Direct Marketing Observations

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

In 2006, Radian6 was founded by Chris Newton (@ cdnewt ) and Chris Ramsey (@ chrisramsey ) Back then monitoring and listening were a novel concept, but they knew that social wasn’t a fluke. Clearly,social networking is not a fad but rather an activity that is being woven into the very fabric of the global Internet.

Data 197

Data Social Media Radian6 ROI 197

Direct Marketing Observations

JULY 28, 2011

The emergence of transmedia storytelling over the past decade has lead to or created some unique opportunities in social media. Transmedia, according to Henry Jenkins a professor at USC is “the art of conveying messages themes or storylines to mass audiences through the artful and well planned use of multiple media platforms”.

Platform 190

Platform Social Media Drupal Open Source 190

Direct Marketing Observations

FEBRUARY 18, 2010

Each week I try to put out a post that highlights some of the sites, posts, and resources in the social media space that have been shared by others and in which I think are worthy of sharing with you. Some are great posts, others are sites or links that just resonate with me, and still others will make you better at what you do.

Sites 138

Sites Policies Guidelines URL 138

Direct Marketing Observations

AUGUST 24, 2011

If you’ve been in this business for any length of time, then its time to take your collective aggregate knowledge of social media and add it to the overall mix of what you know and do. We’re at least five years in and I want you to quit being a social media specialist, because you aren’t one any longer.

Social Media 199

Social Media Skills SEO Aggregator 199

Direct Marketing Observations

JANUARY 26, 2010

Last week seemed to be the week to talk about social media and B2B. Because B2B is focusing on social media. The impact of social media on B2C is obvious, but B2B is starved for information, case studies, consultants that know what they are doing and knowledge. 1) First up is a fun site. how to win.

B2B 180

B2B Social Media Case Study Consultant 180

Direct Marketing Observations

JANUARY 6, 2010

These are sites, posts and links that will make you smarter at what you do and better at it too. 1) A September 2009 MarketingProfs survey of B2B and B2C marketers found that the marketing tactics most often used on social sites are not necessarily the best ones. In less than 10 minutes the answer came back with Blastfollow.

Flash Mob 164

Flash Mob Sites URL API 164

Direct Marketing Observations

AUGUST 9, 2010

Last week I was working with a client and we were at a critical juncture of a web development project in which we were discussing the jumping off points for their initial foray in social media. We were doing this by merely adding social elements to the website in the form of a few actions. Do you see a recurring theme here?

Collaboration 170

Collaboration Social Media Disqus Consultant 170

Direct Marketing Observations

JANUARY 21, 2011

If you’re new to social media marketing, you might feel like you’re a little late to the game. However, fear not, there are some who have actually been slogging through social media so long without any discernible results that they might as well have started yesterday. In a sense, if you are new , you are a little late.

Social Media 166

Social Media Social Networking Class Case Study 166

Direct Marketing Observations

MARCH 1, 2017

When a brand pushes out a “piece” of social media content, they’re hoping that content will move the needle in the form of a standard KPI, i.e. mentions, likes, favorites or followers. The need to have an over-arching strategy to every social media platform is not only a key to success but it should be a mandate.

Content 100

Content Social Media LinkedIn Platform 100

Direct Marketing Observations

APRIL 19, 2010

How can you protect your children from social media? “I’m on top of it, I know what this social networking thing is all about&# , “My child doesn’t really use it&# , “Does it really matter? So how, as a parent, do we deal with the firehose that is electronic communication, that is social media?

Social Media 202

Social Media Social Networking Education Guidelines 202

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. I also told a group of 400 parents and educators that anyone under the age of 16 doesn’t need to be on a social network. She’s 14. Why the flip-flop?

Social Media 152

Social Media Aggregator Loyalty Social Networking 152

Direct Marketing Observations

OCTOBER 12, 2010

Throughout all the major social media platforms and channels of course. In fact, a Twitter account was set up (of course) to protest and quickly amassed over 5,000 followers; and a “Make your own Gap logo&# site was created (of course) and it went viral producing thousands of “logo alternatives.&# What do we do?

Social Media 209

Social Media Crowdsourcing Retail UGC 209

Direct Marketing Observations

JANUARY 10, 2011

It’s not just social media. Monopolies in social media? In social media, is it possible that what they are saying is fresh? Why does history repeat itself even in social media? Who’s doing fresh in social media right now? Create a killer product, expect knock-offs.

Social Media 159

Social Media Microblogging Aggregator Blogger 159

Direct Marketing Observations

NOVEMBER 24, 2010

What’s right in social media? As much as some people are apt to point out the #FAILS in social media, this was the big win of 2010. What’s wrong with social media? The semantics of social media education. The barriers in social media are not so high that it is an exclusive club.

Social Media 201

Social Media Mashup Yahoo Mobile 201

Direct Marketing Observations

FEBRUARY 5, 2010

To say that it was a successful tweetchat is an understatement, but what really pushed the chat over the top was the last question in which she asked for quick tactics to encourage corporate social media adoption. Note: I’m also including hyperlinks to sites that add more value to how and what you will do with these tactics.

Social Media 177

Social Media Case Study Hashtag Crowdsourcing 177

Direct Marketing Observations

MAY 3, 2010

To translate this back into social media jargon, you end up with an audience of lurkers (assuming they stay that long) when you are attempting to get those consumers engaged. Kyle Lacy is the head of Brandswag and a highly sought after social media practioner for businesses. Jake McKee 90-9-1.com.

Lurker 138

Lurker Social Media Hashtag Curation 138

Direct Marketing Observations

MARCH 23, 2011

They have embedded the social tools and capabilities into their new web sites to allow us to have a voice. That’s not social media. That’s anti-social media. Outlets such as MSNBC and Scripps insist on traveling at hyper speed with us on the information super highway. We have to be babysat.

Comments 138

Comments Social Media Embedding Travel 138

Direct Marketing Observations

FEBRUARY 16, 2010

I’ve been maintaining for awhile now that as more social networks appear that have cool bells and whistles, that we feel we must join because of that cool “it&# factor, the more our conversations will become diluted. And what ultimately happens is we make guest appearances on these social sites. How do we scale?

Social Media 168

Social Media Social Networking Conversation Sites 168

Direct Marketing Observations

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

I do it for my site and I instruct clients on what to write, how to write, where to write, and when to write and frankly I’m sometimes overcome with social media writers fatigue. Everyone writes about the same thing in social media-sort of. Social media #fails are always easy to read and write about too.

Social Media 162

Social Media Content Banking Blogger 162

Direct Marketing Observations

JANUARY 27, 2010

Social media is no exception. We just have a different name for it, it’s called social media obsolescence. This extends to the social networks that we use. But other sites just die on the vine but for no other reason than it has reached it’s point of critical mass. They are the immovable force.

Social Media 143

Social Media MySpace Social Networking Sites 143

Direct Marketing Observations

FEBRUARY 11, 2010

If you are a marketer thinking about social media marketing then there is a good chance, if you have not done anything yet, that its because you just don’t have enough information yet. In this post I want to address those issues so that you can get started with social media marketing. Is it fear of social media?

Social Media 174

Social Media Conference Policies Social Networking 174

Direct Marketing Observations

DECEMBER 8, 2011

We also decided to create a killer, award winning, website thanks to developer Terry Mckyton that would captures all of the conversations in real time and even allows you to tweet from the site, but other than that, we were ready to go have Tweetchats. When Jason first called me, he was looking for ways to brand his previous company.

Social Media 218

Social Media Hosting Hashtag Collaboration 218

Direct Marketing Observations

JULY 15, 2011

And I remember that very first day that I got a look at the site that it wasn’t right. I remember thinking I had died and gone to heaven-I mean it was a dot com, I was going to be able to retire by the time I was 35. I came into the project mid-stream and yet the product had essentially been built. The reason?

Social Media 168

Social Media Startup System Engineering 168

Direct Marketing Observations

MARCH 18, 2010

I knew they were still trying to wrestle with the alternative options that social media might provide. But coupled with wrestling whether to make the leap or not, was the notion that commitment to social media is labor intensive. They already wear a lot of hats and now they have to somehow integrate social media?

Social Media 168

Social Media Tweetdeck LinkedIn Social Networking 168

Direct Marketing Observations

FEBRUARY 2, 2010

Executives are turning FUD around and using it on their own organizations with regards to the use of social media. While companies widely accept that social media is transforming the business landscape, executives are still reluctant to approve anything more than small tests or pilot programs. via hashtagsocialmedia.com.

Social Media 131

Social Media Sentiment Research Process 131

Direct Marketing Observations

JANUARY 12, 2012

NutshellMail users social network updates so they don’t have to login and check. UserVoice creates engaging survey forms on Facebook and other sites to solicit feedback from fans and visitors. MemoLane is a “virtual scrapbook” generated by a user’s social media history.

Tools 215

Tools Social Bookmarking Aggregator Disqus 215

Direct Marketing Observations

MARCH 4, 2010

I’ve been preaching about the importance of video for the lazy obese culture that we promote and have become, with that being said, Mypypeline.com realizes that perhaps the best way to be effective is to have a video site devoted to health and fitness, though the name is odd. This site rocks. Sparkpeople can you say busy?

Social Networking 177

Social Networking Exercises Sites iPhone 177

Direct Marketing Observations

MAY 14, 2010

Facebook: Children evade social websites’ age limits. Social media create new bullying issues for schools; Collier forum set for Monday. Too young for social networking? Facebook May Share User Data With External Sites Automatically. NYU Students Start Privacy-Minded Social Media Site.

Wiki 214

Wiki Facebook Privacy Forums 214

Direct Marketing Observations

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

I know that if I use the term “western saddles” as a key word, page title, hyper link, hashtag, splog site or blog post in some social networks or platforms, the likelihood of you finding or landing on my pages might be pretty high. Will you buy from my site? No, but it’s the reality of search and social.

SEO 182

SEO Hashtag Sites Social Networking 182

Direct Marketing Observations

JANUARY 14, 2010

Find out how visible it is on the social web- How Sociable. 2) Always wondered about the “other&# social sites that might be out there? Well here’s a list of a 101 social media websites. But nevertheless, he tweeted out this List of Social Media KPI’s on Flickr. which is invaluable.

RFP 218

RFP Bookmarklet One Spot Flickr 218

Direct Marketing Observations

DECEMBER 14, 2011

Last week in a very thought provoking Tweetchat hosted by Lisa Petrilli , the discussion, though swirling around how an introvert uses social media, somehow segued into driving website traffic. So you have to think about things like: Site design that incorporates SEO. Social site design geared towards your target audience.

Brands 176

Brands Discount Sites SEO 176

Direct Marketing Observations

JUNE 9, 2010

There just may be some sites in here that you don’t know about. Tags: Twitter social media marc meyer microblogging brighttalk. Below is a deck that I did for a Brighttalk Webinar this morning.

Microblogging 162

Microblogging Twitter Tools Social Media 162

Direct Marketing Observations

JANUARY 18, 2011

Except maybe in the social media world. What if the reader is someone on the outside and is trying to “get in&# to the world of social media? I like differing opinions, thoughts and comments. I think it’s good to have a variety of thought. No one likes a yes man right? Yet it’s effective. But it works.

Influencer 221

Influencer Jive Wikipedia Engineering 221

Direct Marketing Observations

OCTOBER 15, 2010

With social media, you would have to have lived in a cave on an island in the Pacific to not know how ubiquitous it is. 4) Social data will determine your next move in your future business engagements, don’t ignore it- Social data will be driving consumer engagement. Get serious about mobile.

Astroturfing 204

Astroturfing UGC Tips Mobile 204

Direct Marketing Observations

FEBRUARY 25, 2011

Recently, Social commerce platform ChompOn , threw down the gauntlet by publishing some data on how much a Facebook share and tweet is worth. For those who have never heard of ChompOn, they are a site/service where you’re able to create Groupon like widgets to embed on your website. of the total spent online in the US.

Facebook 178

Facebook Social Networking Widget Advertising 178

Direct Marketing Observations

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Look at a Starbucks , who became early on, the darlings of social media and engagement because of the fact they grew to a million Twitter followers rather quickly. It just happened, but tons of pundits/people and social media consultants were looking at that million follower mark as social nirvana. A massive push?

Klout 206

Klout Facebook Metrics Consultant 206

Direct Marketing Observations

APRIL 26, 2011

But in 2012 you cannot mention social media without a reference to 1) Facebook and 2) Twitter. The latest case in point: Facebook Deals Facebook Deals has been designed to let the site’s 600 million plus users easily share their shopping experiences with one another. Their UI’s are pretty different.

Twitter 183

Twitter Facebook API Foursquare 183