Direct Marketing Observations

AUGUST 2, 2011

You see, there are thousands of companies out there right now that are wanting to tap into all that makes social business sexy right now-Finding new customers, tightening the relationships with existing ones, discovering new channels of business oh and making money. There’s just one problem. Well, sometimes they are not.

Platform 210

Platform Resources Social Media Company 210

Direct Marketing Observations

FEBRUARY 1, 2011

Specifically the Twitter and Facebook icons. Just because we see them, doesn’t mean that those companies are “social&# , that they are engaged, fully engaged or partly engaged. Meanwhile they have over 200,000 fans on Facebook. Twitter is free and Facebook is free and the barriers of entry and engagement are absurdly low.

Twitter 223

Twitter Brands Engagement Strategy 223

Direct Marketing Observations

JUNE 23, 2011

They fear the new found empowerment of an existing employee and the new hires that have expectations around the company being truly social and digital. Those companies are the ones that get it; but interestingly enough what you are never told about these companies, is that they too probably struggled early on, both internally and externally.

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Social Media Posterous Collaboration Course 200

Direct Marketing Observations

OCTOBER 15, 2010

With that being said, here are 7 “things” you should be aware of as we go forward in this digital world that can carry you and your company towards Web 3.0. There’s a reason why Twitter is killing Facebook in CTR rates. Companies are mining the social web to build dossiers on you. Think of Wal Mart or Astroturfing.

Astroturfing 204

Astroturfing UGC Tips Mobile 204

Direct Marketing Observations

DECEMBER 1, 2011

Invariably what I see when I walk into the largest of the large or the smallest of small companies, are companies struggling with 2 schools of thought: (1) That they must corral the social employee and (2) How do they control the social customer. Companies fear what they can’t control. This struggle is perpetuated by fear.

Organization 212

Organization Social Media Training Policies 212

Direct Marketing Observations

MAY 13, 2011

Recently I was asked by a school administrator whether Facebook should be used as the platform for communication with another school in another part of the world. Social media platforms are owned by the companies that run them, and, as such, they are the only ones holding all the data on your customers and your interactions with them.

Social Media 180

Social Media YouTube Data Platform 180

Direct Marketing Observations

JULY 8, 2010

Take the Fast Company Influence Project -talk about a sh@#! For the moment, brands like Fast Company need to think long and hard before redefining what influence means. So when I saw the first Tweets pass by about something called The Influence Project by Fast Company Magazine, I clicked immediately. I was wrong.- Cathy Brooks.

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Influencer Project Meme Metrics 138

Direct Marketing Observations

JANUARY 12, 2012

Conversocial.com helps users manage customer service at scale on Facebook and Twitter. UserVoice creates engaging survey forms on Facebook and other sites to solicit feedback from fans and visitors. Inside View gives users an aggregate view of the social presence and activity of a company.

Tools 215

Tools Social Bookmarking Aggregator Disqus 215

Direct Marketing Observations

DECEMBER 14, 2011

In order for people to know that you are open for business you have to get them to your website, your blog, your Twitter account or your Facebook page, right? Whether you’re a click and mortar or a web based only company, either or requires more than just a cursory amount of effort revolved around driving traffic.

Brands 176

Brands Discount Sites SEO 176

Direct Marketing Observations

JULY 6, 2010

Which one is going to have the largest impact on your company? The reasons could be limited resources, limited time, money or whatever-but you just don’t go and jam a generic social solution into every company just because they want one. Tags: Social Networks Facebook YouTube Linkedin Twitter social media marc meyer.

Social Media 143

Social Media Wiki Social Bookmarking Flickr 143

Direct Marketing Observations

MARCH 16, 2011

Companies are obsessing over it. Even the really really big companies want to harness the promise of the prospect, the power of the existing customer and the potential of repeat business-All using social media. Yesterday, I was talking to a manager of one of those really really big companies. That sentiment is not on an island.

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Sentiment Social Media Mobile Company 138

Direct Marketing Observations

OCTOBER 27, 2011

I’ve often said that the majority of people that follow brands on Facebook do it not because they are supposed brand champions but purely because they are hoping to get something out of the engagement. Why would you follow Nike on Facebook? How do other companies compete when Nike, Gatorade and AE give stuff away for free?

Compete 162

Compete Case Study Social Networking Small Business 162

Direct Marketing Observations

APRIL 7, 2011

The study revealed that 68% of the top 100 companies were experiencing a negative growth in unique visits over the past year. Recently WebTrends released a whitepaper in which they analyzed the website traffic of Fortune 100 websites based on ‘unique visits’. This is not an if, it’s a when, and it’s already happening.

Brands 166

Brands Retail Mobile Sites 166

Direct Marketing Observations

MAY 28, 2010

More importantly what struck me was that as much as I had done, in the grand scheme of things, a lot was predicated on how much the company I was working with embraced what I was doing. Increase awareness of and interaction with a company’s brand through brand mentions and participation in social networks. Create listening posts.

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Social Media Marketing Social Bookmarking Widget 203

Direct Marketing Observations

MARCH 18, 2010

because you want to be able to monitor and listen to conversations about you, your product, your company, your industry, your customers and your competition. 2) Create a Facebook page. I bet you already have a Facebook page anyway right? Facebook allows for you to connect with your customers. Well you know what?

Social Media 168

Social Media Tweetdeck LinkedIn Social Networking 168

Direct Marketing Observations

NOVEMBER 24, 2010

I fear that we are getting caught up in the semantics of social media to an extent that it is bogging down not only us, but also companies of all sizes struggling to make money. It is still an effort, and rightly so, to show companies how to use social media effectively, but please, enough with the definitions of what social media is.

Social Media 201

Social Media Mashup Yahoo Mobile 201

Direct Marketing Observations

JUNE 23, 2010

I was talking to an SMB owner the other day who is doing everything that he is supposed to do in regards to social media usage for his company, and doing it seemingly correctly. By correctly I mean he has a Facebook fan page and a Twitter account which he updates semi-regularly. His customers are not on Twitter and Facebook.

Case Study 156

Case Study Social Media Study Sentiment 156

Direct Marketing Observations

SEPTEMBER 30, 2010

For them, social media activities consisted of basically going on to Facebook and either doing a status update or reading others. Or does the enterprise merely adopt certain social media practices into certain elements or departments within the company? Just how smart they are and how they both see the big picture of social here.

Web 2.0 122

Web 2.0 B2B Social Media Groups 122

Direct Marketing Observations

APRIL 4, 2011

In the larger picture of the social web though-there is Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube and blogs. Consider the following statements: “We have a blog, come read it and find out cool stuff about our company&#. “Come see our Facebook page and fan/like us&#. We don’t need another Facebook competitor either.

Patterns 162

Patterns Hashtag Microsoft YouTube 162

Direct Marketing Observations

OCTOBER 28, 2010

It’s easy to set up a Twitter and Facebook account and think that you’re doing social media. So which company would you like to be? Temper your expectations, temper your fear , do your homework, align yourself and your company with the right people and the right vendors and push on with your social media initiatives.

Social Media 189

Social Media Consultant SEO Training 189

Direct Marketing Observations

OCTOBER 5, 2011

I’m the biggest proponent of social media that you could possibly find but I am also the one that told my daughter that she doesn’t need Facebook. On the one hand I will tell a company that they are missing the boat because they are neither a social brand or a social business. She’s 14. Why the flip-flop?

Social Media 152

Social Media Aggregator Loyalty Social Networking 152

Direct Marketing Observations

DECEMBER 14, 2010

Most marketers and companies assume correctly that making the TOS’s and EULA’s so ridiculously convoluted, that we as consumers will just get tired of reading and will click the agree button. Facebook did the same thing when it came to compromising our privacy the first time. Privacy be damned.

Social Media 166

Social Media Privacy Foursquare Policies 166

Direct Marketing Observations

AUGUST 18, 2010

You do everything at your company. Do you think that if you and your company “do&# social media, you’re going to lose control? or maybe you’re thinking, “I’ll just get a Twitter and Facebook account, that should please the C suite&#. You wear lots of different hats. Enter social media.

Social Media 152

Social Media How To Consultant Company 152

Direct Marketing Observations

MAY 10, 2011

Sure we talk about employee empowerment and internal ideation at some cool sexy companies that are doing “that&# , but for most, the employee doesn’t get the type of play that it deserves. However, if companies were all about their employees, why would 84%% of all employees in the workforce be looking for a job right in 2011?

Badge 171

Badge Social Networking Foursquare Organization 171

Direct Marketing Observations

APRIL 19, 2010

It hasn’t been a problem yet&# , “My kids are good, they’re responsible and know what they are doing, nothing has happened, nothing ever will&#. “Facebook seems harmless&# , and besides, all they do is text&#. Update their status on Facebook. Create a network via Ning. Upload music and comment on the music.

Social Media 202

Social Media Social Networking Education Guidelines 202

Direct Marketing Observations

JUNE 19, 2012

Those also were the same people, myself not included, who took to their pitchforks and torches to light up any company who slipped up with any type of ambitious forays into the great unknown called social media marketing. So if it isn’t Facebook, what is it then? Even if it was an honest mistake. But something has happened.

Mashup 176

Mashup Mobile Consultant Microsoft 176

Direct Marketing Observations

MAY 22, 2012

Going to a conference and meeting that person that you have had tens of twenty or hundreds of conversations with on Twitter or Facebook or blog comments. That’s the money shot.

Social Media 178

Social Media Avatar Journal Conference 178

Direct Marketing Observations

OCTOBER 12, 2010

They decided to go from this… To this… Ouch… Without really knowing the full back story but having a good feel for when major retailers and companies crowdsource new ideas, I think it’s safe to say that Gap really didn’t reach out to its user base to find out what they might think. Gap sales were off 4%.

Social Media 209

Social Media Crowdsourcing Retail UGC 209

Direct Marketing Observations

JANUARY 27, 2011

I joined a private group in Facebook. Sure it was in a private Facebook group but I can’t take back what I did and naming names does me or this blog post no good, but there’s a valuable lesson here. This is one of those valuable lessons that includes more than public figures. And I feel awful about it. She was right.

Social Media 177

Social Media Social Networking Groups Groups 177

Direct Marketing Observations

JULY 28, 2011

So let’s think through that quickly about the multiple platforms that you, me, and your organization can now use to convey your key message themes: Blogs, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Forums, Websites, QR Codes, Group Buying sites, and LBS( location based sites)-to name but a few. He’s right. We should tell more stories. Rich stories.

Platform 190

Platform Social Media Drupal Open Source 190

Direct Marketing Observations

JANUARY 17, 2012

Your day is already full and now companies want you to participate in and contribute to these new growing internal networks. But what about your Facebook page, Twitter account and your blog? The less time you have, the more likely you are to mail in your participation in networks that matter less.

Social Networking 170

Social Networking Exercises Influencer Issues 170

Direct Marketing Observations

JANUARY 21, 2011

In today’s Uber connected world it’s easy to be intimidated or influenced into participation in social media just based on the notion that a) Facebook has almost 600 million active users and you need to tap into that or b) Your customers are on Facebook and Twitter and you’re not. All Facebook [link] - The unofficial Facebook Blog.

Social Media 166

Social Media Social Networking Class Case Study 166

Direct Marketing Observations

NOVEMBER 2, 2012

Does Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Youtube, Tumblr, WordPress, Posterous, Typepad, Flickr and Evernote amongst others, charge to use their platforms at an entry level? The same holds true for a lot of people and companies in tech. It’s actually been gasoline on an open flame.

Posterous 162

Posterous Tumblr Flickr WordPress 162

Direct Marketing Observations

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

Gone are the days where all clients or brands should or would accept someone who knows how to tweet, post to Facebook and take Instagram pics. and then position the company or division for success as an industry leader? Because not everyone is social and not everyone wants to be social, even if it’s on behalf of the company.

Social Media 100

Social Media Collaboration Team Resources 100

Direct Marketing Observations

NOVEMBER 23, 2010

Google has changed and redefined what search is for you, me and all the companies that rely on it for business. Facebook has taken that aspect of MySpace, and simplified and reduced the ability to create, and amplified the ability to connect and share- and 500 million people have embraced it. We will define it. doesn’t it?

Mobile 177

Mobile MySpace SMS Yahoo 177

Direct Marketing Observations

JUNE 21, 2010

He is principal of FutureWorks , an award-winning New Media agency in Silicon Valley, and has led interactive and social programs for Fortune 500 companies, notable celebrities, and Web 2.0 BrianSolis.com is among the world’s leading business and marketing online resources. Steve is the blogger in residence at MyVenturePad.

Twitter 148

Twitter Web 2.0 Small Business Startup 148

Direct Marketing Observations

MARCH 4, 2010

One of my clients, a very large sports drink company, has indirectly nudged me into taking a look at the state of what I drink, and ea, on a daily basis. But nevertheless, Exercise TV has a clean UI with video, blog, community, Facebook, Twitter and iphone app integration all working towards engaging the user at every touch point.

Social Networking 177

Social Networking Exercises Sites iPhone 177