In 1999, The Cluetrain Manifesto documented what businesses would have to do to become successful in the new digital era. With the Cluetrain’s 95 Theses, it’s easy to identify – 12 years later – which companies are on track and which have derailed. Here are 10 of those 95 key points. Determine if your company… Continue Reading The Clue Train Manifesto: Not Too Late to get Onboard
Social Media
BankAmeriDeals: Sabotaging Businesses?
By now you’ve probably seen commercials or information about BankAmeriDeals. It’s a new program Bank of America launched last month wherein its customers can get cash back deals for purchases from participating retailers. Using an outside service, the bank takes a look at your shopping habits and provides you with cash back incentives to continue… Continue Reading BankAmeriDeals: Sabotaging Businesses?
Facebook for Advertising: The Best Strategy for the Best Results
Since General Motors pulled its advertising budget from Facebook, claiming its ads had little impact on car purchases, many have questioned the value of Facebook as a results-oriented advertising medium. We take a different approach, feeling that not enough advertisers have focused on the best way to utilize Facebook. You’d never think to slap together… Continue Reading Facebook for Advertising: The Best Strategy for the Best Results
Study: Large Corporations Taking Greater Advantage of Social Media
A recent study begins to answer the question of the efficacy of social media and whether it’s worth the investment. We’ve always been of the opinion that social media is here to stay, and it can be a valuable resource for your business. FedEx and Ketchum recently conducted a study of a smattering of large… Continue Reading Study: Large Corporations Taking Greater Advantage of Social Media
The Olympics: Going Against Marketing Intuition
As the Olympics wind down this week, the biggest and most buzzed-about issue hasn’t been the gold medals and world records, it’s been the International Olympics Committee (IOC) and its Rule 40. For context, Rule 40 lasts from July 18 to August 15 and prohibits all Olympians from promoting any sponsors that aren’t official Olympic… Continue Reading The Olympics: Going Against Marketing Intuition
A Lesson in Managing a Social Crisis, From an Unlikely Source
By now, you most likely have seen the blog by recent college graduate Cathryn Sloane, who argued that all social media managers should be under the age of 25. “You might argue that everyone, regardless of age, was along for the ride,” she wrote. “We spent our adolescence growing up with social media… no one… Continue Reading A Lesson in Managing a Social Crisis, From an Unlikely Source
Is Your Participation in Social Media Worth the Investment?
The question many business executives are asking lately with regard to social media seems to be “What’s the return on investment?” There may not be a solid answer for you so far – especially if you’re seeking a monetary return. Social media is a transformational way of communicating and its effects have yet to be… Continue Reading Is Your Participation in Social Media Worth the Investment?
How to Develop a Social Media Strategy
Developing a true social media strategy is not as easy as hiring an intern to do everything and hoping it works. There are many moving parts and people who have to get involved in order to make social media a long-term success. We recommend formulating a plan and getting a top-down corporate commitment on why… Continue Reading How to Develop a Social Media Strategy
Facebook’s Future: Certain or Not?
According to a survey by Reuters, four out of five Facebook users have never bought a product or service as a result of advertising or comments on the site. The poll also found that 34 percent of users were spending less time on the website than they were six months ago. Only 20 percent were… Continue Reading Facebook’s Future: Certain or Not?
GM Pulls Advertising From Facebook, Journal Reports
Many companies have been questioning whether advertising on Facebook is effective, and General Motors Co. has just determined that they, in fact, aren’t. The company has planned to stop advertising on Facebook, revealing that their paid ads have had little impact on consumers, reports the Wall Street Journal. GM will still continue to expand its… Continue Reading GM Pulls Advertising From Facebook, Journal Reports
Using Twitter to Your Advantage: Part 5 – Growing Twitter Followers
Now that you know how beneficial Twitter can be for all aspects of your business, how do you grow your followers? Target specific ones. Say, for example, you’re a marketing company. The people more likely to follow you back are those who follow users similar to you. Search for other marketing companies in the Twitter… Continue Reading Using Twitter to Your Advantage: Part 5 – Growing Twitter Followers
The Best and Worst Times to Link up in Social Media
Social media is good for business. But often, sending out your links to the vast expanse that is the web can leave you wondering, Did anyone click on them? Did anyone even see them? Link shortening and tracking service bit.ly released results to a study of the best times to post to Twitter, Facebook and… Continue Reading The Best and Worst Times to Link up in Social Media
Using Twitter to Your Advantage: Part 4 – Twitter for Public Relations
Most (if not all) members of the media have personal Twitter accounts. Search for and follow ones that report for news organizations local to your business. Develop relationships with them by retweeting their tweets and @-ing them with relevant links. If you do this enough times (while not bombarding them with information), they’ll see you… Continue Reading Using Twitter to Your Advantage: Part 4 – Twitter for Public Relations
Using Twitter to Your Advantage: Part 3 – Twitter for Business
Twitter is useful for business because it’s a way to connect with your customers on a personal level. Users who follow you can ask you questions directly and give you feedback. You, in turn, can crowd source a problem or question to your followers if you are looking for feedback. Frequently tweet news and events… Continue Reading Using Twitter to Your Advantage: Part 3 – Twitter for Business
Using Twitter to Your Advantage: Part 2 – Twitter for Research
The great thing about Twitter is it’s updated in real-time, so if one of your followers tweets something, you’ll see it instantaneously in your feed (the list of tweets that comes up when you click the “home” button). You can utilize this in many ways. One is to research more about your industry. What are… Continue Reading Using Twitter to Your Advantage: Part 2 – Twitter for Research
Using Twitter to Your Advantage: Part 1
Twitter can be a powerful tool to drive visitors to your website. It’s a way to get short (140 character) messages out there to hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Here are some other uses of Twitter: Researching in real-time about a current event, trend or business. Promoting news for your business or organization. Developing… Continue Reading Using Twitter to Your Advantage: Part 1
Changing Your Company's Facebook Page: The New Timeline is Here
Notorious for making format changes, Facebook is still on a roll – and now with one of the most dramatic redesigns ever. Recently completing the addition of Timeline for personal profile pages, Facebook has announced that the same Timeline feature, along with a new creative layout, is now being added to business pages. In other… Continue Reading Changing Your Company's Facebook Page: The New Timeline is Here
Is There a Direct Relationship Between Facebook Likes and Sales?
While companies of every category encourage people to click their Facebook Like buttons, the accountability questions continue to surface: “How much does liking a company influence a purchasing decision and increase loyalty to the business?” The best way to determine if there’s a relationship between fans who’ve actually liked and purchased is to directly ask… Continue Reading Is There a Direct Relationship Between Facebook Likes and Sales?
What's Pinterest, and Why You Should Take a Look
Are you “pinning”? If not, maybe you should be. Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board, where users can pin images from all over the web to themed boards. The title of your boards are up to you, but you place them into categories, ranging from DIY & Crafts, to Architecture, to Geek, to Women’s or… Continue Reading What's Pinterest, and Why You Should Take a Look
"In and Out" 2012 Marketing Trends
OUT: Advertising in all the wrong places IN: Connecting in all the right places OUT: Websites that look like billboards IN: Websites that include videos OUT: Focusing on your business IN: Focusing on your staff, customers/clients OUT: Mediocrity – no one will remember your product or service IN: “Remarkability” – an experience customers/clients will share… Continue Reading "In and Out" 2012 Marketing Trends