Based upon the 30 billion public social activities we are delivering each month, I can confidently state that the largest companies in the world are in process of figuring out how they can incorporate public social conversations into their daily business operations.  From supply chain management to PR crisis management, the role of public social data in the enterprise is no longer framed around the question of “why does this data matter?”  That said, we are still in the very early stages of corporate adoption and there are plenty of unanswered questions for most companies.   Once enterprises get past asking why this data is important, the next obvious question to address is: which public social data is best for performing business analysis and decision-making?  Facebook?  Twitter?  Google+?, WordPress (see disclosure below)?

We’ve been trying to help our customers answer the “which data” question for the last couple of years by providing anecdotal insights via examples we’ve seen across the industry. Although this approach has provided reasonable guidance, we’ve recognized for a while that there was an opportunity to take a more systematic, research-based approach to answering the question. This summer, we hired a Data Scientist to help us analyze and understand the data needs across various business use cases. The early results suggest that there are at least two key attributes that play a role in answering the “which data” question — reaction time and depth. – What’s the right social cocktail for you? by Chris Moody

Here are the top Internet strategy, marketing and technology links for the week of December 17, 2011… [Read more...]

In a fluctuating economic world, it is essential for brands to adapt.

For 2012, businesses must become agile and adopt innovative strategies that engage with today’s increasingly ‘switched-on’ consumer. Here’s how.

1. Advertising-as-a-service

Traditional advertising must evolve. Recent research from Havas Media revealed that consumers are no longer enamored with the advertising they see, and feel that “just one in five brands has a notable positive impact on their quality of life.” The truth is, consumers are no longer interested in traditional advertising being ‘pushed’ at them and are increasingly switching-on to communication channels that provide a service. Whether it’s a brand’s CSR strategy, product innovation or instructional demo – brand stories are never told via traditional TV ads. Increasingly brands are turning to online channels, away from ad slots on broadcasting channels, to build a trusted, relevant service and engagement with their audience across multiple devices.

2. Connected devices

One of the most significant developments for 2012 is without a doubt the emergence of connected TVs and even more significantly, how consumers will interact via second screens. According to Nielsen’s 2011 mobile connected devices report, 70% of tablet users and 68% of smartphone users use their device while watching TV, usually in a social sense and more often than not this social activity isn’t tied to the programme they’re watching. This is the untapped marketplace that savvy advertisers and brands in 2012 should create compelling content for. The ‘sweet spot’ for advertisers in the second screen marketplace, is participation TV around live entertainment formats. Reality TV has always driven interaction via social media and SMS, but programmes like The Million Pound Drop have taken it to new heights. Connected TVs will only push this further creating seamless and real-time participation with content, and the gamification of advertising formats. – Five key marketing trends for 2012: Are you being served? by Chris Gorell Barnes

You’ve created a killer Facebook business page, started building up your business’ Twitter following, installed company status updates on your LinkedIn Company Page, and maybe you’ve even created a Google+ Page. In short, you’ve done the basics and are already maintaining a presence in the social media communities your target audience populates. Now what? It’s one thing to be present in your social media communities, but it’s another to engage and successfully manage the communities your brand maintains to achieve your marketing goals.

7 Tips for Successfully Managing Your Social Media Communities 

1. Exercise the 80/20 rule. We’ve all heard the 80/20 rule applied to business, but it should also apply to your social media communities. When it comes to messaging, 80% of the time, you should be sharing non-promotional content. The other 20% of time, promote your brand’s butt off. You do need to promote that free trial, get people to that event, and show the ROI of your social media efforts. However, you’re not going to achieve that ROI by constantly touting your products and services rather than focusing on the needs of the community at large. To improve community engagement overall, try posting in other forums, commenting on other people’s blogs (who may be in your community, or who you want in there), and/or guest blogging for other prominent blogs in your industry in order to increase the value of your community involvement overall. – 7 Tips for Stellar Social Media Community Management by Pamela Vaughan

I publish almost daily on two blogs.

I have many people comment and ask me how I manage to do it, especially since I have two children, one being three months old.

While it is by no means easy, and I spend a lot of my sleeping time awake, there are still many strategies I employ to make it more manageable.

1. Write short, snappy content

The old adage less is more works here. You don’t have to write a lengthy, verbose story to gain a following.

Short, snappy posts that entertain and get a point across work well too, especially considering the attention span of our society’s inhabitants.

Think photos, poems, thoughts, quotes, community involving questions, giveaways, reviews, curating information for your readers, and highlighting other blogs.

2. Use guest posts

Why not have someone do the writing for you?

If you have strict guidelines attached you can make the whole process that much easier, as your guest writers understand how to format and promote to your liking.

Having someone write one post a week on your site frees you up to write a guest post for another site and attract a new set of readers as well. – 9 Steps to a Daily Blogging Schedule by Caz Makepeace

Here are the top Internet strategy, marketing and technology links for the week of December 10, 2011… [Read more...]