When I last wrote about Sprout Social in May 201 1, I’d been using it for a couple of months. And while I found a use for it, I only used it sporadically because it really wasn’t offering anything truly unique. But for $92/year it wasn’t breaking the bank either. There was a long list of “Meh.” ” Well, either my blog has some pull, or the survey they sent over the summer was put to good use because Sprout Social is growing up. think its headed into the social CRM space, which we desperately need in the smaller-than-enterprise world. And it shows. MORE >>

Tweet With changing consumer demands and touch points, there is an increasing need to make your brand social, which most of organisations have now understood. The second step, is to know what makes your brand social? Is it the right tools and technology, or the right resources and able planning? To answer this question Weber Shandwick partnered with Forbes Insights to conduct a survey among 1,900 senior executives with digital responsibilities in 50 countries worldwide to identify what makes their brands social. Similar Posts: How To Produce Engaging Updates [infographic]. infographic]. MORE >>

During a meeting today with the world’s largest Acura dealer, we discussed their digital marketing at length. One of the common things that was brought up during the discussion was that we needed to make sure we didn’t “cheapen the brand” using marketing techniques that would be fine for most businesses and particularly of value to most car dealers. We had to be subtle. There was no need to highlight price, performance, or quality. It was a matter of lifestyle. We needed to focus on what it means to be an Acura owner. It needed to mean something special. MORE >>

This is a guest post by Andy Havard. Internet marketing strategies vary depending on the nature of the blog, brand, or business and alter with accordance to their physical and digital size and their particular niche. When it comes to marketing any organization, product, or service on the web, there tends to be three essential ways of doing so: Dominating social media platforms. Utilizing Internet video. Driving traffic to websites. This three-fold plan appears to be a timeless marketing approach on the net, but how do you know you’re succeeding in these areas? Broad Social Media Monitoring. MORE >>

Beyond the short-term interest/need that compels a member to join, long-term participation is driven by four needs.    1) Power (efficacy). 2) Fame/recognition (appreciation). 3) Friends (affiliation). 4) Achievement. Your members will participate because they want to have an impact upon their surroundings (even online), want people to say nice things about them and feel appreciated, make friends or feel a sense of achievement. If the majority of your active members have been in the community for less than three months, you have a motivation problem. Nor should you try. MORE >>