“Creating a social media strategy is still a major concern for marketers.” Social Media Examiner recently published their 5th annual Social Media Marketing Industry Report, where they surveyed more than 3,000 marketers from around the world on a variety of social media issues. The report is free until May 30 (THAT’S TODAY!) and should be downloaded by everyone as there are very few insightful reports like it that exist on the state of the social media union. Among the 43 pages of data, which provided many a takeaway, the most interesting data for me was page 6, in which the report …
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At the beginning of the year, I outlined 15 social media concepts to help make you a more marketable social media professional in 2013. This month we will focus on Concept 2, the logic behind utilizing social media for business marketing. Review of Concept 1 can be found here. Concept 2: Do you know the logic behind utilizing social? Here’s a hint: Engagement. This is a broad answer, but if you have been following this blog, you should know that the common theme is “engagement” with external and internal stakeholders. The traditional MBA offers students courses in all aspect of …
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Marketing your real estate business is a multifaceted and often overwhelming task. From blogs to social media, navigating the online options can be daunting. While powerful tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Google+ have never been more readily available and easily accessible, developing the daily disciplines needed to successfully intertwine traditional and new media takes time you may not feel you have. The good news is that it is possible to grow your online presence by establishing a few of the key social media daily disciplines outlined below! Key Twitter Success Disciplines As one of social media’s most popular sites, …
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I don’t think anything I’ve ever written online has received as much attention as last month’s “Your Google Plus Network Is More Powerful Than You Know” on this blog. So many people have told me that the post opened their eyes for the first time to why Google+ is not “just another social network.” In that post I gave you some basic starter strategies for building a Google+ network that can expand your reach and build your influence, not only within Google+ itself, but perhaps even more importantly in Google Search. This month I want to build on that and …
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«Cadillac ATS vs. The World» : A Web-TV series and multi-plateforms campaign Through the Cadillac brand, General Motors has been able to build a name for itself based on unwavering leadership and authority. For over a century, Cadillac has been listed as one of the leading brand manufacturers. For consumers, it’s the symbol of quality. “We don’t just make luxury cars. We make Cadillacs.” Winner of the prestigious, annual “Best Road Vehicle in North America” award from the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in January, the new Cadillac ATS continues to accumulate awards and rewards. In July 2012, General …
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Four Seasons has done an exceptional job integrating social media into their website and general marketing, and constantly continues to expand its social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, Weibo and Pinterest as well as TripAdvisor. Their corporate Facebook page has over 150,000 fans, while their Twitter feed has over 60,000 followers. With a Klout score of 70, it’s evident the brand places a lot of focus on engagement with guests and those tweeting about their hotels. In addition to corporate pages and handles, Four Seasons also maintains individual hotel, resort and restaurant pages and handles as well as interest-specific interactive blogs and sites that are …
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A lot of time and words are spent emphasizing the quality of your social media content. Great, well-written text plus strong imagery drives traffic, generates subscribers and brings in the bucks, or as the social media lexicographers euphemistically call it, conversions. Once you compose that scintillating Blog Opus No. 6 in D Minor, a Facebook revelation destined to be re-shared by millions or the tweet sure to be heard ‘round the world, up comes the next question: when to post? Since the early days of social media (which still isn’t that long ago), people keep asking what’s the best time. …
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The History of TOP Charts If we can credit the music industry for giving birth to the first popular TOP charts, the phenomenon wasn’t unique to the industry for long. Film’s box office results and literature’s list of best-sellers quickly followed suit. These two cultural sectors ended up being among the most successful ones from the 1940’s and 50’s. A few years later, new mass media such as radio and television entered into the world of charts with the results from BBM (Broadcast Bureau of Measurement) surveys. For each of these new twentieth century industries, influencer’s charts and lists have …
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A number of challenges can stand in the way of great content marketing results, especially for newcomers, and small-to-mid size businesses that don’t have the budgets or resources of big brands. There is no shortage of advice, or content about content marketing, yet some might find it confusing or contradictory. There doesn’t even seem to be a consensus about what it is, as I explained in my last column. The technology can be confusing, too. Probably the single biggest challenge is the burgeoning growth of content. How does one stay ahead and rise above the noise? So, it can be …
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If your business – local or worldwide, small or large – does not have a blog, then make that one of your online marketing goals for this year. No matter what your industry, chances are there is something interesting you can write about and share with an online audience. In this post, we’re going to look at how to determine if your business needs a blog and the benefits of having one. Should Your Business Have a Blog? First off, you may be thinking that your business doesn’t need a blog. Here are two easy questions to ask yourself when …
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Approximately 73% of Fortune 500 companies have a Twitter account; 66% have Facebook Pages. However, many of these organizations lack experienced personnel to truly unleash the power of social. According to a survey by Harvard Business Review of 2,100 companies, only 12% of those utilizing media feel they use it effectively. Further, online job postings requiring social media skills have gone up 87% from 2011-2012; there is now demand for proven social media professionals. This is great news for all of my Social Media grad students! This leads me to believe that not only employers accepting social, it is now …
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It’s the beginning of a new year, and as our thirst for social media education and learning best practices from other businesses is only on the increase, there’s no better time to start planning to attend the best social media conferences that 2013 has plans to offer us than now. In this annual list (click here for the 2012 best social media conferences list), I am not attempting to make a list that is inclusive of each and every social media conference that exists; on the contrary, as a social media speaker myself I want to hand pick those conferences …
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Nonprofit marketing got a lot more complicated over the past decade as we evolved from Web 1.0 (internet) to 2.0 (social media) to 3.0 (mobile). Too many nonprofits still view the technology as largely disruptive, and potentially unnecessary [is someone in your organization still calling this a ‘fad’?]. This mindset allows folks to bury their heads in the sand, rationalizing that it’s best to ignore the digital revolution in favor of focusing on core programs and tried-and-true strategies. And this is understandable. Because despite what’s going on outside our doors, inside things haven’t changed that much. Most nonprofits continue to …
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In its relatively brief history, Google+ has rolled out more new features faster than any other social network. Many are small changes; some are game changing (one word: Hangouts). But few have had the potential impact for businesses that the latest update promises. Google+ now has a groups feature called Communities. And here’s some really great news: Communities are wide open to brand pages. If you closely follow Google+, that last sentence has some shock value. Brand pages have been the stepchild of Google+. Typically new features are rolled out first to personal profiles, and pages only get them weeks, …
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We are always looking for new insight as to how we can be better utilize social media for our business. We have more choices than ever from which to learn about social media, whether it’s a Social Media MBA program like the one I help teach at Rutger’s University, the ever-growing number of social media conferences, or the numerous social media books that have been published. On a daily basis, however, it is the blog posts of individuals, and a growing number of companies, which might have the biggest impact on our understanding of social media. As the mission of this blog is …
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No one can predict the future; scientists can’t, the Mayans couldn’t (despite having been the ones to invent the language of binary computing.) On the eve of 2013, one thing is certain: our digital lives will continue to accelerate. Fortunately, the holiday season affords us a much needed break and allows us to take stock of the past year and learn some of its lessons in preparation for the year ahead. The pervasiveness of mobile technologies and social media and their increasing impact on all aspect of our lives can certainly be viewed as one of 2012’s highlights. The beginning …
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2013 is just around the corner, providing a great excuse for the hospitality to re-evaluate trends and strategies for the new year. Maintaining a successful business in the social space in 2013 and beyond will involve staying ahead of the curve and making sure to adapt to the evolving nature of the medium. The Growing Influence of Mobile Tablets and mobile devices are becoming mainstream ways of accessing information, so having and implementing a mobile strategy and websites will be imperative. For travel in particular, the number of people making hotel and restaurant decisions through mobile devices is constantly rising, and it’s imperative for brands to have a …
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Almost 2 years ago, a small website with only 12 million users managed to surpass Facebook, the social media king that had 600 million users at the time, as the number one traffic generating social media network. In the meantime, Facebook got a billion users and with this incredible rise it also regained its place as the number 1 traffic generator. Yet StumbleUpon is keeping strong at number 2, even though it only has a little over 25 million users (StatCounter). So how does this happen? And how can you use it to your advantage? First things first, how does …
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For my final column of 2012, I thought that I would explore the state of content marketing, try to clear up some confusion about the field, and also take a look at trends to watch in the coming year. Content marketing’s star has risen, and I have seen much interest and excitement about the field. But I also encounter lots of questions; so I’d like to chime in with my two cents, and try to clear up some of the confusion. The misunderstanding can start with the label itself, as the phrase “content marketing” does not seem to be very …
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We talk a lot about mobile devices as the great enabler in terms of connecting you to your audience anywhere, anytime. By taking advantage of the flexibility mobile offers, combined with the wealth of information sharing and connectivity of social platforms, there is no limit to the relationships you can create with customers; that is, unless you create one. One of the biggest missed opportunities that so many companies fall victim to with social media is not capitalizing on its ability to humanize your brand. Unlike traditional marketing, social media offers customers the ability to interact on a level deeper …
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