For most publishers social media has earned itself a prominent seat at the audience development table. However many still face issues with strategy, execution and incorporating social into a cohesive program. This week I took part in an OPA Social Media Day panel on social media for audience development with Lisa Brewer from Time Inc. To provide a strategic overview and set a framework for the discussion I came up with a list of questions that summarizes the types of issues we frequently encounter in helping publishers with social media. MORE >>

Working in social media in my day job and my night job, I spend a LOT of time around social media geeks. The other day, I overheard an entire conversation that was so full of social media lingo and jargon that it was like a whole new language. While I understood what the terms meant, I asked myself what I would think if I were an executive at a company that just didn’t understand social media. So here’s a tip to all those who are working to educate their leaders and organizations on the value of social media. MORE >>

Social media professionals are a fascinating bunch. Why are there so many distinct backgrounds in social media? Because social media is new (Twitter is only 5 years old!), But it isn’t just that – social media combination of skills (marketing, PR, web, technical) and philosophies which merge together to create the social media field. That’s why no one “owns” social media. If you could wrap us all up together you’d have the ideal social media professional. MORE >>

One of the primary selling points of social media is the concept of engaging a potential customer or partner in your product or service. 25 Ways to Engage a Potential Customer Using Social Media. This should be one of the first things you think about doing when contemplating using social media as a marketing tool. If you do not have a strategy in place to lead the charge into social media you will be at a lost when it becomes overwhelming. strategy allows you to measure success points in your social media journey. What is it? MORE >>

Don’t know about you, but I’ve been starved for standardization in social media measurement and analysis for ages. Thanks to a cross-industry collaboration of PR trade bodies; social media analytics, advertising and word-of-mouth associations, and a handful of blue-chip client companies, progress is definitely being made.  The work follows the AMEC Barcelona Principles in 2010 and the AMEC Valid Metrics Framework in 2011 , both of which established preliminary methods for measuring social media. Tagged: ROI , Social Media Measurement. MORE >>