Sales and marketing has yet to tap into digital's true power

Sales and marketing people have not yet tapped the full power of digital communications.

http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Marketing/Digital_Marketing/What_marketers_say_about_working_online_McKinsey_Global_Survey_results_2892

Groupon can work for small businesses but...

Apparently, Groupon offers can work for small businesses ...but you must be prepared to hold up your end of the bargain.

http://mashable.com/2011/11/23/groupon-cupcakes/

Has Facebook made the world smaller?

This Mashable post suggests that Facebook may have made the world smaller by changing the "6 degrees of separation" to only "4 degrees of separation."

http://mashable.com/2011/11/22/facebook-six-degrees/

"Augmented Reality" by Layar

"Augmented Reality" by Layar appears to be very cool!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b64_16K2e08
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW9gU_4AUCA

"Brandjacking" of Bank of America on Google+

This post talks about how Bank of America has been "brandjacked" on Google+.

http://idealab.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/11/bank-of-americas-google-plus-page-appears-brandjacked.php

CouponFactory.com

Check out the 5th item from the top about coupon factory.
http://adage.com/article/special-report-media-vanguard-awards/media-vanguard-awards-marketer-media-spotlight/230923/

As the text indicates, “CouponFactory is about keeping things easy -- for marketers and for consumers. The turn-key system, which Rockfish Interactive launched in April, allows marketers to create and distribute digital coupons using simple templates, and then embed them anywhere (including Facebook); consumers can print them out without special software -- and whenever the coupons are redeemed, CouponFactory serves up rich analytics that can be used to tweak future campaigns. National brands using CouponFactory so far include Schick, Mentos, Mott's, Glade, Boston Market and Tyson.”

Case studies from SocialMedia.org

These case studies from SocialMedia.org are quite helpful:
http://www.socialmedia.org/blog/big-list-case-studies/social-media-case-studies-from-amway-radioshack-volkswagen-and-12-more/

Hubspot's e-book on "How to Use Google+ for Business"

Hubspot is offering an e-book on "How to Use Google+ for Business."

http://www.hubspot.com/how-to-use-google-plus-for-business?source=20111109-email-l-googleplus-business-ebook

More great tips from Socialbakers

These are more great tips from Socialbakers:

http://www.socialbakers.com/

http://www.socialbakers.com/how-to/how-to-improve-your-social-media-presence-and-win-customers-for-years-to-come/

Engaging customers with Facebook questions

Socialbakers provides some great ideas on how to engage customers with Facebook questions.

http://www.socialbakers.com/how-to/how-to-use-facebook-questions-to-increase-engagements-and-fans/

Hubspot's e-book on "How to Use LinkedIn for Business"

This e-book from Hubspot does a good job of describing how to use LinkedIn for business.


https://www.hubspot.com/Portals/53/docs/how-to-use-linkedin-for-business.pdf

The use of social media by the Fortune 500 companies

These are interesting statistics about the Fortune 500 companies' use of social media.

http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2011/6271/fortune-500-adoption-of-social-media-slowing

GasPedal blog post on "How to respond to negative word of mouth."

This GasPedal blog post gives great advice on "How to respond to negative word of mouth."

http://gaspedal.com/blog/


#256: How to respond to negative word of mouth


Negative word of mouth happens to every company. Nobody is immune. But great brands have a plan that helps them convert a lot of the angry critics into happy fans. What you should do:

1. Act quickly


2. Be human


3. Write for the record


1. Act quickly

When a customer is upset, you need to act fast. A quick response (even if it's just to say, "I'm sorry, I hear you -- let me get back to you") helps soothe the original critic and also helps avoid an outbreak of more negative sentiment from others. It's common sense, but it's also been proven in studies: In one experiment, when a single table complained about food in a crowded restaurant, 26% of guests made similar complaints.

2. Be human

A canned response is worse than no response at all. Identify yourself, speak like a real person, and give them a way to follow-up with you. No frustrated customer has ever been won over with corporate speak, and there's no reason to expect it to start working anytime soon.

3. Write for the record

When you're responding -- especially in online forums -- remember that you're not just writing for the original critic, but for everyone else who reads it later. You want people to see that you tried to make things right. Even if you can't fix the problem, it's important to show that you're listening and that you care about keeping customers happy.

Linking social media activities to revenue

This SmartBlogs guest post by Eva Schmatz, president of market research firm Summus, Limited, argues that the best way to justify the social media's use to the C-suite is to focus on cost savings through customer service. According to the post, "The communications benefits will then follow."

I'm not sure I fully agree, but I do recognize that cost justifying the use of social media by making a direct link to revenue generation is an uphill battle at best. It is interesting to note that the challenge of linking actions to revenue is similar for traditional media advertising and public relations efforts.

http://smartblogs.com/socialmedia/2011/10/28/how-to-make-the-business-case-for-social-media/

Google provides data to governments

According to this Mashable post, the US and other countries request, and receive, data from Google.


http://mashable.com/2011/10/25/us-data-google/

800 million active Facebook users

It looks like Facebook is up to 800 million active users according to this Mashable post. It also contains a number of other interesting, and important, statistics.

http://mashable.com/2011/10/21/facebook-infographic/

12 social media tools for business

Here are some interesting social media tools that can be used by businesses, courtest of Social Media Examiner. Thanks to Dr. Joy Roach for posting the link to the MSU Marketing majors and alumni Facebook group.

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/12-social-media-tools-recommended-by-the-pros/

Facebook and Small Businesses

RT: Joy Roach -- Interesting article about small businesses and Facebook from USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2011-09-16/facebook-small-business-sandberg/50419654/1

Thank you, Joy, for calling this to our attention.

Let me make the following points about the article:

* With 750 million Facebook users, it looks like Facebook is going to be in the middle of social media marketing for the forseeable future.

* This article provides the following excellent example of how small businesses can use Facebook advertising -- "A wedding photographer, for instance, could advertise just to women in a specific ZIP code who list on Facebook that they are engaged. A movie chain could talk just to film fans."

* This is another example from the article -- "Sarah Loveland, owner of Daddies Board Shop, a skateboard shop in Portland, Ore., began using paid advertising with Facebook in 2010, in hopes of growing her business more quickly. She targeted fans of extreme sports and friends of those who ride skateboards and longboards. The result: She says her business shot up, and she attributes much of it to Facebook."

* The article also suggests that 10,000 fans is a majic number for small businesses that want to grow and reach a wider community. I don't know if 10,000 is the right number, but it seems to be reasonable target.

Micro and Macro Conversions

Avinash Kaushik defines Macro and Micro Conversions in this blog post:
http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/excellent-analytics-tip-13-measure-macro-and-micro-conversions/

Occam's Razor post on social media metrics

This is an excellent blog post on social media metrics. Thanks to Daniel Fukuhara for calling it to my attention in our Social Media and Marketing class Facebook group.

http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/best-social-media-metrics-conversation-amplification-applause-economic-value/

Content that goes viral

This is an excellent blog post on content that is likely to go viral:

http://socialtriggers.com/craft-contagious-content/

A new measure of engagement from Facebook

The number of "Likes" has been seen as a key measure of engagement for Facebook pages. Now there is a new one - "People Talking About"

http://mashable.com/2011/10/09/top-facebook-brands-talking-about/?WT.mc_id=obinsite

Optimizing social media for search engine optimization

This blog post from the Search Engine Marketing group provides excellent advice on optimizing social media for search engine optimization (SEO)

http://sem-group.net/search-engine-optimization-blog/seo/how-to-optimize-7-popular-social-media-profiles-for-seo/

Social media and the organizational chart

Where do community managers (and other social media types) fit on the organizational chart? Do they fit in "the PR department? Marketing? Customer service? What skills do they need?" This blog post from WOMMA asks the question.

http://womma.org/word/2011/10/05/executives-and-community-managers-%E2%80%93-not-so-different/

Social media data and anecdotes

This LA Times article provides some good data on the use of social media for marketing purposes and provides some anecdotes about companies that have successfully used it.
Thanks to our our former graduate student, Laeeq Khan, now completing his Ph.D. at Michigan State University, for forwarding it to Department Chair Dr. Terry Holmes.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-smallbiz-social-20111003,0,4430023.story?page=1

The market for services pertaining to social media

This blog post contains an excellent delineation of the market for services pertaining to social media. Thanks to Vili Auvinen for bringing it to my attention.

http://mashable.com/2011/07/31/social-media-overload-startups/

Ways to optimize your Facebook page

This Social Media Examiner post on "5 Ways to Optimize Your Facebook Page" is quite interesting:

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/5-ways-to-optimize-your-facebook-page/

Airlines' use of social media

This Mashable post contains great data about airlines' use of social media. Thanks to Vili Auvinen for calling it to my attention.

http://mashable.com/2011/09/16/airlines-social-media-infographic/

Fed Ex's Social Media Playbook

This Commercial Appeal article on Federal Express' "Social Media Playbook" is interesting:
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/sep/14/memphis-based-fedex-exec-discusses-companys-playbo/

AMA - engagement is now king

The introduction to this American Marketing Association webinar pretty much sums it up -- "Sales, marketing and customer service have changed incredibly over the past few years – engagement is now king. It’s no longer a question of “if” your customers are talking online, but 'when' and 'where.'"

http://www.marketingpower.com/ResourceLibrary/Pages/Webcasts/UnMarketing_Top_Tools_and_Techniques_for_Engaging_Your_Audience_Online_092711.aspx

Social media tutorials courtesy of "Exploring Social Media"

The following tutorials are provided by Exploring Social Media http://exploringsocialmedia.com/

9 Effective Ways to Use YouTube for Business http://exploringsocialmedia.com/9-effective-ways-to-use-youtube-for-business/

Popular, Free, and Easy Blogging Platforms http://exploringsocialmedia.com/popular-free-and-easy-blogging-platforms/

Groupon vs. LivingSocial: Who Wins the Battle of the Deals? http://exploringsocialmedia.com/groupon-vs-livingsocial-who-wins-the-battle-of-the-deals/

Goals that can be accomplished with social media courtesy of "Mashable"

Thanks to Vili Auvinen for posting the link to this "Mashable" post to the "Murray State MKT 578 Social Media & Marketing Fall 2011" Facebook group (which I maintain for my class). Among other things, it contains a list of 12 broad goals that can be accomplished with social media. To me, it is one of the most useful blog posts I have seen lately.

http://mashable.com/2011/08/29/social-media-case-studies/

7 types of mobile social commerce

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=157294

Centralized vs. decentralized social media for companies

Should organizations' social media efforts be centralized or decentralized? Interesting debate.
http://smartblogs.com/socialmedia/2011/08/24/who-handles-social-media-at-your-company/

Comparing the major social media platforms

Thanks to Ryan Schuler for forwarding this to me via LinkedIn. It is an excellent comparison of the major social media platforms.

http://mashable.com/2011/08/10/social-network-comparison/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable%2FSocialMedia+%28Mashable+%C2%BB+Social+Media+Feed%29

Applebee's benefits from Facebook's new local promotion capabilities

Thanks to Terry Holmes for passing this on to me. Facebook Places now allows restaurant chains like Applebee's to do more with local (store or unit level) promotions.

http://nrn.com/article/applebee%E2%80%99s-its-new-facebook-strategy?ad=marketing-news&utm_source=MagnetMail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=terry.holmes@murraystate.edu&utm_content=NRN-News-NRNam%2007-22-11&utm_campaign=Applebee%27s%20on%20its%20new%20Facebook%20strategy

Mashable post on "5 Innovative Food Truck Social Media Marketing Campaigns.

Thanks to Alyssa Lewis for forwarding this Mashable post on "5 Innovative Food Truck Social Media Marketing Campaigns." Quite interesting.

http://mashable.com/2011/07/21/social-media-food-trucks-marketing/

Socio-Pathetic marketing

Socio-Pathetic marketing -- an interesting term this blogger uses to describe 5 mistakes to avoid in your social marketing program.

http://blog.emarketingassociation.com/blog/ema-blog/socio-pathetic-marketing

While you're at it, check out the eMarketing Association's Facebook page (the source of the link to the blog post) --
https://www.facebook.com/emarketingassociation

Engaging Gen Y

This is an interesting MediaPost blog entry on engaging GenY --
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=153449

The spending patterns of baby boomers whose children have left the nest and those whose "boomerang" children have returned home

This is an interesting Ad Age blog post about the relationship between the spending patterns of baby boomers whose children have left the nest and those whose "boomerang" children have returned home.

However, I urge you to be careful in interpreting this data. There is a difference between "correlation" and "causation." This appears to me to be more of an issue of correlation than causation.

http://adage.com/article/adagestat/stat-day-millennials-impact-boomer-spending/228539/

How "the social wave" is changing the Internet and business

This Knowledge@Wharton post talks about "the social wave" and how it is changing the Internet and business. Thanks to Emanuel Rosen for posting it to his Facebook news feed.
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2808#.ThTh13G0kUk.facebook

Building a social media following by giving things away

Many organizations are building a social media following by giving things away --
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/5-ways-to-build-a-following-by-giving-something-away/

This comes from "Social Media's Big List," which is published by SocialMedia.org. You can sign up for it at:
http://www.socialmedia.org/biglist/

Dunkin' Donuts uses an online contest to honor American soldiers and servicemen

Dunkin' Donuts uses an online contest and a tie-in with the Captain America movie to honor American soldiers and servicemen --

http://news.bostonherald.com/jobfind/news/media/view/2011_0628dunkin_teams_up_with_movie_studio_for_captain_america_contest/srvc=home&position=also

This comes from "Social Media's Big List," which is published by SocialMedia.org. You can sign up for it at:
http://www.socialmedia.org/biglist/

Intel combines YouTube with online gaming

Intel combines YouTube with online gaming in a unique "YouTube takeover" experience.

http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2011/06/17/intels-new-campaign-you%E2%80%99ve-never-seen-youtube-quite-like-this/

This comes from "Social Media's Big List," which is published by SocialMedia.org. You can sign up for it at:
http://www.socialmedia.org/biglist/

The Mayo Clinic launches its own social network

The Mayo Clinic launches its own social network --

http://socialmedia.mayoclinic.org/2011/07/05/mayo-clinic-launches-social-network-to-connect-global-mayo-clinic-community/

This comes from "Social Media's Big List," which is published by SocialMedia.org. You can sign up for it at:
http://www.socialmedia.org/biglist/

Kraft Foods adapts to social media

Kraft Foods adapts to social media --

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304450604576416051591186240.html?mod=dist_smartbrief

This comes from "Social Media's Big List," which is published by SocialMedia.org. You can sign up for it at:
http://www.socialmedia.org/biglist/

TNT's social media guidelines

TNT's social media guidelines --

http://www.webinknow.com/2011/06/tnt-employees-social-media-guidelines-a-great-example-of-can-do-attitude.html

This comes from "Social Media's Big List," which is published by SocialMedia.org. You can sign up for it at:
http://www.socialmedia.org/biglist/

The IRS and social media

The IRS and social media
http://vimeo.com/25695796

This comes from "Social Media's Big List," which is published by SocialMedia.org. You can sign up for it at:
http://www.socialmedia.org/biglist/

P&G's Bounty brand uses social gaming

P&G's Bounty brand uses social gaming --
http://adage.com/article/news/p-g-s-bounty-picks-fans-social-gaming/228506/

This comes from "Social Media's Big List," which is published by SocialMedia.org. You can sign up for it at:
http://www.socialmedia.org/biglist/

Amway on the importance of localizing Facebook pages

Amway on the importance of localizing Facebook pages:
http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/2083230/amway-expands-facebook-efforts-talks-global-social

This comes from "Social Media's Big List," which is published by SocialMedia.org. You can sign up for it at http://www.socialmedia.org/biglist/.