... in their friends". Creating a brand is done by developing a friendship with an organization's customers. How is this done? It is done by the use of multiple touch points. How does a marketer use "multiple touch points"? To answer that question we have understand the nature of Social Media. Social Media has created a "perfect storm" for a marketer. To create strong brands a marketer needs scale and a presence. To create a world class brand, a marketer needs a lot of customers, and they need a place where they can meet that huge number of customers. Social ... choose our friends, and we decide whom to hang out with, even though we know our friends have shortcomings. Our friends, in real life, have brands. We have trust for those people, so we develop relationships with them. This is how our brands are to be created in a social media age. There are two sources that do a good job in explaining the dynamic of this trust building and how it relates to modern marketing. The June 2009 issue of The McKinsey Quarterly, written by David Court, Dave Elzinger, and Susan Mulder, describe "The Consumer Decision Journey". The Harvard Business ...
Tags: social media |

... was able to brand himself as a "friend" in comparison to the other candidates---who were just "candidates". As the campaign progressed, supporters started making their own texts, videos, shooting their own pictures, making their own podcasts, and sending them to their friends, through the different social media platforms. Barack's website (a social media platform) had these numbers: • The site attracted 1.5 million members who organized themselves into 35,000 separate activist groups, each of which could be called INSTANTLY from the campaign headquarters to be given specific tasks in drumming up support. • On election day, a MILLION calls were ... a marketer because there are many, many products. For a product to be chosen from the many, it has to have a strong brand. How does a startup, which is what Barack's campaign was, create a strong brand when the startup has limitations in capital? Social Media has created a new age. Social Media has changed how modern marketing is done---but a marketer needs a strategy to succeed and that strategy revolves around the strategic use of multiple "touch points". At this point I think some important introductory comments have to be made. President Obama is a lightning rod. As ...
Tags: social media |

... how the world is effecting your business works best. Will your posts' personality reflect a light and friendly, or serious and informative tone? Answer all these questions, and then keep all posts and responses to posts consistent. Develop a "Conversation Calendar" Conversation calendars achieve several important objectives related to social media marketing. They make your campaign pro-active instead of reactive. They alleviate the stress that comes from the ongoing question, "what will we post about NOW?" They ensure accountability for posting. They ensure consistent posting. There's no magic formula for how many times you should post something on any ... a potential customer, strategic partner, industry influencer, potential vendor, and sometimes - even a competitor. In this changing world of digital communication, the lines between competitors are blurring.Sometimes a competitor can become a strategic partner. An increase in visitors to your website - and even deeper, visitors coming from specific social media accounts. An increase in the number of people who register to receive your newsletter or RSS feeds of your Blog. An increase in the number of comments you receive on your Blog. All of the strategy and planning in the world can never generate the truly human moments when you ...
Tags: social media marketing industrial companies | b2b social media marketing | social media strategy |

... popularity of the product. • The longest campaigns are for those clients whose businesses or expertise are "evergreen and regenerative" - meaning they are not tied to the shelf life of a new product launch; aren't linked to a specific date; and can be re-stoked for a new round of media interest every few months. One of my longtime clients is a "tradeshow specialist". Her expert advice is newsworthy anytime of year and can be covered editorially year after year - especially in business and trade magazines. That lends itself to multiple articles and features month after month in a wide array ... be covered editorially year after year - especially in business and trade magazines. That lends itself to multiple articles and features month after month in a wide array of media outlets. Remember - creativity and media pitching ingenuity can help add months of success to your publicity campaign. A large number of hours will be spent planning and shaping your publicity campaign for the media market. The preparation of the media market research and the polishing of the media release may seem painstaking, but when done right, they are well worth the effort. After the initial launch of the campaign, be prepared to spend at least an ...
Tags: pr | public realtions | publicity | media | exposure | press |

... overlap in that both need information on target audiences to get the maximum exposure for their clients. According to Entrepreneur.com, media plans are comprised of three components: • Defining the marketing problem. • Translating the marketing requirements into realistic media objectives. • Developing suitable media strategies. A (very) comprehensive article on Admedia.org says that media planning is comprised of four components: • Setting media objectives that support and are in line with marketing and advertising objectives. • Developing a media strategy to meet those objectives. • Creating a step-by-step process to implement the strategy. • Develop evaluation methods to determine the ...
Tags: media planners | media buyers | media planning | media strategies | rate cards | media objectives |

... services they provide, given that they essentially become public figures with a level of expertise and implied authority that customers will look up to. So why not train employees to represent your brand effectively, and give managers and/or employees the crown of being ambassadors for your business through social media marketing. Establishing the ground rules in written format will let every manager and employee involved know what is acceptable and what isn't. Most importantly it will convey to everyone exactly what the goal is regarding the company's social presence online. Are you going social for reputation management? To ... throughout the work day anyway. Yes, they are. So you need to consider: do you set allowable workplace distractions, or let your employees choose their own? I'll advise to let there be no shame in it, so long as it doesn't interrupt productivity (hint: with a written social media policy in place, it may even increase productivity). Second, employees are more likely to become passionate about the services they provide, given that they essentially become public figures with a level of expertise and implied authority that customers will look up to. So why not train employees to represent your ...
Tags: social media marketing | social media for business | social networking | social media | social media policy |

... , I'm stuck having conversations that are getting me nowhere. It is easy to get caught up in a conversation with someone that, unfortunately, isn't going to have any influence over your business and helping it prosper. The solution to this is understanding the impact of social influence. Social media takes more time than anything else. If you want to grow your business, make contacts and meet potential buyers, you have to take some time to research who you're connecting with. Basically, you need to identify who is the most influential inside of your niche market. One effective tool ... and what to stop is Argyle Social. This tool will track the results of your tweets, posts, shares etc. When you see something isn't getting a positive result, it's time to take a new approach or stick with what is working. Furthermore, you can always hire a social media virtual assistant to tackle these issues. Most often, people will end up choosing this route due to all the time involved and so many sites to manage. 6. What else are my followers doing when they're online? You can easily see when someone comes to your site and leaves ...
Tags: social media | social media troubles | social media virtual | social media solutions | social media accounts |

... the internet forever. Leaving the fate of such an important representation should be taken seriously and not put into the hands of the cashier at the front desk simply because she's the only one with a Facebook page. As you can see the psychology of social media is responsible for the existence of social media and has the potential to destroy someone in the blink of an eye or promote fame at the speed of light. It's an important consideration for all players, on all levels, to correctly utilize and protect yourself when in the playing field of the social ... words become politically correct no less than if the advertisement is hitting the front page of the local paper. Public profiles must be in line with company policies and standards, following a formula or plan to promote and encourage business without offending and designed to achieve the purpose of social media which should be business and income generation. The personalities of customers, followers and fans take over and become the target. The importance of the psychology of the readers of the content is what must be of paramount consideration to create an effective marketing strategy and plan. One misplaced quote, one ...
Tags: media | social | psychology | facebook | twitter | business social media |

... for misspellings & grammatical errors. Don't rush process even though it's a quick update. That's when the most mistakes occur. Avoid excessive use of exclamation points. Possibly the worst offense. Cheapens content & denotes screaming. Use action-oriented verbs to create interest & drive fans to execute. Use images and media, like video, to highlight content and create interest. Avoid using parenthesis in content posts, as it can stop readers eyes or think information isn't as important. Use capitalization appropriately. DON'T USE ALL CAPS LIKE THIS. It's salesy, screamy & turns readers off. Create an editorial calendar in 1 ... using parenthesis in content posts, as it can stop readers eyes or think information isn't as important. Use capitalization appropriately. DON'T USE ALL CAPS LIKE THIS. It's salesy, screamy & turns readers off. Create an editorial calendar in 1-month periods. Pre-flight general & evergreen posts with social media management software. Drop in breaking news as it happens. Think twice about everything you post. How will this help your community? Is it relative? Will they care? Use Google Reader and add Google Alerts to pull content keywords on fly w/o waiting for emails to come to inbox. Check ...
Tags: social media strategy | social media content | social media management | social media consultant |

... time, you learn about SEO, website traffic, back links, and driving prospective customers to your site, and how the law of large numbers increases your conversion ratio. In a nutshell, if you don't get the prospect to your web page, you can't close them. Enter main stream social media. For the small business owner, this is truly the answer to your marketing prayers. When you engage potential customers on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and a WordPress Blog, you increase traffic to your company web page, peak their interest in your products or services and create an atmosphere in which ... . When you engage potential customers on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and a WordPress Blog, you increase traffic to your company web page, peak their interest in your products or services and create an atmosphere in which word-of-mouth advertising takes hold, and your brand can become famous. Why Social Media? Why Now? • Facebook has more than 500 million active users. If it were a country, and we filled it with all of the users, it would be the third largest country in the world. • Twitter adds approximately 300,000 new users per day. • YouTube surpasses Two Billion video views per ...
Tags: social media | winning social media | social media strategy | quality social media | social media management |

... attended a local networking event in your community? You meet other business professionals in your industry, talk about trends and changes that affect your peers and learn from one another. Did you realize that you can actually partner with other local businesses in your city to create a super social media strategy? Consider this scenario: A motel holds a Facebook Fan Contest. The winner receives a free weekend stay for two, with complimentary dinner at any one of the major restaurants in town. To add more fans for both the hotel and restaurants in their area, they simply work together to ... major restaurants in town. To add more fans for both the hotel and restaurants in their area, they simply work together to create a partnership for this contest. Each business cross-promotes the other on their website and all of their social networks to create a win-win situation! Social media is an excellent tool to work with other non-competitor companies in your town. Think about all of the ways in which you can set up a cross-promotion, and the possibilities are truly endless. Getting the word out about your Social ...
Tags: social media | winning social media | social media strategy | quality social media | social media management |

... cost increases compare to the nationwide average or the contact information for one of your consultants who is based in that location and can offer expert insight on how these changes are affecting the job market in that city. 5. Don't forget the fundamentals. In addition to giving local media stories that offer local angles, local impact, local data and local people, you must also make sure you're obeying the fundamental rules of good storytelling. Give your press release the "Would I read it?" test. Keep it simple and find hooks that tie into universal themes. Time your pitches ... when you have nothing to actively pitch. If possible, invite them to lunch to discuss their needs and interests as well as how they prefer to receive information, and demonstrate consideration for those preferences when you contact them in the future with story ideas. Do keep in mind that many media outlets have strict policies regarding gifts, so be sure to know and play by the rules. 8. Give 'em the goods. Product placement can go a long way in getting free advertising for your company, especially in radio. If you run a bakery, deliver a tray of your most popular ...
Tags: PR | public relations | local PR | local media | publicity | fame foundry |

... you a half-dozen cardinal rules you need to abide by to keep your credibility. I will show you how to avoid the most common pit falls beginners make, and I'll help you get the most from the time you spend marketing to your social media sites. Social Media is not Advertising First, remember that social media posts are not advertisements in the typical sense. You need to post what I call the cardinal 4 wanted items! People are looking for useful information. They want interesting facts. Participants want to be entertained and they want to connect with others! Posting information about ... . Word of mouth depends on your credibility and the size of your network. Save time by using aggregator software Forth, you must leverage technology to save time. If you are not using aggregator software for your post, start using one today. Aggregator programs allow you to post to several social media site simultaneously. They also let you schedule post at future dates. These programs can save you lots of time and energy. I personally like Tweet Deck and Hoot suite. Search for them on the web and you will find they are free to use. How big is big enough Fifth ...
Tags: cardinal rules | social media marketing | success with social media | social media | media marketing |

... best network. And by best I don't mean the ones with the most celebrities or VIPs. I mean the most engaged and the most active. This is where social media can help. What is social media? Social media encompasses all new media that creates and encourages social interaction and is also user-driven, widely accessible and scalable. Facebook has become the brandnomer (like Kleenex to facial tissue) but the reality is the social media world encompasses many technologies including: Blogging (WordPress) Micro-blogging (Twitter) Video sharing (YouTube) Music sharing (ReverbNation) Product reviews (Epinions) Business reviews (Yelp) Information sharing (Ehow) Virtual worlds (World of Warcraft ... as Facebook, blogging, e-letters and Twitter are successful in doing two things: first, they allow nonprofits to cultivate new relationships, many more then they could otherwise have without these portals and second, they allow nonprofits to steward pre-existing relationships. This takes me back to my first paragraph. Social media is the coat we are wearing in the woods. It allows us to develop our public personality by presenting only our best and most exciting news-the same method we employ when we are cultivating new and stewarding committed donors at an event or over lunch. A list of ten ...
Tags: nonprofit | fundraising | social media | facebook | networks | weak ties |

... liking your Facebook page or following you on Twitter, in many cases, you should focus more on customers that are already interested in what you have to offer. A paying customer is more valuable than a fan who might not ever check back. 8. Use Social Media to Your Advantage Focus on the social media channels that are relevant to your customer base and be sure that you're always keeping your audience in mind. The latest networks may seem like a great opportunity, but if your customers aren't using them, you won't find many followers or new clients. Instead ... audience, you get the chance to set the conversation. Consumers have more power than ever to research their purchases ahead of time and to find out what others have thought of your products. Many people look online for both positive and negative reviews before trying a new company. Through social media, you can decide what aspects of your product people will focus on. Start conversations and ask people about their favorite features. Begin a dialogue to find out what improvements people would like to see made. When you're open about your company, customers will know they can trust your brand ...
Tags: social media marketing | social media advertising | social networks | media marketing | social media |

... use playlists also. If you have setup playlists on your PC, being able to import them to your player is a big plus. If you're wanting the capability to use Video on Demand, make sure to check and see if it is a full blown HD streaming media player, also. Many vob media player units can support videos from YouTube, Amazon Video on Demand, and Netflix. Integration with your entertainment system: Being able to seamlessly integrate it into your home stereo should be your first consideration. Does it have the appropriate HDMI Video connector, component connections, and a composite output? As ... the DVD. This can save you a considerable amount of time, and guarantees you will have the highest quality possible. One of the biggest reasons you are purchasing this is so you can put away those DVD movies and keep them from getting scratched, broken, or lost. Formats the digital media player supports: VOB is not the only format you'll want to watch for. Make sure it can also support MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, MOV, AVI, H.264 and WMV formats as a minimum. You may want to have the capability to read ISO files also. Many people have already made ...
Tags: media player | vob media player | vob media | digital media player | hd digital media |

... offline presence to remain an employer of choice. This includes creating a supporting environment for recruits and utilising employee networks to reach those candidates that are not active job seekers. Increasingly, Australian companies, such as Fosters (@FostersCareers), are building strong talent management teams, adept at using LinkedIn and other social media tools to attract top talent, inviting potential employees to learn more about a career with their business. Recruiters are often online for a period, with "Ask and Expert" segment, to answer any questions that applicants may have. Level 3 - Engagement Social networking sites can be great tools for attraction, recruitment ... trying to understand the laws and other factors that may impact their approach to social networking. From a compliance perspective, companies may be concerned about the distractions at work, and the consequences of privacy, bullying, and harassment issues that can follow. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia recently released their Social Media Policy, only to experience a massive backswing from employees and unions reacting angrily. Companies need to design a policy framework, which also require education of employees on how to use it in a meaningful way. Level 2 - Sourcing A recent survey (The Jobvite Survey: Job Seeker Nation 2010) highlighted that ...
Tags: social media | social networking | social media policy | employee engagement | Strategic HR | |

... , the entire world watched as the people of Egypt mobilized and overthrew their dictator through rallying Tweets and instructive mobile text messages. In just a handful of days, forty years of dictatorial rule was ended by a united and determined populous crying freedom. Full credit should be given to new media for providing Egyptians with communications platforms and tools they never had before. For the very first time in decades the Egyptian people had real-time intra and extra-communications to plan with. Through their connection with the free world they were united, inspired and supported. Five or ten years ago ... using Skype. In our previous wars, families often heard nothing for weeks and months until letters arrived from the battlefield - a good many, too late. Today, mothers and sons; wives and husbands; and children and fathers can say goodnight to each other in real-time. How great is that? Social Media is Helping Us Help Others through Difficult Times And there is even better news to share? In 2010, the Red Cross raised more than $800,000 for the Haiti relief effort through their $10 text message donation initiative, which was backed by the United States State Department. This is only ...
Tags: social media | social media platforms | networking | currentevents | news | online |

... to search for users that have mentioned them or a particular item in twitter, giving the ability to reply to individual users adding another element to create more direct marketing towards users who are interested in their product. Increasing Popularity of Video and YouTube YouTube adds another dimension to social media marketing, video sharing. These are not only online versions of their television adverts but also video made especially to communicate the brand over the internet. YouTube is the second largest search engine, with 2 billion views a day, it has 50% more searches than Yahoo and 180% more than Bing ... 175 million users on Twitter tweeting 95 million times a day. Twitter is used to send short bursts of information in "Tweets" (fewer than 140 characters per tweet). Brands use Twitter to keep their followers up to date with the latest information through both Tweets and photos, videos and other media content which are connected to Tweets. It allows a further level of engagement with users actually choosing to follow the brands and receiving the latest updates in real time. The thing that separates Twitter from Facebook even more is the fact that Google has taken up Tweets in realtime on ...
Tags: social media | social media marketing | media marketing | social media revolution |

... see the benefit of chirping about my life." Now...let's address these one by one... "I don't have time for that nonsense." If you have time to read the news over morning coffee, on the train, or at your desk, you have time for social media. While getting started on social media does require some time and effort up front, keeping up with it can be as quick and easy as your morning latte. If you're like most, you are getting your news online. You browse to your favorite news site, jump to the news topics that interest you ... is exposure. For companies and individuals alike, corporate leaders have become brands in and of themselves. CEOs are often in front of cameras and featured in news articles. The public wants and needs to hear what they have to say. By exhibiting your keen industry and business knowledge through social media, you have the opportunity to build your personal brand. Not only does this help your company stay relevant in the eyes of customers and stockholders, it helps your own personal marketability. And you never know when or where your next big opportunity lies. Connecting with customers on a deeper level ...
Tags: social media | corporate leaders | | social media marketing | social media plan | social media activities |