There are legal and best practice guidelines for how social media should and can be used by companies (Disclaimer: I don’t claim to be a lawyer. For legal guidance on these issues, please seek one out). The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has governance over trade and advertising in the U.S. and they have set up guidelines for how social media should be used by companies. While the guidelines are meant to protect consumers, following them will also help you create a reputation for trust. Feel free to read the full guidelines yourself, but here are some general common sense principles that should help:
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Nov
23
2010
Considerations for Using Facebook for Business
Businesses get really excited about Facebook when they see news like:
The amount of content consumption taking place on the popular social network has also grown substantially where nearly 1 in 4 page views in the US took place on Facebook.com for the week ending November 13, 2010. The market share of page views for Facebook.com was 24.27% last week, 3.8x the volume of the 2nd ranked website YouTube.com with 6.39%. – Facebook.com generates nearly 1 in 4 page views in the US | Hitwise
Nov
09
2010
How Much Does Each New Customer Cost?
How much does each new customer cost your business? Businesses love to dump money into Google AdWords campaigns, but then they ignore what the results are telling them. A lot of companies are spending more on a acquiring a new customer than that customer is giving them in return. Cost per acquisition is a valuable statistic for understanding whether you’re actually getting something for all the money spent in advertising.
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Aug
02
2010
The Wrong Way to Social Network
Social networking (using the social web) is about connecting with people — asking questions, having conversations — basically the same things you would do if you were talking in-person. Yet many companies still treat social media like traditional media — as a way to distribute marketing and advertising messages. While social media does provide a cost-effective way to reach a targeted audience for marketing, the real opportunity is in making personal and human connections with that audience. Here are some of the most commonly repeated mistakes I see when it comes to social networking and using the social web:
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Apr
14
2010
Thoughts on Twitter’s Promoted Tweets
Twitter recently revealed phase 1 of their new business model – Promoted Tweets. According to their blog post, Promoted Tweets are regular tweets which advertisers have paid to appear at the top of certain search results on Twitter (and be designated as promoted tweets). These tweets also go out as they normally would – to the public timeline and to anyone following the profile of the brand. This new ad model raises a lot of questions – how will Promoted Tweets be received by Twitter users and will they be an effective means of advertising?
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Apr
02
2010
What Would You Put Up with for Free Airfare?
If you had the opportunity to fly first class for free from the UK to NYC, what would you be willing to put up with in return? Would it bother you if the airplane was absolutely covered in ads both inside and out? If the ads were piped in over the sound system? If ads were constantly playing on the video screens? If every thing that could have an advertiser did, would that bother you? Would it be worth the free flight?
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Mar
25
2010
Google gets a little Creepy in Quest for Ad Performance
Consumers don’t always buy something the minute they show interest in it. They may search for information, ask for recommendations, and browse around the web before making their decision to purchase. This is not that different either online or offline. It takes quite a few touchpoints with each customer before they actually buy from you. Since you’re not likely to buy something the first time you see an ad, Google is increasing the chances that you’ll click through on an ad by having those ads follow you around the web… which is a bit creepy.
If someone sees an ad on one site, Google can now show the same ad or a follow-up ad to just that person when they visit another site which shows Google ads. Since there are millions of sites in the Google Content Network, chances are Google will see them again. The program has been in beta since March, but it is now being rolled out to all AdWords customers. – Google Ads Will Now Follow You Across The Web (TechCrunch)
Feb
25
2010
Achieve Better Results By Targeting a Niche
This is a guest post by Chris Horner, a freelance photographer.
Over the years I’ve had the privilege of talking at length with many business owners, executives, and aspiring entrepreneurs. It seems that identifying a target market is one of the hardest tasks for these folks to accomplish. I believe it’s because they try to market their wares to anyone with a pulse. (Yes I was actually told that once – word for word – from a bank executive) This results in wheel spinning, poor sales, and the business owner/exec scratching their head trying to figure out what exactly happened as they’re driving to bankruptcy court.
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Sep
09
2009
What to look for in Targeted Advertising Opportunities
Targeted advertising, or advertising directly to the people you want to reach is one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to reach potential customers. A great place to buy targeted advertising is from websites which already have the audience you’re trying to reach. Sites such as industry publications, blogs, associations, forums and groups may offer advertising that you should consider. If you’re looking at advertising on one of these sites, here are some things to consider:
Aug
17
2009
Facebook or Google ads? It really depends…
There’s been a lot of talk lately about whether companies should advertise using Facebook ads or Google ads. I think that, as with any marketing or advertising decision, it depends. It depends on who you’re trying to reach with what message and what marketing objective.
Digital Marketing & Strategy
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