lot of people are excited about social media and think it could have a hugely positive impact on their brand, their marketing and communications, the insight they get, the way in which they deal with customer service and many other benefits it can bring to an organisation and to the way it interacts with and engages customers. They are right to be excited, the opportunities are great but brands should not hide from the fact that getting an engaging social media presence takes proper thought, some effort and may take time to embed. harsh realities in Social Media. MORE >>

Whilst some big retailers are still sitting on the sidelines considering whether social media has a role in their business, one of our biggest retailers has acquired its own social media company. Yesterday it was announced that Tesco has bought US word-of-mouth social media company BzzAgent for a reported $60 million. By purchasing BzzAgent, Tesco clearly want to better connect social media with product marketing. Tesco clearly recognise the significance of social media in influencing buyer behaviour. MORE >>

Social media is about stories that people share with each other. This great presentation from Jenni Lloyd at NixonMcInnes highlights the importance of storytelling and of the storyteller in social media. Showing the role that stories play in the discussions that happen in social media and why they are critical to any brand to understand and to harness if they want to make the most of what social media has to offer them. Image by Jill Clardy via Flickr. In online communities it is the content that matters most. MORE >>

Forrester Consulting recently surveyed 200 US marketers about their use of social media listening and engagement. Some of the most interesting findings include: Information sourced by social media is now being used by more than 70% of B2B decision-makers. Interestingly, there is a significant uptake of companies adopting social media tactics (97%), but there is a plenty of opportunity for business returns to be improved. However, strategic social media is not being used extensively. Image from Flickr courtesy of sfllaw. Tweet This! MORE >>

It is very easy to get excited by social media. When we talk about social media we are really only talking about tools that we can use to help us and the people we engage to achieve a task. To make a success in social media we need to understand online communities. There is a temptation to assume that all use of social media is the same – that we are ‘doing social media’ But this is just not true. Social media just provides the set of tools you can use to do this. Tweet. Tweet This! MORE >>