Friday, December 11, 2009

what should be included in a social media marketing class?

This is an interesting post about what should be taught in a Social Media Marketing class. Be sure to read the comments as well. Thanks to Theresa Flaherty for forwarding this.

http://socialmediatoday.com/SMC/146811?utm_source=smt_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Connectbeam and employee communication

Connectbeam's "stated goal is to establish the enterprise social network through the integration of employees' user-generated content." (Wikipedia) Thanks to the "Social Marketers" team for bringing this to my attention (Jazmin Reid, Joy Jenkins, Benjamin Clos, Nicholas Yantko)

http://www.connectbeam.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connectbeam

B2B and credibility, expertise, and thought leadership

Both of these posts address the use of social media to establish credibility, expertise, and thought leadership in a B2B environment --
http://www.briansolis.com/2009/12/in-social-media-it%E2%80%99s-not-just-business-its-business-to-business/
http://smartblogs.com/socialmedia/2009/12/10/the-value-of-silence/

Tips for tweeting

These are some interesting tips pertaining to Twitter --
http://www.livingstonbuzz.com/2009/12/10/no-pain-no-gain-lessons-learned-from-my-year-with-twitter/

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Apple doesn't do much social media

I guess you don't have to do social media to be successful. According to this post, Apple doesn't! Thanks to Edit Busija for forwarding this.
http://www.thebigmoney.com/features/making-payroll/2009/12/07/we-should-all-get-it-wrong-apple?page=full

Monday, December 7, 2009

The video story of one of Coca-Cola's fan pages

Check out how two guys became Coca-Cola sensations. You will have to view the advertisement on the front end before you get to the actual video.
http://www.slatev.com/index.html?bcpid=988327350&bclid=46629201001&bctid=53244393001

Friday, December 4, 2009

Social media pushing online traffic?

This post claims that "... social networks are, indeed, pushing about 10% of the total US online traffic ..." Few details are given.
http://www.bizreport.com/2009/12/how_social_networks_may_improve_the_holiday_spend.html

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Social media within the organization

This article talks about a couple of social media venues that facilitate communication within organizations --
http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20091203/BUSINESS/912030318

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

The Big Money Twitter 12

This is a list of 12 companies that are doing a good job of using Twitter to promote themselves.
http://www.thebigmoney.com/slideshow/big-money-twitter-12

The Big Money Facebook 50

This is a list of 50 companies that are doing a good job of using Facebook to promote themselves.
http://www.thebigmoney.com/slideshow/big-money-facebook-50-0

Using Market Tools' as a data source

This whitepaper from Market Tools explains how their techniques can add to the reliability of market research.
http://www.markettools.com/pdfs/resources/WP_TrueSample.pdf

Naked Pizza and a primer on social media for business

This is an excellent primer on how businesses, especially small businesses, can use Twitter and other social media venues.
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/182927-1/get_real_business_results_from_social_media.html

Auto Dealers use B2B social media

It looks like auto dealers are using social media to communicate with one another in a business-to-business context.
http://dealermarketing.com/advertising-menu/internet-marketing-solutions/1783-social-mediathe-auto-dealerships-new-secret-weapon.html

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Monday, November 30, 2009

Advertising Age article on the FTC, social media, and endorsements

This Advertising Age article on the FTC, social media, and endorsements is particularly relevant since the FTC's new guidelines go into effect tomorrow, December 1.

http://adage.com/madisonandvine/article?article_id=140750

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Affinitive

Affinitive appears to be a cool organization in the social media space. It has some excellent social media case examples.Thanks to Tyler Sills for bringing it to my attention.
http://www.beaffinitive.com/

M-Commerce

This Business Week article discusses how m-commerce is affecting the way people shop and buy:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_43/b4152049042298.htm

Amazon.com and social media marketing

This Business Week article describes how Amazon.com is in the heart of the social media marketing space.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_43/b4152047039565.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_top+stories

Facebook Connect

This Business Week article describes how Facebook and Facebook Connect are in the heart of the social media marketing space.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_43/b4152048040939.htm?chan=rss_topDiscussed_ssi_5

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The Association of Internet Researchers' guidelines

The Association of Internet Researchers has posted the following guidelines for conducting ethical Internet-related research.
http://aoir.org/reports/ethics.pdf

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Friday, October 30, 2009

Network effects or network externalities

"Network effects" of "network externalities" refers to the idea that something becomes more valuable as more and more people use it (telephones, faxes, etc.). This may be an application of the concept in the social media space ...

http://digital.venturebeat.com/2009/10/23/why-wont-location-based-networks-grow/

Fast food and social media based contests

Dunkin' Donuts and Cousins Subs are basing contests in the social media space.

http://www.qsrweb.com/article.php?id=16284&na=1&s=2

More on Ford's use of social media

Ford is also tying social media into the promotion of its Fusion brand.

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/10/ford-tries-social-media-for-the-fusion-too/

Using social media to listen

This post underscores the importance of using social media to listen to customers and other stakeholders.

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/137264

Promoting your career by blogging

Here's a good idea ... maintain a career blog. If done well, it may convince employers that you have skills they need.

http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/4-tips-to-write-a-career-blog-that-gets-you-noticed/

BzzScapes

Thanks to Benjamin Clos for forwarding this to me. I am aware of the company BzzAgent, but I believe believe BzzScapes is new!

http://www.bzzagent.com/bzzscapes/

Monday, October 26, 2009

Monday, October 12, 2009

Dave Knox of P&G on the future of social media in marketing

Thanks to Dr. Tim Johnston for calling my attention to this excellent post about the future of social media in a marketing context.

The content is primarily attributed to Dave Knox, corporate marketing brand manager for digital business strategy at Procter & Gamble.

http://www.warc.com/News/TopNews.asp?ID=25796&Origin=WARCNewsEmail

Thursday, October 8, 2009

New book on social networks entitled "CONNECTED"

This is an CNN post about a new book, entitled "CONNECTED," on social networks. The review itself provides some interesting insights --

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/08/social.networks.connected/index.html

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Could Google have the next great thing in social media?

This post talks about Google Wave which will be available to the general public in 2010. It is billed as "e-mail for the 21st century." Could it be???
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1217341/With-Wave-Google-aims-conquer-network.html

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Interesting stats on social media and the news

Thanks to Louanne Young for forwarding this interesting post on social media and the news. It also contains some good stats about social media usage.
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=22071

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

The FDA and social media

The FDA, like the FTC, is preparing to establish guidelines about using social media for promotional purposes (for products under its purview) --
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2009/09/fda.html

This is how Ford does it

This is a good blog post on how Ford utilizes social media in its promotional efforts --
http://www.clickz.com/3635034

Integrating social media with the rest of the promotion mix

This is an interesting article about integrating social media with the rest of the promotion mix, as opposed to treating it as a stand-alone vehicle --

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=113964

How to get re-tweeted on Twitter

This is an interesting article from Fast Company on how to get re-tweeted on Twitter --
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/dan-macsai/popwise/report-nine-scientifically-proven-ways-get-re-tweeted-twitter

Monday, September 21, 2009

Ford, Papa Johns, Levi Strauss & Chevron use social media in their promotion mixes

This Courier Journal article addresses how Ford, Papa Johns, Levi Strauss, and Chevron are incorporting social media into their promotion mixes --
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090919/BUSINESS/909190352/-1/Category=search

Monday, September 14, 2009

Men vs. women on social media

This post provides some interesting insights about how people use social media, including gender deifferences --
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6156.html

This is an interesting quote from the article:

"Corporate marketers by and large struggle with how to use social networking sites to reach potential customers ... The problem is that execs think of online social networks as social media and treat it as another channel to get people to click through to a site ... To be successful, you need to shift your mindset from social media to social strategy."

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

B2B & B2C social media channels

This blog post gives the author's opinion about which social media channels are best suited for B2B applications and which are best suited for B2C applications.
http://www.socialmediatoday.com/smc/118475

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Three groups on whom to focus

Andy Sernovitz recommends that you focus on your customers, your employees, and your competitors for the purpose of generating word-of-mouth.
http://smartblogs.com/socialmedia/2009/08/11/andys-answers-3-people-you-should-be-earning-love-from-every-day/

Monday, August 10, 2009

Monday, August 3, 2009

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

More about blogola

More discussion about the practice of accepting gifts and other incentives in exchange for blogging about products --

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111083779

Social media careers

Check out this post from CNN.COM & CareerBuilder.com to learn about potential careers in social media. Thanks to LaDonna McCuan for bringing it to my attention.
http://www.edition.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/worklife/07/28/cb.best.job.facbook.addict/index.html

Monday, July 27, 2009

Intuit uses social media for customer service

This Business Week article talks about how Intuit is saving money by using social media for customer service. Thanks to Chris Wooldridge for bringing it to my attention.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_28/b4139066365300.htm
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/+BUILDING+A+SOCIAL+NETWORK+THAT+PAYS-a01611924597

Small businesses use Twitter

Twitter is becoming an outstanding communication tool for small businesses. Thanks to Edie Busija for forwarding this NY Times article--
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/23/business/smallbusiness/23twitter.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Razorfish's Social Influence Marketing Report

Razorfish's Social Influence Marketing Report is definitely worth noting, especially the discussion about the SIM score beginning on page 24.

http://www.goingsocialnow.com/2009/07/launching-fluent-the-social-in.html

http://fluent.razorfish.com/publication/?m=6540&l=1

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Social media and customer service

This is an interesting post about a person who used Twitter to get a service organization to provide ... well ... service!

http://womma.org/word/2009/07/07/how-to-get-that-plane-off-the-tarmac/

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Still more on blogging for pay

These links add to those below on the topic of blogging for pay:
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2009/tc20090518_532031.htm
http://www.adventuresinbabywearing.com/
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5288280519513576492
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/05/0518_blogger_paid_endorsements/2.htm
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/05/0518_blogger_paid_endorsements/3.htm
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/05/0518_blogger_paid_endorsements/4.htm
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/05/0518_blogger_paid_endorsements/5.htm
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/05/0518_blogger_paid_endorsements/6.htm
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/05/0518_blogger_paid_endorsements/7.htm
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/05/0518_blogger_paid_endorsements/8.htm
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/05/0518_blogger_paid_endorsements/9.htm
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/05/0518_blogger_paid_endorsements/10.htm
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/05/0518_blogger_paid_endorsements/11.htm
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/05/0518_blogger_paid_endorsements/12.htm
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/05/0518_blogger_paid_endorsements/13.htm
http://mashable.com/2009/04/29/general-mills-moms/
http://www.blogcatalog.com/topic/myblogspark/

More about blogging for pay

This post is a follow-on to the one below:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/18/army-of-paid-bloggers-sud_n_203740.html
http://www.whineymomma.com/2009/05/have-your-bases-covered.html
http://www.blogopinionz.com/quick-no-fax-payday-loans/
http://www.glenndzblissfullife.com/?p=1504
http://www.thelaborparty.co.cc/2009/faster-friendly-payday-loans

Blogging for pay

Blogging and the use of other social media posts for pay is going to be addressed in the soon-to-be-released FTC guidelines. Here is some background information on the practice:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124026415808636575.html
http://www.blogherald.com/2008/07/15/blogging-jobs-how-much-are-bloggers-paid-to-blog/
http://payperpost.com/home.html
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090621/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_bloggers_freebie_disclosures
http://technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere/blogging-for-profit/
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_much_do_top_tier_bloggers_make.php
http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodget-us-now-has-more-paid-bloggers-than-lawyers-2009-4
http://econsultancy.com/blog/4073-ftc-goes-after-paid-bloggers
http://www.smorty.com/
http://www.bloggersblog.com/blog/629051
http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2005/06/26/for_a_fee_some_blogs_boost_firms/?page=1
http://www.contentcurrent.com/write?gclid=CPzT-4TzxpsCFSQMDQodKgntBA
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124045072480346239.html
http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2009/05/19/paid-bloggers-still-get-google-downgrades/
http://www.payingpost.com/get-paid-to-blog.php
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/12/08/politics/main659955.shtml
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/16/AR2006091600575.html
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2349166,00.asp
http://www.sponsoredreviews.com/
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20090629/BUSINESS/906290306/Are-bloggers-paid-to-be-nice-about-what-they-review
http://oreilly.com/pub/a/javascript/2002/08/12/megnut.html
http://workforward.org/2009/05/20/paid-bloggers-promoting-payday-lending/

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Academic article on word of mouth within online communities

There aren't many good social media marketing articles in the academic space. This one is worth noting.


http://apgsweden.typepad.com/apgsweden/files/viralzzz.pdf

Social media & healthcare slide show

http://tinyurl.com/l74wld

Kobe Bryant, Nike, philantrophy, & the Chinese market

Kobe Bryant is ramping up his philanthropic efforts in China. He and Nike may reap the rewards many times over.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204556804574258222289862830.html?mod=dist_smartbrief

Hardees engages customers

Hardees is engaging its customers by asking them to help name a product --
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=108849

DVRs and media advertising

DVRs and other time-shifting devices are of great concern to advertisers and media companies alike.
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/cable-tv/e3i3a983edc0e93a51b96899546994ac1ce?pn=1

Friday, June 26, 2009

Social mapping and online ads

Companies are using social mapping to deliver advertising to those who are the friends of the friends of someone who purchased their product. See how they do it --

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/26/business/media/26adco.html?_r=1

Sharpie markers

The new campaign for Sharpie brand markers has a strong social media component. An Advertising Age article discussing the campaign can be found at:

http://adage.com/adages/post?article_id=137235

The "Sharpie Uncapped" URL is:
http://www.sharpieuncapped.com/default.aspx

Much of the social media can be found under "Sharpie Communities" --
http://www.sharpieuncapped.com/community.aspx

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Social Media University Global

Check out Social Media University Global. The Chancellor is the manager for syndication and social media for Mayo Cliinic.

http://social-media-university-global.org/

Monday, June 22, 2009

Other companies weigh in on the FTC's proposed guidelines

Several other organizations have also weighed in on the FTC's proposed guidelines:

http://www.crnusa.org/pdfs/JointComments_Associations_FTC_Endorsement_Guides.pdf

WOMMA weighs in on the FTC guidelines

The Word Of Mouth Marketing Association has submitted its comments on the FTC's proposed guidelines:

http://www.adlawbyrequest.com/uploads/file/Reed%20Smith%20Comments%20for%20WOMMA%20-%20FTC%20Proposed%20Revisions%20to%20its%20Guides%20Concerning%20the%20Use%20of%20Endorseme.PDF

The Association of National Advertisers and the FTC guidelines

The Association of National Advertisers weighs in on the FTC's proposed guidelines:

http://www.adlawbyrequest.com/uploads/file/Reed%20Smith%20Comments%20-%20ANA%20-%20FTC%20Proposed%20Revisions%20to%20its%20Guides%20Concerning%20the%20Use%20of%20Endorsements%20.PDF

Entrepreneur magazine's summary of the FTC guidelines

Entrepreneur magazine's summary of the FTC guidelines regarding testimonials and endorsements can be found at:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/192692583.html

PRSA responds to the FTC's proposed guidelines

The Public Relations Society of America responds to the FTC's proposed guidelines:


http://media.prsa.org/article_print.cfm?article_id=1238

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Monday, June 15, 2009

The WSJ on testimonials and endorsements by bloggers

This Wall Street Journal article discusses bloggers' testimonials and endorsements.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124045072480346239.html

The FTC and social media

The Federal Trade Commission's guidelines pertaining to endorsements and testimonials are likely to have an impact on some aspects of social media's promotional uses.

The FTC's current guidelines (as of June 15, 2009) pertaining to endorsements and testimonials can be found at:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/guides/endorse.htm

A summary of the proposed guidelines can be found at:
http://www.ftc.gov/os/fedreg/2008/november/081128guidesconcerningtheuseofendorsementsandtestimonials.pdf

See the June 8 post (below) for further discussion.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Monday, June 8, 2009

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Retailers and social media

Thanks to Jan Skinker for calling this WSJ article to my attention. It discusses how retailers' are using Facebook Connect and other applications to facilitate online word-of-mouth.


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204038304574149191666838018.html

Using YouTube as a promotional vehicle

This post identifies some organizations that are doing a good job of using YouTube to promote their products & services.

http://mashable.com/2009/06/01/youtube-brands/

Demand creation, demand fulfillment & online metrics

This is an interesting post about demand creation (advertising) vs. demand fulfillment (selling) and online metrics --

http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/digital/e3i372a427229d39d58f8364a7a9cd54c66

Friday, May 29, 2009

The link between online discussions and sales

Serious academic research pertaining to social media and marketing is just now starting to be published. This is an excellent piece of research coming out of Northwestern University by Shyam Gopinath, Jacquelyn Thomas And Lakshman Krishnamurthi. It focuses on the link between online discussions and sales.

http://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/index.php/Kellogg/article/people_are_talking

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Business Week article on analysis of online friendships

This Business Week article provides interesting insights into some of the analyses that are being done in the social media field --

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_22/b4133032573293.htm

Friday, May 1, 2009

Jeremiah Owyang on building online communities

Follow this link to hear three excellent podcasts by Jeremiah Owyang about how to build online communities --

http://www.abiggervoiceblog.com/

Monday, April 27, 2009

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Whitepapers on using Twitter and SEO

Thanks to Sarah Wells for forwarding this link. It provides great resources on using Twitter for business and search engine optimization (SEO).

http://www.hubspot.com/internet-marketing-whitepapers/

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Pizza Hut "Twitern"

Pizza Hut is looking for a "Twintern" to be "the company's 'voice' on Twitter and [help] to guide its presence on other social media."

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=104601

Monday, April 20, 2009

The consumer psychology behind what works online

This slideshow by Stephen Anderson addresses some of the consumer psychology that underpins what is currently working online. Thanks to Dave Knox at Hard Knox Life for linking to it.

http://www.slideshare.net/stephenpa/the-art-science-of-seductive-interactions?type=presentation

Twitter is now 10,000,000 strong

Twitter now has 10 million members. Interestingly, those 55-64 years old are just as likely to use Twitter as those 18-24 years old.

Thanks to Dave Knox at Hard Knox Life for linking to this blog --


http://www.briansolis.com/2009/04/twitter-traffic-surges-to-10-million.html

Facebook has 200,000,000 members!

In his Hard Knox Life blog, Dave Knox points out that, if Facebook were a country, its 200 million members would make it the 5th largest country in the world.

http://www.hardknoxlife.com/2009/04/08/facebook-is-5th-largest-country-in-the-world/

NPR blog post on Twitter as a news source

Thanks to Fred Miller for forwarding this NPR blog post on Twitter as a news source --

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103221268&ft=1&f=3

Friday, April 17, 2009

Follow-up to "Dominos disaster" post below

This Ad Age article is a nice follow-up to the "Dominos disaster" post below --

http://adage.com/article?article_id=135982

Understanding more about Twitter

If you're having trouble understanding what Twitter is, why anyone would want to use it, or how your organization can benefit from it, check out this NY Times article. Thanks to Steve Gohmann for sending this link.

http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/14/putting-twitters-world-to-use/?scp=2&sq=twitter&st=cse

Another Unilever and social media post

This is another post on Unilever's use of social media. Notice Ad Age's "Five new rules for marketing" near the end of the post.

http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=135943

Hiring a social media officer

This blog post talks about Comodo's social media officer position.

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/1060-Quick-Query-Comodo-CEO-on-Hiring-a-Social-Media-Officer

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Dominos disaster

As this video shows, employees can definitely damage their employers --

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFxqC8hZ_xs

Monday, April 13, 2009

Friday, April 10, 2009

Facebook's advertising model

Facebook is in the advertising business. This Business Week article provides a great deal of useful information about Facebook, its plans, and its business model.

Interesting quote -- "But there is a real imbalance right now: Between something like 28% to 29% of people's time is spent online, but only 8% to 10% of the dollars are spent online. So there is this migration of ad dollars from other places going online."

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2009/tc2009048_429871.htm

When someone trashes you online ...

This blog post provides some guidelines for responding to negative comments others may make about you or your company --

http://www.mpdailyfix.com/2009/04/loving_the_haters_responding_t.html

Empowered women use social media

This blog post indicates that empowered women tend to use social media more than the general public. According to the post, "Empowered women -- or those ages 25-54 who feel that the Internet helps them manage their family life -- are highly influential as household decision-makers as well as among their peers. From entertainment to electronics, empowered women are much more likely to be asked by friends for product recommendations."

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=103632

The NBA and social media

This blog post talks about how the NBA is incorporating the use of social media into its promotional efforts --

http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/agency/e3ia7786901a6d39a305f30e416105ae0c3

Andy Sernovitz talks about Bacon Salt and social media

Andy Sernovitz presents an concise but excellent case study on how a company called Bacon Salt used social media to tap into a heavy-user market --

http://smartblogs.com/socialmedia/2009/04/09/andys-answers-how-bacon-salt-used-social-media-to-create-fantastic-wom/

Social media and Moldova's revolution

This blog post talks about social media's role in Moldova's revolution --

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2009/04/inside-moldovas.html

Unilever and social media

This article talks about Unilever and one-way vs. two-way communication --

http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=135866

Thursday, April 9, 2009

DiGiornio leverages Twitter

Kraft Foods practices a form of event marketing by giving away its products at "Tweetups." The hope seems to be that Twitterers will Tweet about the product at the Tweetup.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=33628&seenIt=1

A critique of Qwest's social media efforts

This critique of Qwest's social media efforts may shine light on desirable and undesirable practices:

http://www.examiner.com/x-301-Internet-Business-Examiner~y2009m4d9-Qwest-launches-social-media-area-FAIL

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Twitter demographic trends

Thanks to Gale Hawkins for forwarding this blog post about Twitter and Twitter demographics:

http://www.comscore.com/blog/2009/04/twitter_traffic_explodes.html

Friday, April 3, 2009

"Product seeding" and the FTC

The Federal Trade Commission is considering guidelines that would hold companies responsible for what bloggers say about their products if they have provided product samples to the bloggers. Thanks to Gale Hawkins at http://www.powerclaim.com for sending me the link!

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9a58f44c-1fae-11de-a1df-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1

Social media jobs

Here are some interesting links for those interested in social media jobs/careers. They come through Jeremiah Owyang's blog -- http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2009/04/02/people-on-the-move-in-the-social-media-industry-april-2-2009/

http://www.jobsinsocialmedia.com/
http://www.socialmediajobs.com/

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Monitoring online conversations

Check out this blog post for tips on monitoring online conversations --

http://webworkerdaily.com/2009/03/31/how-to-monitor-online-conversations/

Legos, engagement segmentation, & social media

This blog post describes how Legos segments customers based on level of engagement and ties its social media strategy to the segmentation scheme.

http://blog.freshnetworks.com/2009/03/engage-different-consumers-in-different-ways-%E2%80%93-why-segmentation-is-key/

Twitter for business

Thanks to Sarah Wells for forwarding me the link to this short, free, downloadable, book/document on Twitter for business. Cool!

http://www.johnjantsch.com/TwitterforBusiness.pdf

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Masters in social media

The Birmingham City University (Birmingham, England) is offering a Masters Degree in Social Media. It appears to be housed in the Birmingham School of Media.

http://www.mediacourses.com/courses.asp?cat=2&courseID=30

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

HBR article on user contribution systems

Dave Knox (http://www.hardknoxlife.com/)recommended Scott Cook's October 2008 article in Harvard Business Review entitled, "The Contribution Revoultion: Letting Volunteers Build Your Business" (vol. 86, issue 10, pp. 60-69).

It was written by the cofounder of Intuit and focuses on the importance of user contribution systems (which are almost all social media based) in business.

Monday, March 23, 2009

In-store marketing

This article, by Booz & Company's Matthew Egol and Christopher Vollmer addresses the use of media in the shopping aisle. It is a great follow-up to Christopher Vollmer and Geoffrey Precourt's book Always On.

http://www.strategy-business.com/resiliencereport/resilience/rr00066

The future of advertising looks dim

This Advertising Age article is blunt, negative, and contains at least one word I never thought I'd see in Advertising Age. Unfortunately, though, it is probably correct.

http://adage.com/article?article_id=135440

Saturday, March 21, 2009

More social media in B2B?

B2B firms appear to be shifting from traditional media to social media and other online forms of communication --

http://b2bmarket.wordpress.com/2009/03/21/b2b-companies-to-increase-online-ad-spend/

Friday, March 20, 2009

Social networks vs. e-mail, further discussion

More discussion about social networks vs. e-mail -- http://ow.ly/1bla

Careers with Forrester Research

Thanks to Jeremiah Owyang for Tweeting this site -- http://www.forrester.com/careers

The prominence of social networks and blogs

This post attests to the prominence of member communities (social networks & blogs) --

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13846_3-10200669-62.html

Guidelines for blogging and micro-blogging

Beth Harte provides some excellent guidelines and information for blogging and micro-blogging (e.g., Twitter, Facebook status updates). This should be particularly helpful for PR people.

http://www.theharteofmarketing.com/2009/03/iabc.html

Hulu mimics Facebook?

Looks like Hulu is adding to the social networking action with "Hulu Friends," a platform that is much like Facebook. Seems like the social media platform space is getting quite crowded!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123681820436902703.html?mod=djem_jiewr_MK#articleTabs%3Darticle

Monday, March 16, 2009

Online communities may not accomplish your objectives

This post provides some reasons why your online community may not take you where you want to go --

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/79989

Using social media to raise money for charities

This social media person uses her blog and tweets to raise money for charities --

http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/other/03/16/0316winner.html

More spent of corporate social media efforts

It looks like companies will be spending more on social media, even in a recessionary market.

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/despite_recession_more_than_50_of_marketers_increase_spending_on_social_media.php

Social networks for entrepreneurs

This is a good list of social networks for entrepreneurs:

http://mashable.com/2009/03/12/entrepreneur-networks/

Doodle.com social media tool

Thanks to Devin Wilber for telling me about doodle.com. According to the website's FAQs, "Doodle helps finding suitable dates and times for group events, e.g., an appointment, a conference call, a family reunion, etc. Doodle is particularly easy to use – and passes the "grandma-test"... In addition to scheduling events, Doodle also supports polls in general. That is, groups can conveniently decide on options other than dates."

Check out its FAQs for more info.

http://doodle.com/

Coca-Cola, Coke fans, & social media

This is a good story about how Coca-Cola is handling an incredibly large fan group of >3,000,000 members on FaceBook.

http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=135238

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Another great quote

"if you don't like change - you'll like irrelevancy even less!" Wayne Friedman
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=101840

Digital Outlook Report from Razorfish

This is a 180 page report, but it's good stuff!
http://www.razorfish.com/img/content/2009DOR.pdf

Quote of the week

"Never upset someone on the internet who has more free time than you." -- Joshua Hammond

Enable crowdsourcing with Crowdspring.com

Crowdspring is a social media site designed to enable crowdsourcing. Thanks to Mitch Canter for point it out to me via Twitter --
http://www.crowdspring.com/

The future of social media

Jeremiah Owyang provides this prelude to his report on the future of social media. It includes some good information about who's who in social media and talks about crowdsourcing, which I believe is going to grow in importance.

http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2009/03/11/research-status-the-future-of-the-social-web-social-media-in-a-recession/

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Addressing negative comments

What to do when negative comments are made about your organization or brand in the social media space --
http://dirkshaw.blogspot.com/2009/02/address-negative-comments-head-onyou.html

Why influencers matter

This post explains why b2b influencers matter --
http://dirkshaw.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-influencers-matter-for-customer.html

Online tracking tools

This is a nice list of tools for tracking what people are saying about you, your company, or your brand online --
http://mashable.com/2008/12/29/brand-reputation-monitoring-tools/

Interesting question from Pat Coyle

Pat Coyle posed an interesting question this morning during his presentation at the University of Louisville -- "What do you do in a market where people are buying only what they need?"

I posed the question to the people following me on Twitter and Facebook and here are the replies so far --
  • Thomas Rasinen -- Help them find it - more efficiently and less expensively. Then they have more time and money to think about what they want....
  • Sharon McConnell Worster -- Make sure you have what they need!
  • Lynn Richard -- Help them define "what they need". Position products and services to match "what they need". Needs or pain points are often addressed with not just necessity items but other items as long as they are positioned, in this economy, as high value.

Top Twitter mistakes

The top Twitter mistakes made by those who are new to Twitter --
http://www.10000words.net/2009/03/top-7-mistakes-new-twitter-users-make.html

Telecommunities

This article discusses the "telecommunity" phenomenon --
http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/direct/e3i719c968044c38f8c044422dfa52dc0ee

Using Twitter for promotion

Great advice on using Twitter. Thanks to Thomas Rasinen for forwarding it!
http://searchengineland.com/how-to-use-twitter-for-local-marketing-16809

Monday, March 9, 2009

Web site design and SEO

Interesting comments on web site design and search engine optimization (SEO)--
http://www.webinknow.com/2009/03/seo-and-your-crap-filled-site-.html

Jason Fall's definition of social media marketing

I like Jason Fall's definition of social media marketing --

"Social media marketing, however, is the practice of engaging audiences in conversations about a given subject to foster greater volume, better sentiment or to gather intelligence from the participants about that subject."

http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/2009/03/09/why-you-shouldnt-trust-social-media-to-an-seo-consultant/

Neilsen report on global networking trends

Neilsen's latest report on global networking trends. Thanks to Peter Blackshaw and Jeremiah Owyang for Tweeting these:

http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/global/social-networking-new-global-footprint/

http://server-uk.imrworldwide.com/pdcimages/Global_Faces_and_Networked_Places-A_Nielsen_Report_on_Social_Networkings_New_Global_Footprint.pdf

Thursday, March 5, 2009

K-Mart jumps into social media

K-Mart leveraged influential bloggers in their foray into social media I like the fact that it addresses objectives and outcome metrics.
http://www.wendypiersall.com/influencer-marketing-case-study-kmart-holiday-hoopla-contest/

Dave Knox on social graphs

Social graphs are an important part of the emerging promotional paradigm. Dave Knox gives us an overview --
http://www.hardknoxlife.com/2008/12/07/how-should-brand-managers-approach-the-social-graphs-of-facebook-connect-and-openid/

Dave Knox on perfectionism

I think Dave Knox has identified one of the major impediments to creating a culture of innovation --

"It’s not about getting it right the first time because no one is perfect. Instead it is about having a mentality of failing fast and fixing the mistakes. That is what Big Brands need to learn from start-ups. We operate in a world of ready, aim, aim, aim, aim…maybe fire. A start-up is aim, fire, adjust… aim, fire, adjust."


http://www.hardknoxlife.com/2009/03/01/should-brands-start-thinking-like-start-ups/

Dave Knox discusses Christopher Vollmer's book "Always On"

Dave Knox discusses Christopher Vollmer's book "Always On" in this blog post:
http://www.hardknoxlife.com/2009/03/03/digital-darwinism-will-change-the-marketing-ecosystem-for-brand-managers/

Monday, March 2, 2009

An overview of web marketing

This is an interesting overview of web marketing in its many forms, provided by Jeremiah Owyang of Forrester Research
http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2008/01/01/a-complete-list-of-the-many-forms-of-web-marketing-for-2008/

Generating WOM with photo-sharing

This gives us some ideas for using photo-sharing sites (e.g., Flickr) to engage and generate word-of-mouth. The recommendations center on higher education applications.
http://brendanmayer.com/2007/04/10/5-ways-to-use-flickr-as-a-higher-ed-marketing-tool/

Stimulating WOM through outrageousness

Outrageousness can stimulate word-of-mouth, either online or offline! Thanks to Sven Tuzovic for sending this to me.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4632991n?source=mostpop_video

A new business model for the recording industry?

"Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said at the company’s analyst day today that “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith” has generated more money for the band than any of their albums."-- Blogger Patrick Klepek on 9/15/08. Could this be a new business model for an old industry?

http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/09/15/gh-money-for-aerosmith/
http://www.wired.com/culture/culturereviews/magazine/17-03/st_essay

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Organizational issues surrounding social networking

Thanks to Chris Wooldridge for sharing this blog post on organizational issues that surround corporate social networking --
http://techwag.com/index.php/2008/12/25/roadmap-for-corporate-social-networking/

Using social media for damage control

Thanks to Chris Wooldridge for sharing this case study about how Eastman Kodak used social media to correct an erroneous report in The Wall Street Journal --
http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/587524.html

Mitch Joel's "who to follow on Twitter"

This is the blog post to which Dave Knox (below) referred --
http://www.twistimage.com/blog/archives/10-twitter-users-that-every-marketing-professional-should-follow/

Social media and customer service

Companies are monitoring social media to enhance customer service and control the damage that can be done when online customers are dissatisfied.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/AheadoftheCurve/Story?id=5388404&page=2

Dave Knox's "who to follow on Twitter"

Check out Dave Knox's list of who to follow on Twitter --
http://www.hardknoxlife.com/2009/01/30/did-mitch-joel-miss-the-mark-on-his-10-twitter-users-that-marketers-should-follow/

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Enhancing social media with APIs

This post discusses how retailers are/can enhance their social media efforts with API (application programming interface) technology.
http://www.storefrontbacktalk.com/e-commerce/best-buys-api-strategy-goes-beyond-social-mobile/

Insights on social media metrics

This contains some good insights about social media metrics --
http://conversationagent.typepad.com/Marketingin2009.pdf

Social media in the marketing curriculum

This is an argument for incorporating social media into the marketing curriculum --
http://www.theharteofmarketing.com/2009/02/the-marketer%E2%80%99s-missing-tools-online-marketing-social-media.html

More insight into what SAP is doing with social media

This gives us a brief glimpse into SAP's use of social media --
http://www.enterpriseweb2.com/?p=253

Social Media at SAP

Check this out to see what SAP is doing with social media --
http://www.cio.com/article/449283/Q_A_with_SAP_s_Social_Networking_and_Marketing_Strategist?page=2

Monday, February 23, 2009

6 ways to use Twitter

Six ways to use Twitter --
http://www.hardknoxlife.com/2009/02/21/6-winning-strategies-for-brands-on-twitter/

DM News article on social media and customer loyalty

This is one of the more strategically intelligent articles I have found on social media.

In the article, Brad Vettese (EVP and managing director, Ipsh) identifies three strategic objectives that are reasonable for many social media campaigns. In this case the campaign was for Victoria's Secret Pink and the objectives were (1) "manage the brand's identity," (2) "communicate with loyal 'friends'", and (3) "strengthen the brand's relevance."

Joe Fullman (Senior analyst, Greater Than One) identifies a important characteristic of good social media campaigns -- "engages the right demographic with the right directly actionable message, and therefore represents best-in-class social marketing." He also points out that social media programs designed to engage customers are "most effective when consumers have something to gain from the engaging, whether it be free music, the latest deal or informaiton on the products they want."

Daina Middletown (SVP of Sunao, Moxie Interactive) identifies why people enter social networks -- "to foster relationships and find items of interest. They expect to have a voice and participate."

http://www.dmnews.com/Social-media-can-boost-customer-loyalty/article/126250/

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Managing geeks

This is a bit off the usual subject of this link blog, but it seems useful.
http://www.wikihow.com/Manage-Geeks

Monday, February 9, 2009

Friday, January 23, 2009

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Career Opportunities in Marketing

Check out this list of career opportunities for Marketing majors --
http://www.aftercollege.com/groups/listings.asp?id=244114394

Entry Level Social Networking/PR Consultant

Check out this post for an "Entry Level Social Networking/PR Consultant" --
http://www.aftercollege.com/groups/job.asp?job=12782064&pid=1&group=Management+%26+Marketing&groupid=244114394&GroupURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mursuky.edu%2Fqacd%2Fcbpa%2Fmgt%2Fmgtmkt.htm&schoolurl=www.mursuky.edu&logo=&tablewidth=&align=&background=&color=&link=&headercolor=&font=&viewres=1&schoolID=608&ParamID=&ResumeFee=77&major=Marketing&schoolname=Murray+State+University&schoolabbrev=Murray+State+University&aff=0&cgjb=1&cgrs=2&cproj=&ccurl=+&cmtt=1&rrtrct=0&fsize=2&mns=1&mne=1&mna=1&mnf=0&ertrct=0&darkColor=&lightColor=&lcid=18&mnpl=1&mnctl=0