibly the most important thing any business can be doing, particularly in terms of getting found and search engine optimization. And, as always, my preference is a solid, self-hosted WordPress blog residing on your website.

12. StumbleUpon – I would suggest you use this site, along with other social sharing and bookmarking sites like Digg, Delicious, and Reddit, in order to mine for ideas. If you're struggling with content for your blog or Facebook page, or even need fresh ideas for your business, just a few minutes "stumbling" through what others are posting there, and you're sure to come up with something. Plus, you can put your own content on these sites to draw more people to your website and blog.

13. Video chat – I'm a visual kinda guy, and I much prefer seeing those with whom I'm speaking. Skype and Google + Hangouts are the two top platforms here, though you can also stream live video via UStream. Many of us conduct a portion of our business via email or phone calls. If you can add a video component to that, particularly in meetings with vendors or customers, it makes it more personal and builds the relationship better. You might even have a set time each day or week where you let your customers know you'll be available in a Google Hangout to answer their questions, or just chat, via video.

If you need some other ideas for platforms and apps, check out Shonali's post The 15 Top iPhone Apps for Work or Play.

What platforms have you found most useful or important for your business? Have I missed any?

How to Optimize Your Business’ Google Plus Profile

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 12:30 PM PST

How to Optimize Your Business Google Plus Profile

With Google's recent announcement of Search Plus Your World, there seems to be conflicting view points on whether or not the social network is worth our time. It's clear that at the moment, that the network is not as big as the hype surrounding it. Nonetheless, we know from watching Facebook and Twitter grow that these things take time. In Arnie Kuenn's post, he concludes that even though Google's new social updates may not affect each of our search results immediately, they eventually will. This is why it is critical that businesses get their foot in the door, and make their social presence known on Google Plus now. This means not only setting up a profile, but optimizing it properly to ensure higher search engine rankings. This post will discuss all of the key components necessary to do so. Please refer to the Vertical Measure's Google+ profile at any time during the post when you need an example.

Title

Google will recognize your name as your page's title tag. Your name should simply be the name of your business or brand. We do not recommend keyword stuffing here, as this will be used as your name when leaving comments on posts.

Description

The field beneath your business' name is your page's description. In Google search results, it will be displayed as properly written meta descriptions often are. To ensure this, your description should describe your brand in less than 85 characters. It should be appealing as to attract clicks from searchers, but also include your primary keywords.

Introduction

The introduction should be optimized for your primary keywords, but do not over do it. It needs to read naturally and be appealing enough that potential customers will stay on the page to continue learning about your company. In this section you have the ability to use both paragraph and bullet point formats. When you do use one of your keywords, be sure to hyperlink it with a link back to the specific page on your site where people can find information about that product or service. Additionally, you may use rich text formatting such as bold and italics to help your primary keywords stand out.

Upload Photos

You may not consider photos as content in the traditional sense, but to Google they are. First and foremost, make sure you have a profile photo of your brand's logo. Next up is to upload a minimum of five additional photos to fill up the scrapbook slots. These are the photos to the right of your profile photo, and directly under your description. Remember, these are the first five photos people will see when they visit your site. Before you upload any photos, however, you need to make sure they are optimized. You can do this by renaming the photo files to not only describe the subjects in the picture, but also to include keywords when applicable. Finally, don't forget to tag your photos to increase their visibility.

Keep it Active

By now, we all know Google loves fresh content. Updating your Google+ profile with new content daily is necessary to sustain and increase your profile's visibility in the search engine rankings. Don't worry though; it is not necessary to post a new update every day. You can also keep your profile up to date by updating your profile's About section, adding new people to your circles, and uploading new photos or videos.

Promotion and Social links

Take advantage of your other social accounts, such as Twitter and Facebook, to get the word out about your new Google+ profile. If people follow you on twitter and like you on Facebook, there's a good chance they will also be interested in adding you to their Google+ circles. Updates like "Have you added us to your Google+ circle yet?" can get the ball rolling. On top of all of this new exposure, you will also be creating social back links to your Google+ profile. You may also want to consider adding a link to your Google+ Profile in your email signature.

Badges, Buttons, and Authorization

In addition to promoting your profile on your social networks, you should also add a Google+ badge to your website. The best place for it is right next to your other social badges, preferably on your homepage. The badge has two important purposes. The first is to allow your fans to navigate easily from your website to your Google+ profile. The secondary purpose of this badge is to let Google know that this is your official Google+ profile page. Follow the directions from Google on their badge page. You will also need to paste the following HTML code on your site.

This goes in the header:

Next, the code generated when you create your badge can be placed anywhere on your site.

Last but not least, you will also want to include a button on your blog for people to give you a +1 directly from the post.

Expand your Circles

As a business, you cannot add people to your circles unless they add you first. This is where the badge and social promotion mentioned above will come in handy. You can, however, add other businesses to your circle. Try to add businesses that are related to your own. For example, if you are like us and your business is related to internet marketing, Point Blank recently did a post on their recommendations of the top 50 people and pages to add to your circles. This will not only build authority for your page, but will also expose you to new networks.

Encourage +1′s

With social search in place and here to stay, it is clear that +1′s will have an effect on ranking factors. Asking your Twitter followers to give you a +1 on Google Plus if they like your latest post is one example of how to encourage people in your circle to engage with your posts. Another way to encourage +1′s is by simply giving +1′s out to posts you think deserve them. Many people will follow the rule of reciprocity. If you are writing about similar topics and give them enough +1′s, they will most likely return the favor. Speaking of that, we would appreciate you giving this post a +1 below if it helped you optimize your Google Plus Profile.

Is Email More Important Than Social Media?

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 12:20 PM PST

The debate rages on surrounding the value of email marketing and social networks (social media). Should businesses focus more attention on their social media accounts like Twitter and Facebook or email interactions? I'm pretty tired of people just arguing for the sake of arguing. What does the customer want? How does the customer want to receive YOUR information? Sometimes businesses fall short and forget the simple age old rule: Customers First.

And remember the second rule – Market dominance requires integration of all marketing channels… not separate silos.

I don't care if you don't want to spend time on Twitter or you think it is stupid. I don't care if email is hard to manage. If a customer has subscribed to your email, follows your tweets and has liked your Facebook page… there must be a strategy to interact with that specific customer through email, mobile, or social.

When deciding how to share information with your customers you must first understand how customers view each and every channel.

According to MediaPost Publications, the majority of costumers view email as the least intrusive way for companies to engage . Customers trust email more than social networks. Period. They believe they know how to avoid being scammed in email but do not fully understand the risks in social networks. Email is also viewed as being a good source for detailed information or when looking for exclusive deals.

My employer, ExactTarget, recently released research called "The Meaning of Like." This report is part of their Subscribers, Fans, and Followers research which is:

an ongoing research series that sets aside theories, assumptions, and widely held beliefs to deliver new insights and actionable advice about consumers' cross-channel preferences and behaviors. These unique reports draw on the experience of real consumers as they interact with brands through Email, Facebook, and Twitter, collected through extensive research, focus groups, and online surveys.

The report found that consumers tend to view a "like" as a way of bookmarking content and sharing information with friends – not a form of consent for marketing. Also, Facebook engagement is more for entertainment purposes. Although customers can still get information and access to deals it offers a fun, different experience with the company.

Twitter is simple and to the point. It also fosters a relationship between the brand and the customer… which can generate brand loyalty and trust. Like the people, like the brand.

So, which reigns as king? There really is no channel that surpasses the other. However, there are channels that are more appropriately suited for delivering different messages to the consumer. If we can agree that Facebook is more for entertainment then let loose a little (have fun with your fans on Facebook). Email your customers when you need to share some updates or detailed information. An email is private. Twitter is perfect for engaging in a conversation with your customers. Get to know them and let them get to know the company on a more personal level.

Customers (for the most part) haven't changed but there communication expectations have… thanks to social media and the Internet.

Avoid These 3 Killer Blogging Mistakes

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 12:00 PM PST

Mistakes even the smartest people make when they blog or produce email blasts are related to how they think about content.

"Every post must be the same or similar length – because my audience expects consistency"
"Every post must deliver my own original material"
"I must post on a regular, predictable schedule"

I publish and publicize up-and-coming experts and business authors who produce blog posts and email newsletters. Plus, everyday they show up on social media with a pretty huge number of tweets, status updates and other posts.

Plus, most of them work in consulting and coaching or are keeping a "day job" until their writing or speaking revenue streams become too large to manage part-time.

I assure them that with some planning and practice, content production can take about 15 minutes each day.

I know their pain and fear about producing all that content. I am an author, too. I wrote Speak Up! & Succeed: How to get everything you want in meetings, presentations and conversations. Despite my greatest fears about getting my material out in the world, the results shouldn't have been such a surprise. It's the best thing I did in my career.

In getting out my book – and bestsellers I produced for my clients, I pretty much use everything I knew about selling real products. I am a former marketing executive at The Coca-Cola Company and director of marketing in the Fortune 500 technology sector. I sold syrup and micrographic retrieval systems – selling content is surprisingly the exact same thing.

The path to success begins by attracting an audience and creating a relationship with high value people (people who have a problem you solve and a nice-sized budget to remedy it).

Whether you want to write a book, offer consulting services or do group coaching, or get asked to speak at associations meetings and conferences (or all of the above): your success is completely dependent on your delivering useful, entertaining and compelling content to people who can use it.

You will totally enjoy being a content machine if you think Willy Wonka, not "Chainsaw" Al Dunlap.

How to easily and constantly produce great content

This is the right mindset: you are developing a relationship with your audience. Like a friendship, this will take time to grow. And, you can't make friends if you do all the talking – or if every time to talk you harp on the same thing, in the same way!

Variety and satisfaction are the keys to your success – and not coincidentally, it's those two factors that are the keys to happiness, according the latest literature on positive psychology.

Variety

Vary the size of your posts. A few sentences and a photo on your blog will delight people with a highly visual, bite-sized treat. Two posts in a day or a long piece you write on a rainy Sunday will mix things up.

Yes: you can choose which days your audience will receive posts (if it's once a week, then it's once a week). Yes, you can take a theme like romance on Valentine's Day and somehow apply to a serious topic like IT services. Do a Q&A once in a while. Get a guest blogger – pick up the phone, sending an email or direct message someone in the business you want to meet! Maybe a potential client, association executive director or another thought leader?

Create some categories: like "Leadership Commandments" or "Leadership Quotations" (or whatever your topic lends itself to). Then, stock up on those when you're browsing the web, so you can simply put a category title and 3-5 bullet points in a post when you want to write something super fast and easy.

Satisfaction

Focus on what your audience wants – or wants to avoid. Seek to serve their needs with your own work and others'. Give examples of how someone is doing exactly what you believe. Tell stories about something you observed.

Develop simple formulas they can follow. Then ask them to tell you how those worked out – and share their experiences. Bring to light other thought leaders' work – give them credit and ask for permission to re-post some of their material. Put in links to news stories, features, YouTube videos and the like.

This is the right mindset: neither you nor any other individual can produce enough content to satisfy one person even on one subject, much less an entire audience's set of needs. You have some portion of 7 billion people to attract and engage AND leverage for their contributions.

As the author Michael Luckman says, when you overpower the fear that you are alone in your quest, you are filled with the capacity to attract what you want. With a collaborative approach to producing a cornucopia of content, you manifest a tribe of followers, contributors and customers who are delighted to buy what you most want to deliver.

Author:

Nance Rosen is the author of Speak Up! & Succeed. She speaks to business audiences around the world and is a resource for press, including print, broadcast and online journalists and bloggers covering social media and careers. Read more at NanceRosenBlog. Twitter name: nancerosen

Social Media Is Like NFL Special Teams – It Can Make Or Break You

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 11:20 AM PST

I watched a couple compelling NFL conference championships this weekend.

The New England Patriots beat the Baltimore Ravens 23-20. The game was a close contest, and Joe Flacco out-performed Tom Brady. Late in the game, the Ravens drove down to what should have been an easy field goal to get them into overtime. The Ravens field goal kicker shanked the ball, and the Patriots won.
The New York Giants beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17. This was a great defensive game under adverse weather conditions. The game goes into overtime between these equally-matched teams, and the defenses stepped up to make big plays throughout the game. Then the San Francisco punt returner fumbles the ball deep in 49ers territory. The Giants run a couple plays to get the ball in perfect position, and then they kick the winning field goal.

Both losing teams deserved more for their hard-fought efforts. You can argue that justice was not served for both losing teams to lose their games based upon special teams plays. Here is some insight: football locker rooms generally do not have a lot of respect for kickers and punters. Kickers and punters do not have to stay in shape, they rarely see contact on the field, and they almost never get their uniforms dirty. They have a cushy job – just come in and kick the blasted ball…how hard can it be?!? In regards to punt returners, they only carry the ball a handful of times during a game. Just hold on to the ball, so the real players can get on the field and decide who should win or lose the game. Special teams players are frequently the second and third string players on the team. It's almost like they get sent on the field with a "try not to screw this up, guys…let the real men handle the important moments" type of attitude.

Do we treat our social media efforts any differently? Several businesses refuse to acknowledge the power and benefit of social media as part of their overall marketing and customer service strategies. For those businesses who do permit a corporate social media presence, yet still do not understand the benefits, the resources engaged on social media may be seen as second class citizens. Perhaps you have heard a few of these statements:

C'mon, social media isn't really a job…you just play on the internet all day! Your salary is a waste of good budget.
Twitter is only good for letting people know what you had for lunch. Nobody cares, and nobody is reading your goofy tweets!
Who cares that you are the mayor of the local hamburger joint?
You're blogging?!? Get a real job…do that stuff on your own time!
You're probably just playing Mafia Wars or some stupid farm thing…

I will leave you with some food for thought:

Denver Broncos kicker Matt Prater nails an improbable 59-yd field goal to force overtime against the Chicago Bears. He then hits a 51-yd field goal to win the game.
Arizona Cardinals punt returner Patrick Peterson takes it to the house 99-yds in overtime to beat the St. Louis Rams.
Social media channels were instrumental in the Arab Spring revolutions.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car monitors social media and helps a frustrated customer in this excellent and personal case study.
Dell Computers leverages social media both to drive innovation and to increase sales.

Winning football teams need consistent special teams play. Successful companies, or causes as was the case for the Arab Spring, need consistent and creative social media presences as part of their marketing and customer service strategies.

What are your thoughts on the NFL Conference Championship games? Who do you have picked for the Super Bowl? And what is your company's attitude towards social media as a bona fide game changer?

How to Get the Most From Social Media Training

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 11:00 AM PST

The UK social media training market

The phrase "social media training" covers a huge range of requirements and abilities. If you're looking to accelerate your use of social media for your business, there's a huge range of assistance available – from online "teach yourself" courses, to free seminars, to multi-day courses costing up to a thousand pounds.

We've seen demand for our own training services soar over the last few months, and many individuals we work with are on their second or third course, having found out the hard way that all social media training is not the same!

So, we thought that a quick blog post on getting it right first time might be useful. If you have a think about the areas below before choosing the type of training to invest in, you're much more likely to come out of it with what you need.

Your learning style

Do you prefer to be in a large group, or would you prefer to be taught one to one or in a small group where you can ask questions as you go? Generally, the larger the group, the more inflexible the schedule – the trainer will have to cover all the stated topics in order to keep everyone happy, so may not be able to go into more depth on a specific area of interest.

Understand where you're at

Without making an honest assessment of your knowledge about social media and online marketing in general, it's easy to end up buying training that's either completely over your head, or takes up a great deal of your time on areas that aren't relevant to you. For example:

If you're a comfortable, regular user of one or more social media sites in your personal life (usually Facebook or Twitter, but you may have a lively personal blog or Tumblr account for example) then you probably need to focus less on what the sites do, and more on how to use them specifically in a business context, including strategies for your particular marketplace.
More advanced users who've got some understanding of running an organisation's social media presence might need help with content planning and how to develop, execute and monitor a campaign, or how to use software tools to make their work more efficient.
At the other end of the scale, if you're not familiar with social media sites, you almost don't know what you don't know. You need a general overview of social media to understand what's out there, what the pros and cons of social media are, how it differs from existing marketing channels, and how well it would sit within your company culture and existing marketing. After that, you can begin looking at individual sites in more detail.

Your schedule

If you're already maxxed out in your job, or are looking to get a campaing up and running for a tight deadline, a tailored course (where you set the agenda to cover exactly what you need) will save time, because you won't be going over areas which aren't relevant or which you already have a good knowledge of.

You should also consider courses which include followup support or mentoring. Having someone checking up on your progress might be the difference between putting the training notes in a file on your shelf and not finding time to use what you've learnt, and successfully putting your new learning into practise.

Your business sector / confidentiality needs

In a mixed training group, you may be taught alongside people from very different business sectors, or even competitors from your own sector. This may not be an issue, but could be if social media isn't currently widely used in your market, or you need to be able to discuss challenges in your business openly – in which case a private session for your organisation might provide a better experience.

Social media training costs – your budget

If you have litle to no budget (under £50), an online course will be your best choice. We're firm believers that capable people, with dedication and enough hours put in, can teach themselves almost anything (Kate's attempting this with the guitar as we speak!). This will always be the cheapest way to go, but you have to be realistic about your chances of seeing it through. There are also free seminars available in many areas, often provided by business networking groups or support organisations. These can be great for getting a very basic introduction to social media and being shown its significance, but don't expect to come away knowing exactly what you need to do to make social media work for your own business.

Basic, larger group sessions tend to run from £75/head for an hour or two up to £600-800 for a day or more, depending on the expertise of the provider and the depth of detail in the course.

Private, small group training can often provide a good balance between value for money and efficiency, because you should be able to have more input into what's covered and can send a few trainees from your organisation – also great for holiday backup because you're not relying on only one person with social media training! Costs for this will vary depending on the number of trainees and topics to be covered, but should be in the region of £100-£200 per trainee.

Provider background

Social media training providers on the whole tend to fall into two groups – professional training providers, and social media agencies and professionals.

The former will be providing training as their core business, ie on any given day they may be running courses on anything from Health & Safety to Twitter. Because they are set up for nothing but training, their facilities should be good (in terms of training rooms etc) and the standard of training fairly consistent.

If you're using a social media agency for your training, you should be being taught by someone who spends the rest of their time planning and executing real world social media campaigns. You should expect them to be very much aware of the latest developments, and the practical challenges of working with social media sites, and be able to share examples of social media strategies with you.

We hope that's helpful. We get great feedback from our training clients, but we know that our approach won't necessarily be optimal for all situations – so good luck, and we hope that you're able to use some of this guide to get the best training for you!

How To Schedule A Facebook Post Using Hootsuite

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 10:30 AM PST

During this screencast I will show you how to schedule a Facebook Post using Hootsuite.

Sign-Up for FREE Hootsuite Account

Blog post at edSocialMedia: Twitter Hashtags For Independent Schools

Let me know if you have any questions by posting them in the comments section below.

Google Social Search: Three Things You Need To Know

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 09:28 AM PST

Google launched "Search plus Your World" earlier this month to mixed reviews. Some heralded it as another savvy move from the still-undisputed search champion. Others rushed to sound privacy and anti-trust alarms.

At first glance, the feature seems simple. If a signed-in Google + user enters a keyword into Google's search engine, he/she will discover that relevant content from their social graph has been added to their results.

A quick example: Search the term "baseball," and you'll get the same set of results you would have before, plus the shiny new addition of any content or media about "baseball" that friends and/or brands may be sharing on Google +.

Proponents see the move as a value-add, arguing that "Search plus Your World" brings a new level of personalization to search results—something that should appeal to the 90 percent of Internet users who put their trust in peer recommendations.

Detractors aren't as enthusiastic. Some see the new feature as a push to increase market share for Google +, which is currently consuming only a tiny slice of the social pie. Unsurprisingly, Google+ is the only network included in "Your World" searches—a reality that could drive signups by searchers seeking another layer of relevancy. Critics believe this constitutes a deeper dive on Google's part into anti-trust territory.

In addition, other detractors view social search as a violation of privacy. Google offers users the option of including search results from folks outside of your networks, if they're discussing what you're searching. Google trumpets this as a way to make new friends –but not every Google + user wants to expand their circles in this way.

Of course, "Search plus Your World" is in its infancy at this point, and there will no doubt be bugs to work out as Google attempts to create an effective social search algorithm that will quiet critics. But for now, I suggest three things to keep in mind as the debate rages on:

If you haven't looked seriously at Google + yet, now's the time. Again, as social search ramps up, Google + signups are likely to follow. If you've been treating this platform as a "maybe later…" in your social and content strategy because of its currently limited market share, you could soon be missing out on big opportunities.
It's not enough just to "show up" in a social search environment. Brands must focus on creating compelling content if they want to win the social search battle. Solid SEO won't cut it anymore; rather, the content you produce has to grab eyeballs and keep them there… or users won't hesitate to kick you out of their Google + circles.
You may have a fresh social success metric on your hands, as "Search plus Your World" gives you a new way to measure the attention your social content receives. You'll be able to track clicks from content others post about you on Google +, not simply traffic from your own posts.

Regardless of how the dust settles, one thing is certain: Anytime Google is in the middle of a controversy, it's a good bet that marketers shouldn't look away.

Listen, Plan, Analyse, Then Engage. Your Social Media Mantra for 2012

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 08:00 AM PST

There's no doubt about it – 2012 looks like the year of the Tipping Point for businesses seriously looking to engage with social media in the UK.

I'm not saying that we are anywhere near mainstream adoption, but the 'it's just a fad' response is fast becoming a distant memory for organisations of all sectors, shapes and sizes.

However, how organisations go about adoption is key.

If we view social media platforms as far reaching communication channels, then that poses the question to organisations as to how they can leverage these channels to deliver on business objectives.

Let's face it – the remit of any marketing strategy is to deliver on the business objectives – to ultimately drive activity to achieve results that make sense for the business.

Therefore, social media isn't something an organisation does just for the sake of doing social media, (because everyone else is!) but rather to deliver business on objectives – hopefully as part of a well defined marketing strategy.

Business owners, CEOs and marketing directors should be thinking 'how' can we plug social media into what we currently do to maximise reach and realise objectives etc. However, probably due to eagerness to get onto the channels, often what we see is businesses diving into social media without any real thinking or planning.

This simple model (adapted from the brilliant book by Olivier Blanchard, Social Media ROI)

Outlines how one should ideally be approaching social media.

Social Media Planning - Plan, Listen, Analyse - before you Engage

So to summarise and get back to the point I started with, plan, listen, analyse before you engage.

10 Best Social Media Conferences To Attend In 2012

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 07:50 AM PST

In the many public engagements that I've been invited to present at as a social media speaker, people often ask me to recommend which social media conferences and events they should go to, both for networking and educational purposes. I've observed that lately, more and more companies are staging and/or sponsoring social media events, and I attribute this phenomenal growth to the maturity of social media and it's acceptance by major businesses as well as adoption by industry after industry.

With that in mind, I'm glad to share with you what I believe are the best conferences and events social media practitioners should go to this year, all in the United States (sorry but I don't know enough about events outside of the United States to be able to offer my international readers any advice). Each event has garnered a lot of praise from its past participants, with sought-after speakers and expert panels in attendance discussing the most relevant social media topics of the day.

Some of these events, like Blog World, have multiple events where they have not announced dates and locations for their conferences later in the year. Make sure you check back here for updates. And feel free to add other social media conferences that you recommend in the comments. Thanks!

BlogWell – January 24, 2012, Dallas, Texas; March 27, 2012, San Francisco, California; July 18, 2012, Chicago, Illinois; September 25, 2012, New York City, New York

BlogWell is a unique event where 8 great case studies on the best social media programs at large companies are presented to audiences. Staged by SocialMedia.org, a community of social media leaders where members help each other by sharing ideas, best practices, and solutions. Held in 4 locations in 2012, BlogWell speakers will present case studies from many well known brands, including companies like AMD and Farmer's Insurance who have been blogged about here before.

iStrategy Conference – January 31 – February 1, 2012, San Francisco, California

iStartegies missions is to spread passion for existing and emerging digital media throughout the world, where each event offers original experiential learning opportunities for participants. It is for senior executives who espouse the belief that the success of their business requires a solid digital strategy. While the concentration is on digital, there is more than enough social media content to keep you satisfied, including an emphasis on "results-oriented social media strategies." Note that iStrategy also holds international events, with London and Sydney conferences slated for later in 2012.

Social Fresh Conference – (East) February 6 – 7, 2012, Tampa, Florida; (West) August 20 – 21, 2012, San Diego, California

With a distinct focus on social media for business results, the Social Fresh Conference is staged with the end goal of inspiring marketers to create social media strategies that produce tangible results. Social Fresh may not be as well known as other conferences here, but they have a solid track record of delivering successful social media conferences throughout the nation. The keynotes for the Tampa event are from the cream of the crop of social media speakers: Scott Monty of Ford, Jay Baer, and Chris Penn – and these are balanced by case studies presented from corporate social media strategiest from AOL, Nordstrom, and RadioShack.

Online Marketing Summit – February 6 – 9, 2012, San Diego, California

The Online Marketing Summit puts education first. Beyond the usual conference and tradeshow set-up, through lab sessions with experts, thought-leadership presentations and peer-to-peer collaboration, OMS's focus is providing direct, hands-on training workshops that are personalized and one-on-one. A four-day event traditionally about online marketing, there is a healthy dose of social media marketing content for those in attendance.

The Social Media Strategies Summit 2012 – February 7 – 9, 2012, Las Vegas; April 18 – 19, 2012, Chicago

The Social Media Strategies Summit has been designed in such a way that learning objectives are spread across six tracks, each outlined to focus on a particular industry – yours. So while sessions are focused on specific categories that are tailor-fit, such as case studies, ROI and tools, and legal risks & strategies, participants are free to move between tracks based on their own learning objectives. Note that the Social Media Strategies Summit also has an event in London as well as Miami. The Miami event is not listed above as it is focused on social media in Latin America.

Gravity Summit – February 22, 2012, Los Angeles, California

Held annually, the Gravity Summit event in 2012 is where leaders from the realm of sports and entertainment discuss social media marketing trends, innovations and tools and how these are reshaping the industry and audiences alike. The event is perfect for those involved in broadcasting, entertainment and sports. Created by the co-authors of The Power of Real-Time Social Media Marketing, Gravity Summit always promises unique and high quality social media content.

Inbound Marketing Summit – February 28 – 29, 2012, New York City, New York; June 12 – 13, 2012, San Francisco, California; October 24 – 25, 2012, Boston, Massachusetts

The Inbound Marketing Summit is one of the leading national conferences for digital and social media marketing professionals. Featuring inspirational speakers coupled with cutting edge content and real-world case studies, IMS is where innovators from media and marketing meet their peers, engage in lively and productive sessions, and broaden their networks – all in two power-packed days. The upcoming Boston event features the following tracks: Inbound Marketing, Mobile Content, Content Automation, and Convergence.

SocialTech 2012 – March 29 – 30, Seattle, Washington

Sponsored by one of the largest online marketing communities, MarketingProfs, SocialTech is the leading social media conference that focuses purely on B2B social media marketing. The first day will feature workshops on Content Marketing and Social Media Measurement while the second day will feature quality speakers on relevant topics such as "Using Gamification to Captivate Your Customers" and "Social Media Guidelines for Highly Regulated Industries."

BlogWorld & New Media Expo – June 5 – 7, 2012, New York City, New York

BlogWorld is undoubtedly the largest in scale and longest running social media event on this list. Originally for bloggers, BlogWorld now includes enough social media speakers and workshops so that I can say that if there was only one event you could go to in 2012, this would be the one I recommend. With past speakers that include tech guru Guy Kawasaki, you can be assured of high-impact exchanges plus the chance to meet and collaborate with fellow practitioners and innovators. BlogWorld is also held in Los Angeles late in the year.

Content Marketing World 2012 – September 4 – 6, 2012, Columbus, Ohio

Dubbed as the largest gathering of content marketing professionals in the world, CMW is where content marketers converge to tell their stories. Covering topics that include Managing Content Marketing and the ROI of Content Marketing, Content Marketing World is the brainchild of the "Father of Content Marketing," Joe Pulizzi, and his Content Marketing institute.

Have you been to any of the above events? Which ones are you the biggest fan of?

5 Reasons Not To Fear Social Media Burnout

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 07:35 AM PST

Have you experienced Social Media Burnout?

If so, you're in good company. Three social media masterminds recently admitted it was all getting to be a bit much. Steve Rubel blogged that social media might be getting tiresome – and then deleted several years worth of blog posts to start anew on Tumblr. Edward Boches went on vacation, literally and figuratively – and enjoyed getting off the grid. Bob Garfield confessed over the weekend that he's talked a good game but hardly ever posts, tweets or tumbles. "I follow people who ovulate more than I tweet," Garfield wrote, adding in some of the creep factor we've come to expect from social media.

All of these industry notables – each of whom I respect deeply – feel the pressure to post, tweet and blog on a constant basis. Maybe you've had the same feeling, even if it isn't full-blown Social Media Burnout.

There is a cure.

"Hi, I'm Steve and I'm a….."

I've felt the same pressure myself. Recently I've gone through some light periods on Twitter, and regular readers of Ad Majorem know this is my first post in a while. My Klout score has declined to around 50. Should I kvetch, worry, or otherwise vex myself? I've been pretty busy this year with important business, and the balance of the year doesn't look much better. Would it be so bad if lightened up?

5 Reasons Not to fear Social Media Burnout

Stay committed, I tell myself. Here's why.

1. Social Media is far from mature. Not only is Social Media not going away, it hasn't even gotten started. Facebook of course has the most users, but usage penetration for Twitter and other platforms is still low, with many of the users coming from the opinion leader, creative class, leading edge crowd. Google+ may or may not reach a billion users, but it has certainly changed the game with its new features. The future growth will come not from signing up more users, but from inspiring even more innovative and useful features across the social web.

2. New features and platforms will continue to facilitate human interaction. What we now call "social media" is really just the digitally fueled accelerant of what we used to call "word of mouth." Word of mouth is not a medium, it is something that happens among people. Advertising has always sought to influence it. Social Media can only facilitate it – and allow us to monitor and measure what people are saying, which we couldn't do when those conversations took place over the backyard fence.

3. Learning is constant. I grew tired long ago of hearing that "change is the only constant" because it's so obvious and really not that new of an idea. Change happens faster than it used to, however, which means that learning opportunities have multiplied exponentially. Social Media is the hottest hot-bed of learning because it is the literal intersection of psychology and technology. If I drop off the grid, I lose chances to learn and stay sharp.

4. Authenticity trumps ubiquity. The important thing about anyone's participation in social media is that we contribute to the discussion. Large numbers of likes, followers or fans will always impress us, but they're not as relevant in social media. You and I must be ourselves and add our perspective. Our networks – our friends, colleagues, whatever – will respond to authenticity, not ubiquity.

5. Corporations are still betting on Social Media. In an era when budgets are tight and results are hard to measure, no one is giving up on social media. Quite the opposite. A Duke University survey of 249 CMOs finds that social media budgets are expected to increase their share of marketing budgets over the next five years.

So, fear not. Stay social, be yourself, and keep an open mind.

Social Media, Journalism, and the Death of Joe Paterno

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 07:20 AM PST

Image by audreyjm529 via Flickr

There has been a lot of conversation, particularly on Twitter, regarding the events of this past weekend, as journalists, social media practitioners, and the general public try to figure out what went wrong. Part of the discussion surrounded whether or not this was a primarily a journalism failure or a social media failure. As a former journalist, and someone who works with social media, this is of great interest to me.

There's a very nice timeline of how this all went down at Poynter.org, but to sum up the events, a report was issued Saturday evening stating that former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno was near death. At the time I received a text message from ESPN delivering that news. Not surprisingly, when a statement like that is issued, the rumors begin to swirl. That's when things began to get out of hand.

An award-winning online student publication, Onward State, reported Paterno's death. Shortly before 9 p.m., CBSSports.com picked up on this and also reported that Paterno had died. Other news organizations followed suit.

Also not surprisingly, the story began to make the rounds on Twitter and Facebook. After all, a legitimate news reporting organization had reported it. The only problem was, it wasn't true. The New York Times and CNN were fairly quick to report that the Paterno family was denying his passing. Eventually, both Onward State and CBS issued apologies and rightly took the blame on themselves. The managing editor of Onward State even stepped down from his position. As for how Onward State received and reported on the erroneous information, you can read their own explanation which shows that even when safeguards are in place, sometimes they aren't enough. They thought they had the correct information from multiple sources and went with it. Here is a short segment from that explanation:

But at around 8:00 p.m., one of our writers posted that he had received word from a source that Joe Paterno had died. The source had been forwarded an email ostensibly sent from a high-ranking athletics official (later found to be a hoax) to Penn State athletes with information of Paterno's passing. A second writer — whom we later found out had not been honest in his information — confirmed to us that the email had been sent to football players. With two independent confirmations of an email announcing his death, managing editor Devon Edwards was confident in the story and hit send on the tweet he had written, informing the world that Joe Paterno had died.

Then shortly before 10:30 a.m. yesterday (Sunday) morning, the Paterno family issued a statement saying Paterno had died. This time the report came directly from the family, and sadly was true.

So what are we to make of this? What takeaways are there for us, regardless of our role? How has social media changed the role of journalism? Here are a few of my thoughts:

First and foremost this is a failure of journalism, before it is a failure of social media. As general consumers of the news, while we have become cynical, we have also been conditioned to trust legitimate news agencies when stories like this are reported. It's one thing for me to tweet something, and another thing for legitimate news organizations to tweet reports about that same story.

Having worked in fast-paced newsrooms myself, I understand how this happens. I understand the pressure to compete. Most media has a deadline, a time by which the newspaper must go to print, or the newscast has to go on the air. But the Internet is more like all-news radio where every second is a deadline. This is a major shift for traditional media.

We also need to understand that the online realm is where most news is broken these days, whether on SM or on the websites of legitimate news organizations. This isn't going to change. While a newspaper might have a print deadline, and only publish once per day, they can update the news constantly via their online properties. The Internet levels the playing field.

Editing and fact checking have been among the biggest losers in this economy as news organizations, particularly print, scale back as they seek to stay afloat in an environment of change. This is a problem. Old media needs to learn how to compete in the digital realm while maintaining both objectivity and high journalistic standards. Accuracy should never be sacrificed at the expense of breaking a story.

I would posit that in a world where consumers get their news from a wider variety of sources than ever, where many stories are broken via social channels, and where the difference between being first or not is only a matter of seconds, that the concept of breaking a story, particularly of this nature, is less important than ever.

For the most part, the general public doesn't remember, or even care, who breaks a story. Being able to say you were first is merely a matter of pride in most cases, and we all know what they say about pride. If you tweet a story out ten seconds before your competitor, does it really matter?

Journalists need to understand that despite the increased competition, and despite the speed at which news travels these days, accuracy always trumps competition. And this isn't new. This is Journalism 101: do your homework, know your sources, and fact check.

Mistakes happen. Even the most prestigious of news organizations, like the New York Times, have been caught with their pants down. And this will only become more of a problem in the digital realm. This isn't going away.

Fortunately, the social web is incredibly self-correcting. While rumors can erupt online, they are generally corrected almost as rapidly. This doesn't excuse the dissemination of false, or unverified information, but it is comforting. This is a new world. While not everyone is trained as a journalist, everyone has the ability to be a journalist. Citizen journalism is here to stay. Media outlets need to understand this and work out for themselves how they will both tap into this and compete.

For those of us who navigate the social realm, both professionally and personally, we need to be careful. We need to watch what we say and how we say it. Speculation can be a very dangerous thing. We think out loud. We speculate in our own little circles. When I first received the text about Paterno being "near death", I began to speculate with my family and others around me. But we need to remember that thinking out loud and speculating via Twitter and Facebook has its own set of issues. For many, there is an assumption that if you see something online, it must be true. Clearly, this is a false assumption. We need to cultivate a healthy dose of cynicism. Which in turn creates a greater problem for legitimate news organizations. It's a potential crisis of credibility.

The "whisper down the lane" effect combined with the scope and speed of platforms like Twitter can cause a lot of damage. I believe that this will be the source of all sorts of legal action in the years to come as we speak our minds online. We need to learn how to filter ourselves better.

In the end, this is the world in which we live, and it's only going to get faster. We all bear a responsibility. And yet this responsibility is really no greater than before. For journalists, the responsibility is the same as it has always been: report the news in a timely and accurate fashion. Pick up any journalism text or read the ethics code of the Society of Professional Journalists. This is merely a wake up call. Journalists need to do what they've always presumably done: strive for excellence, while navigating the rough terrain of the Internet. The platforms and media may change, but the core principals must remain the same.

And journalists aren't alone. This is the lesson that all businesses and organizations must learn: stick to your core principals while adapting to a new, digital world. Those that do this well are more likely to succeed.

What are your thoughts? Is this a failure of journalism, social media, or both? How does the presence of Social Media change how you conduct yourself and your business?

Facebook’s Big Revenue Push Ahead of IPO [VIDEO]

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 07:05 AM PST

There's been a lot of activity over at Facebook lately. The company is rolling out Timeline for users and 'action buttons' for publishers and brands (where you can do something other than 'Like', such as 'Subscribe' or 'Travel'). Doubtless, this is tied to the other activity at Facebook … you know, IPO preparation. What's really interesting is that Facebook is doing more than just pushing new features: it's also doing real, honest-to-god Facebook marketing.

Its new program, 'Facebook Small Business Boost' is clearly aimed at attracting new advertisers, with a contest (a usual fave of social marketers) and a free trial ($150 in advertising credits) intended to lure in small businesses and get them hooked. To win the contest, of course, you have to generate the most 'likes' (the top 10 companies on this metric emerge victorious) by April 1, 2012 – interesting timing!

Meanwhile, a new mobile app has been published for the iPhone, although it still falls far short of the traditional browser-based experience. Facebook is still lagging on mobile platforms, but it now is making a move for advertisers. So, it's half right. Releasing the Timeline this close to the IPO was risky, especially given the initial reactions I'm hearing (although Facebook users have always griped about disruptive upgrades, so it will probably come to nothing).

So, is this Facebook's $100 bn bet?

Like Inside IPO on Facebook >>

10 Things I Hate About You, Facebook

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 06:40 AM PST

I mostly like Facebook. In fact, I’m pretty darn addicted. But even some of the best sites have room for improvement.

Although I am not the hugest fan of the new Facebook “Timeline” thing. [not to mention: it's huuuuuuuge. and slow. and weird. and awkward. and just not a freaking Facebook wall.] Essentially, because it’s most of our favorite site [and most frequented] we have some “hates”. Here my 10 things I hate about you, Facebook:

1. I don’t like everything!

The fact you don’t have a disklike button. This is long overdue. We all know this. No one wants to like a comment about your dog dying.

2. I can’t switch back

You don’t have the ability to switch back from the new "timeline" Facebook to the old "wall." If anyone is like me, they don’t like the new layout. I usually complain about the new layout and then realize it’s actually sweet! But not this time. It’s weird, semi-invasive, and awkwardly omniscient.

3. I said something stupid, now what?

There isn’t a possibility to edit posts/status after they’ve been published. Eh hem. Google + you can. #justsayin'

4. Too Much Sharing

The automatic assumption by Facebook is that everyone wants to share everything at all times. By the principle of Social Media, ideally, we would want to. But really, we actually don't want to show the picture of us on vacation taking shots in bikinis to EVERYONE. I know, I can manually limit who sees it, but it would be great if you warned me before I shared something embarrassing to the world.

5. I can’t unfriend easily

The ability to have the little “x” next to the friends in our friends list would be nice for when we go on the random unfriending binge.

6. Scary Layout

I'm sorry I know I said it before— but I reeeeally don't dig the new “timeline” thing. Not only does it creep me out (I’ve had Facebook for 8 years), but I can't tell which are my my most recent posts and they are organized in a non-user-friendly way making it hard to read.

7. Chat is weak

Facebook chat isn't the most user friendly nor reliable application/interface.

8. No Way Out

The ability to have the option to have Permanent and total deletion of accounts, pictures, and etc would be great — really. They only allow “deactivation” currently.

9. Speed issues

It takes FOREVER to load pictures and pages. Like, I'm talking, I need my roots touched up by the time I get to stalk this girl from high school. Some of this is likely my internet, but especially from mobile, it’s just not as speedy as one would like.

10. Improve Insights

I don't really use these because I use other channels for monitoring and measuring– but I know a lot of people who do– and they say that basically you know even less about facebook stats after viewing them

Have Your Say…

What would you change? What do you like? Leave me a comment or Tweet me @trishbaden!

Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/birgerking/5600215736/

How Instagram Harnesses the Awesome Power of Mobile, Social Media and Photos: 3 Success Stories

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 06:30 AM PST

I have a friend who won't stop taking photos of food whenever she eats out. It seems that no matter what restaurant (except for McDonald's or KFC and I don't think they qualify as restaurants) the experience seems to turn into a full photo shoot.

How Instagram Harnesses the Awesome Power of Mobile Social Networks and Photos

Every angle is explored and the correct lighting is required.

At this stage we there isn't mood music to accompany the visuals but I am half expecting a string quartet to become involved at some stage.

The next step is for the agent to show up and a movie director.

Why is this Happening?

The convergence of technology has produced a device (smartphone) that can take the photo in high definition and publish it to Facebook and Twitter before the food is even cold. Five minutes later you can check to see if any of your friends have left a comment, shared or "liked" it!

This visual self expression and sharing culture combines the power of three.

People's obsession with their iPhone (read smartphone)
Engagement power of Facebook
The love of photos that seems to have been reinforced with the easy availability of the camera in your pocket

The only challenge for marketers is how to harness that through a touch of creativity.

How to Take Advantage of this Obsession

Marketers have realised for a long time the power of images to motivate and engage people. There are many business categories that can leverage social, mobile and photos to make their content contagious.

There is one very unassuming mobile app that emulates the simplicity of Twitter but is starting to make its presence felt that is playing with the power of "3″.

That "app" is Instagram.

Instagram is a free photo sharing application that you can download to your smartphone, that allows users to take photos, apply a filter, and share it on the service or a variety of other social networking services, including Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Tumblr, Flickr , and Posterous

3 Instagram Success Stories

Instagram's success shows the power of simplicity coupled with the increasingly mobile and visual social networks.

Food can be made to look so inviting with a great photo (just ask my friend)

Food – Personal Brand

Lets start with a famous "chef" and personal brand called Jamie Oliver who has over 170,000 followers on Instagram and doesn't miss the ongoing opportunities to market his personal brand, cooking shows and publications with visual online sharing.

Check out Jamie's Instagram

Jamie Oliver Instagram

Beverages – Coffee

StarBucks as one of the largest brands based on follower count on Instagram with over 200,000 followers realises the engagement opportunities.

Alexandra Wheeler, VP of global marketing for the coffee giant says this about Instagram "Photography plays such an important role in how we visually share Starbucks offerings and experiences,..this will continue to be a great network to connect with our customers as it grows."

Starbucks Instagram

Fashion

Fashion brands are a perfect fit for Instagram. Burberry gives followers behind-the-scene glimpses at fashion shows and photo shoots.

Burberry Instagram

Instagram Ecosystem

There is a complete application and business ecosystem building around Instagram and John Jantsch at the Duct Tape marketing blog mentions the following 6 tools that enhance Instagram.

iDarkroom – This isn't really an Instagram related tool, but it's a great tool to use to enhance your images before you upload them to Instagram
Webstagram – This tool helps you search, sort, tag, follow and comment on photos shared by other users. One of the ways to make Instagram pay off is to build a following and part of that is done by finding and following relevant users and adding your comments to their images.
Postagram – Postagram allows you to turn any Instagram image into a postcard with the push of a button. Then Postgram sends your postcard for less than dollar. Think about how you could send product images to customers or showcase a project you're working.
Printstagram – This tool takes your Instagram images and allows you to turn them into posters, mini prints, and mini books.
StickyGram – This app takes your custom Instrgram shots and turns them into magnets. It's like having your own little promotional products creator right in your phone, but potentially much cooler.
Canvas Pop – If you want to take up a notch Canvas Pop will take your Instagram images and print them on canvas frames.

How could you use Instagram to spread your brands message and content?

Social Networking @ Work

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 06:00 AM PST

Can you imagine telling a potential new hire that you don't allow people to surf the web at work? Of course not. But it wasn't too long ago that many companies, fearing their staff would get sucked into the unproductive abyss of the world wide web, tried to limit access to the Internet, permitting only a handful of employees who had a proven business need to surf during work hours. The ear-splitting sound of a dial-up modem connecting to the web forced employees out of their cubes like the sound of an electric can opener used to drive my cat out of hiding.

In the wild early days of the commercialization of the Internet, I was fortunate enough to work for Neoglyphics, a design / development / strategy shop that built the very first websites for leading brands such as Abbott Laboratories, Ameritech, Citibank, Hallmark, Motorola, and Sears. Sure, accessing the Internet was in my job description yet somehow I managed to look past dancing babies and get my work done. Around the world, people still managed to get their work done. So I have to chuckle when someone tells me they can't access Facebook from work. Unless you are in a highly regulated industry, shutting down access is not the answer. It will never be the answer.

The answer is education.

If you don't have a plan to help your employees understand smart, safe social networking, what are you waiting for? Give your staff the benefit of the doubt and lead by example. Exhibit trust. Establish guidelines for what information can be freely shared and what should be safeguarded. Leverage social channels to foster employee camaraderie, communicate with remote workers, and heighten your employees' sense of autonomy and inquisitiveness. Position your business as a desirable place to work.

Are there risks? Of course there are risks. Bad tweets happen to good people. Talk about it now so that in the event of a Facebook faux pas you are prepared to deal with it. Not ready to go there? Well you do have choices. You can hope Facebook falls, Twitter tanks and LinkedIn stops growing at two new members every second. Or you could confiscate your staff's web-enabled smartphone every morning. Yeah, that could work…

If This Than That: A Social Media Tool to Drive Engagement

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 04:45 AM PST

A friend recently told me about http://ifttt.com/, If Then That. It essentially allows you to create recipes for actions.

For example, if someone mentions me on Twitter, I can automatically reply with a “Thanks for the mention on Twitter.” Ok. People will know I’m using an automated tool, but it builds a bit more engagement, right? I’d love your opinion about whether you think the cost of automation is worth it.

What is the cost of social media automation?

Well. I believe that people want to be engaged on social in a personal way. Anytime you use obvious automated actions, you lose some amount of respect because your engaging, but not in a personal way.

The other perception is that responding to everyone means that I cared enough to set up something to help expose these people further to my network.

So, asking “What do you think?” is an honest question.

Back to If Then That… More than just an autoresponder, this sets up “recipes” for action once other actions take place. For example, I have created a task so that each time I upload a picture to my Facebook profile to Mobile Uploads, it copies that picture to my dropbox so I have a backup.

It’s a pretty cool tool. My favorite feature is that users can share recipes so if you find that something works for you, you can share it. Better yet, when you’re first getting started, you have help simply by scrolling through what other users have created. Nice touch.

Let me know what you think.

Blogging and the Fairness Challenge

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 04:00 AM PST

A dear friend was recently lamenting that her blog had become nothing but blah, blah, blah. There was no commentary, discussion, or meaningful debate. But ironically, she said that it was not her style to "take a stand" on any issue. She would rather go with the flow.

Obviously if you stay in the safety zone of "likability," you're never going to attract much conversation other than a polite "great post!" But think about this … on the social web, the only distinct value you can deliver is your opinion. And if you never offer an honest opinion, you're not really creating much value. You are probably well-liked but invisible.

My story

When I was in my 20s, I had a revelation that helped me be a better man and a ultimately, a better blogger.

In a performance review, my boss made an interesting observation: it seemed like it was important — maybe too important — for me to be "liked." At that time, I just assumed everybody had this same goal, but the more I thought about this, I realized that innovation, change, and progress can never occur if you are preoccupied with just being popular. I'm not saying anybody should be rude or disrespectful. I'm saying that there is tremendous value in learning how to take a stand in a kind and nurturing way.

A focus on being liked as being the end goal may get in the way of being respected. It's easy to be liked. It's difficult to become respected.

A new outlook

So I began to re-frame my perspective. It's impossible (and exhausting) to try to be "liked" by everybody. But I do think it is realistic to have a goal of being seen as "fair." Somebody who is fair can take a stand and attack issues without attacking people. Somebody who is fair can have the courage to take a strong stand and also exhibit humility and admit when they are wrong. Somebody who is fair is at peace because their beliefs are congruent with their words and actions. I think there is tremendous power in that … in life, and as a blogger.

Trading a goal of being "liked" for one of being "fair" will unleash your creativity and embolden your writing style. Having the courage to start a conversation instead of meekly repeating what you think people want to hear is liberating. And I think you might even be surprised when you voice an opinion and others chime in and say "Yes! Finally somebody is saying what needs to be said."

Trading in "like" for "fair" will make your words MATTER. Isn't that important to you?

Mark Schaefer is a marketing consultant, author and college educator who blogs at {grow}. You can also follow him on Twitter: @markwschaefer.

luni, 23 ianuarie 2012

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Expand your Circles

Encourage +1′s

How to easily and constantly produce great content

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Provider background

1. I don’t like everything!

2. I can’t switch back

3. I said something stupid, now what?

4. Too Much Sharing

5. I can’t unfriend easily

6. Scary Layout

7. Chat is weak

8. No Way Out

9. Speed issues

10. Improve Insights

Have Your Say…

Food – Personal Brand

Beverages – Coffee

Fashion

A friend recently told me about http://ifttt.com/, If Then That. It essentially allows you to create recipes for actions.

What is the cost of social media automation?

My story

A new outlook