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By now you’ve heard of Pinterest. I’ll even bet that you’ve probably seen stories about why your brand needs to be on Pinterest. You may even be annoyed by all of the Pinterest articles, because I know I am. But this is not just another blog post on why you need to be on Pinterest, or a hot list of brands using Pinterest well. Nope. I’m going to share a concept around the interest graph – the backbone of almost all bookmarking and visual social sites.
THE SOCIAL GRAPH
Courtesy of facebook
Many social media sites have some sort of graph identifying various characteristics of each user. Facebook uses the “Social Graph” where individuals are connected based on social characteristics – friends, colleagues, family, live near each other, grew up together, are regulars at the corner bar, met at a networking event, etc. On Facebook, our behavior is very social, too. We tag ourselves and friends in photos, we share videos of the kids doing silly things, we share cool news stories and start conversations around hot topics, and more. We are connected to each other through social identifiers. Read the rest of this entry »
By now you’ve heard the news about Facebook Timeline for brand pages. You’ve probably read a few blog posts about the changes and have observed how all of the cool kids are using Timeline for their brands. I’m bringing you a big daddy post about Timeline, what you really need to know, and throwing in some resources that you may have missed.
Why the big deal?
As a client of Facebook, I have been super excited about the new Timeline changes. In fact, I was so excited that they invited me to their offices in Austin, TX while I was at SXSW. (Okay, so the invite came before Timeline was released, but still…and yes, I signed the “Wall!”) I couldn’t stop smiling while at their offices, chatting it up with Facebook product managers, engineers, sales and marketing folks, and others. All about the new Timeline possibilities. Oh, and I’m pretty sure that everyone on my floor at the office could hear me oohing and ahhing during Facebook’s first ever Facebook for Marketers Conference (fMC). Seriously, I love the new changes!
Here’s why:
• The timeline allows brands to tell a much larger story about their brand through content, photos, videos, milestones, and more. Think of Facebook as the new history book. Read the rest of this entry »
How many of you remember Carmen Sandiego? If not, I’m sure the classic theme song will help refresh your memory. Currently, with today’s geo-location based platforms, there’s a different theme song playing, for you and your friends. Where in the world is ________?
The digital space is changing for businesses, as it’s necessary to be up to date with the latest/greatest marketing trends to attract new customers and maintain existing relationships. We now have to be search engine optimized, social media optimized, and now with the growing trend of geo-location marketing, geographically optimized. Read the rest of this entry »
by Ed Weiss
… Does a painter paint? Talk among yourselves.
Every blog in my Branding series discusses how branding is a process and not a quick fix. My advice to readers is to have a core principle at the heart of their message and the way they conduct their business. OK, so you get it. Now, how do you make it work? Enter, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), one of the keys for getting your message to your target audience.
Defining IMC:
Part one – You need to have graphic consistency throughout every communication emanating from your organization. This includes your print materials, ads, stationery, business cards, blog site, Twitter or Flickr page, trade show displays, and anything bearing your company name.
Part two – You need to have message consistency throughout every communication emanating from your organization. While I could have combined parts one and two I needed to put emphasis on each part because of their extreme importance to your branding effort. Everything you send has to reinforce your core message. Even when you send an email, your signature block needs to include your brand message (e.g. Where business is taught with humanity in mind).
Part three – Why is the integration portion of communication so important? In my lengthy career as a marketer I focused on making everything I produced for my company fit together. I wanted every message I sent to look as though it came from my company. My goal was based on the classic theorem that repetition was the best way to imprint your name in the minds of people who saw your message. The consistency across all media produced repetition of our message. Read the rest of this entry »
By: AMA Member Arsham Mirshah
The 5 Golden Rules of Networking… AND Social Media!
What do Social Media and Networking have in common? It might be obvious, but they both depend heavily on your ability to deal with people (or be social).
PS: Have you read How To Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie? – Highly recommended if you’re a human.
OK – so you want to engage in social media or you want to be a successful networker to make connections, develop business, improve customer service, and at the end of the day, make more money.
I understand.
Use these 5 golden rules of Networking / Social Media ONLY if you want to be successful… Read the rest of this entry »
You have to sell free stuff just like paid stuff because potential customers are savvier than ever. They have choices and know there are tons of freebies available. Small businesses offer freebies as a way to try before you buy. Include these seven ways to sell your free offer as part of your marketing plan.
Photo courtesy: flickr by bstabler
On a recent trip to Costco I noticed how they promote their free food samples. Instead of simply leaving them out for you to pick up as you pass by shopping; they have a live person available. While you taste, this person will make sure the item is the right temperature, explain what’s in it or how to prepare it and how much it cost helps. As an added bonus in case you love the sample so much you want to purchase at that very moment they have the product conveniently available. You won’t have to search the store for the product because it will be stacked in front of you right near the sample display. PERFECT!
So, why does Costco market their free stuff this way?
Simply because you have to sell free stuff just like paid stuff. Read the rest of this entry »
If you haven’t dipped your toes into the social media waters, it can be overwhelming at first. Confusing or frightening, to say the least. You shouldn’t create a Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter presence just because “everyone else is doing it.” That’s not going to cut it nor is it going to be of value.
Before you dive into the deep end and worry about drowning in social media, do yourself a favor (yes, you can thank me later) and answer the following questions:
- What are we trying to achieve through our social media activity?
- How do we measure our goals?
- Who is our audience?
- Have we started listening yet?
by Steve Markenson
Perhaps you’re reading this blog post and getting hungry. There’s a new pizza place down the street which seems to be drawing quite a few customers. But how good is that pizza? You may be able to answer that question by going online and searching for reviews written by fellow consumers. Fortunately, you locate several reviews on the popular site, Yelp. You find a few more on Trip Advisor. So, did these reviews impact your purchase decision?
As a market researcher, I’ve been following consumer attitudes and behaviors relating to the adoption of technology for over 25 years. Recently, I’ve been curious how consumers are reacting to online reviews from other consumers, the degree to which they are purchasing online “daily deals”, and the extent to which they are engaging with companies, brands—or merchants, through social media. Read the rest of this entry »
Written by: AMA Baltimore member and guest blogger Scott Paley, Managing Partner at Abstract Edge.
In the beginning, there was PageRank.
And it was good.
An entire industry formed around the idea that online business success comes from optimizing web pages for a software algorithm and getting as many others to link to your page as possible.
Of course, Google’s been telling anybody who will listen that the absolute best way to do well in search rankings is to create compelling content, with a reasonable number of appropriate keyword phrases, that others naturally want to link to. Read the rest of this entry »
marcidevries
Dov Hoffman
Amy Garland
Jennifer Glass
Megan Campbell
Katie Roberts
