SocialMedia

Facebook Changes – THE Social Infrastructure?

The big changes at Facebook, announced today by Mark Zuckerberg at the F8 developer’s conference, are bigger than anythingthe company has done so far. I’ve been reading a lot of analysis about the implication of the changes and I can confidently say that no one, not even Zuckerberg, can fully comprehend the impact this will [...]

The big changes at Facebook, announced today by Mark Zuckerberg at the F8 developer’s conference, are bigger than anythingthe company has done so far. I’ve been reading a lot of analysis about the implication of the changes and I can confidently say that no one, not even Zuckerberg, can fully comprehend the impact this will have on the social web.

Most people are initially talking about the new timeline feature the Facebook profile. It’s like a virtual, visual scrapbook of your life (or your friends life for you to view); an app-generated autobiography of sorts. It goes beyond a static collection of where you’ve been or what you’ve done though.  Eventually Facebook will provide way to see what your friends are doing in real-time AND (here’s the kicker) actually join them right now to do it together, whether it’s watching a TV show together, listening to music or sharing an article.

The engine creating this functionality is the “The Open Graph,” an initiative allowing app developers to create programs that interweave with all conceivable aspect of our lives. The end result could be our own, individual, reality show where everything we do is seen (if we allow) by friends, family and others. Everyone can star in their own version of The Truman Show.

I have found a few articles written by authorities on the subject that I wanted to share with you. If you see any other analysis of the Facebook changes please mention them in the comments to share with others.

Facebook’s Changes—It’s All About the Platform

by David Kirkpatrick – @DavidKirkpatric – Tech journalist, founder of the Techonomy Conference, columnist at Daily Beast

Social Networks Mean New Revenue & Customers

Social networks proving their value as a marketing channel. Social media, social media, social media, social media, social media. It seems that’s all anyone is talking about these days. And for GOOD REASON, it appears. According to eMarketer, a survey by office services firm Regus shows that companies around the globe are already realizing returns [...]

Social networks proving their value as a marketing channel.

Social media, social media, social media, social media, social media. It seems that’s all anyone is talking about these days. And for GOOD REASON, it appears.

According to eMarketer, a survey by office services firm Regus shows that companies around the globe are already realizing returns on their increased social media investments from earlier this year.  In the US, 43% of businesses used social networks successfully for winning new customers in 2011. That represents an 8 percentage point increase over 2010.

• 50 percent of businesses in the U.S. use websites such as Twitter to engage, connect with and inform existing customers
• In the U.S., 55 percent of firms encourage their employees to join social networks such as Linkedin and Xing
• 38 percent of U.S. companies dedicate up to 20 percent of their marketing budget to business social networking activity

The Official Facebook Marketing Guide

Reminiscent of the Twitter Guide for Business, Facebook has now released the Best Practice Guide: Marketing on Facebook. It’s the official resource on how to make the best use of Facebook’s advertising products, analytics, social plugins and a host of resources to grow your business. The introduction states that Facebook “allows businesses to create rich social experiences, [...]

Reminiscent of the Twitter Guide for Business, Facebook has now released the Best Practice Guide: Marketing on Facebook. It’s the official resource on how to make the best use of Facebook’s advertising products, analytics, social plugins and a host of resources to grow your business.

The introduction states that Facebook “allows businesses to create rich social experiences, build lasting relationships and amplify the most powerful type of marketing – word of mouth.” The guide further defines that they call the Facebook Ecosystem of Build, Engage and Amplify.

The heart of the guide is divided into two parts. The first is the Five Guiding Principles of best practices for Facebook marketing, but they also apply to any Social Business Marketing efforts:

Five Guiding Principles

1. Build a strategy that is social by design
2. Create an authentic brand voice
3. Make it interactive
4. Nurture your relationships
5. Keep learning

The second part of the guide provides key business objectives and for each one describes a five-step process for achieving those objectives.

Facebook By Business Objective

1. Foster product development and innovation
2. Generate awareness
3. Drive preference and differentiation
4. Increase traffic and sales
5. Build loyalty and deepen relationships
6. Amplify recommendation and word of mouth
7. Gain insights

The real-world value come from the examples they give of how prominent brands (Levis, Clorox, M&M’s, Adidas, OnStar, Alamo, and more) have used the Facebook Ecosystem to accomplish their goals. For learning about social business, it doesn’t get any better than that. Well, it does actually, but only if I work with you to do the same for your brand (just let me know if you’d like to talk about it).

Oh, one last thing: Here’s the link to download the PDF file of: Best Practice Guide: Marketing on Facebook .

Presentation Tip #140: Make it Tweet-Worthy

I was listening to Mack Collier (@MackCollier on Twitter) presenting to a social media group in Birmingham on the subject of How to Handle Negative Comments (follow the link to the slideshare presentation). I was following the hashtag (#alsocme) on twitter (using the HootSuite client) and I thought of an important tip when giving a presentation [...]

I was listening to Mack Collier (@MackCollier on Twitter) presenting to a social media group in Birmingham on the subject of How to Handle Negative Comments (follow the link to the slideshare presentation). I was following the hashtag (#alsocme) on twitter (using the HootSuite client) and I thought of an important tip when giving a presentation to media savvy audiences. I noticed that when someone in the audience would turn a good phrase into a tweet, that message would get retweeted by many in the room. Those not so eloquent did not get many retweets.

As a presenter you want to get tweeted and re-tweeted. The best way to facilitate that is to spoon feed the audience with a Tweet-worthy message. Something akin to the 10 second sound bites that politicians use to drive home their point.  So, for each presentation select about three key points you want to get across and craft them in Tweet-friendly style and length (about 120 characters to allow for the tweeter’s username).  One popular example from today’s presentation was:

RT @griner: When companies respond to negative comments, 33% of customers follow up w/ positive review. -@MackCollier #ALSocMe

In this instance, an interesting factoid caught the attention of the audience, but it doesn’t have to be fact-based. Opinions and quotes can be Tweet-worthy as well.  Next time you’re viewing a presentation’s hashtag search results conduct some research of your own and then see what you can add to your next presentation. I’ll retweet if for you!

7 Types of Social Data That Help You Understand Consumers

I attended the 2nd of an 11-part webinar series today (Eleven Social Media Tips for 2011) sponsored by NetBase. I don’t attend that many webinars any more unless I can be assured it will be intermediate to advanced information.  I thought that was the case for today’s session headed by strategist/analyst/insightful professional Jeremiah Owyang.  I [...]

I attended the 2nd of an 11-part webinar series today (Eleven Social Media Tips for 2011) sponsored by NetBase. I don’t attend that many webinars any more unless I can be assured it will be intermediate to advanced information.  I thought that was the case for today’s session headed by strategist/analyst/insightful professional Jeremiah Owyang.  I really liked the fact that he polled the audience with specific questions to gauge  the overall level of social media use so he could tailor the presentation.

He discussed the 7 distinct types of social data available and how they can be used to better understand your customers. The first tier held the most familiar and prevalently used data types: Demographic and Product; then Psychographic, Behavioral and Referrals; ending with Location and Intention data. A quick poll of the audience showed that in terms of what marketers are currently using, his order was correct.

While I’m tempted to walk you through each of the 7 types, I’ll resist and suggest that you instead watch the presentation (check back if archive link is not posted yet). There’s no point in me rehashing Jeremiah’s good points. I will say that there are some practical examples/case study overviews that help bring clarity to the concepts.

What’s the takeaway? You NEED to be familiar with each of these data types, what they measure or show you, and how you can use them to improve your results. It’s a great way to get a leg up on your competition and to help your organization or client understand the value your analysis brings to the table.

What I got out of it was a better way to categorize the data types that I already deal with. That will help me to draw better insights and to better explain my thoughts to others.

Next week I may write my own commentary on each of (or some of) the 7 types to provide a bit more advanced thinking on the subject.

Meanwhile, please take a second to leave a comment here or tell me which of the data types you work with and how you use the information.

Definitive Guide to Social Media Strategy Before Tactics

I think for most people tactics are fun and strategy is boring. That’s the only way I can think to explain why so many people go straight for the shiny new objects (tactical tools) and then back into the strategy to explain it. You on the other hand, being the smart marketer that you are [...]

I think for most people tactics are fun and strategy is boring. That’s the only way I can think to explain why so many people go straight for the shiny new objects (tactical tools) and then back into the strategy to explain it. You on the other hand, being the smart marketer that you are (you’re reading this, right?) know that it’s just smart business to come up with a strategy and a goal and THEN figure out what to use to get there.

I was excited to see Lee Odden’s post that bears the title above. What Lee did was ask over 40 of his A-list friends about the issue and then post their responses. BUT WAIT! Before you go running off (and I really do want you to read it) please look through a few of my favorite quotes from the piece, which include Guy Kawasaki’s contrarian advice: “Don’t focus on some kind of high-level strategy. . .”

So read through this, bookmark it, share with a friend and then leave a comment to tell me what you think. I’d love to create my own post of MY A-Listers – YOU!

Jessica Smith – JessicaNow
VP Digital and Global Co-Chair WOM Fleishman-Hillard
What it comes down to is asking the question ‘How do you define success?’. Tactics don’t answer that question. Strategy does.

Toby Bloomberg, Diva Marketing Blog
Strategy First helps you identify which are the best opportunities to put into play to achieve your goals. You do have goals? Oh, that’s another conversation.

Aaron Kahlow – Online Marketing Connect
CEO, Online Marketing Connect : Online Marketing Summit & Institute
Strategy before tactics on Social Media is equivalent to diving into a pool before looking to see if there is water let alone the depth to handle such.

Jay Baer
Founder, Convince & Convert
A “strategy” that is based on tactical execution isn’t a strategy at all, it’s a recipe for playing a constant game of catch up. The trick is to focus on how you’re going to be social, not where you’re going to do social media.

Julie Roehm
Marketing Strategy Consultant
Social media without strategy is like cooking without a recipe. Sometimes it works but sometimes its disaster.

David Alston – Community Instinct
VP Marketing & Community, Radian6
The C-Suite talks strategy, not tactics. And you are going to need their support if you even want ’social’ to take root in the soul of the enterprise.

Guy Kawasaki – Blog – Alltop Social Media
Don’t focus on some kind of high-level strategy because no one really knows how to use social media yet. Focus on tactics: Get more followers, make them happy, promote your stuff to them every once in a while. That’s all you need to know about strategy right now.

Three Part Series on Social Media Strategy

First, let me credit and thank Charlene Li and Jeremiah Owyang from the Altimeter Group for putting this together. Charlene and Jeremiah are two of the great thought leaders in this space so if you aren’t familiar with them take time to review their work. This is an Open Research project so please share with [...]

First, let me credit and thank Charlene Li and Jeremiah Owyang from the Altimeter Group for putting this together. Charlene and Jeremiah are two of the great thought leaders in this space so if you aren’t familiar with them take time to review their work. This is an Open Research project so please share with others.

If you have seen any of my presentations or read my posts and articles you know that I’m emphatic about creating an effective marketing strategy based on business objectives not the newest, hottest technology.  That’s why I think this is a valuable series for those who want to fine tune their social media strategy AND for those looking to create their first one.

Please leave comments for me after viewing and let me know what you think? Are there any questions that these bring up but don’t answer? What else needs to be included in this discussion?

The Social Strategy Trilogy

You can watch the hour-long recorded presentation with audio below.

Part 2: Developing a Social Strategy

Developing A Social Strategy Webinar

You can watch the hour-long recorded presentation with audio below.

Part 3: Getting Your Company Ready

Excellent presentation of how to utilize and identify your customers by recognizing certain social behaviors.

Above: Download the slides from slideshare and use as you see fit. The “crises plan” is a slide that can be customized for your needs, just provide attribution.

Social Strategy: Getting Your Company Ready, by Altimeter Group on Vimeo.

Above: Listen to the recording, including the presentation and attendees Q&A

How to Create An Effective Social Media Plan

I’ve had a lot of requests for the presentation I gave in February to the American Marketing Association in Birmingham, AL. I wanted to provide some practical advice on what steps you should take and what issues you should think about as you put together a strategy for your social media program. This barely scratches [...]

I’ve had a lot of requests for the presentation I gave in February to the American Marketing Association in Birmingham, AL. I wanted to provide some practical advice on what steps you should take and what issues you should think about as you put together a strategy for your social media program. This barely scratches the surface of what is involved in creating a comprehensive, successful social media presence. Over time I will be creating more detailed guides so check back or follow me on Twitter: @ScottSchablow .  Please leave a comment, provide me with feedback or ask a question. Thanks!

What’s Missing In Your Social Media Program?

I was having lunch with my friends Ike and Jacob Pigott recently and we were discussing the state of social media here and across the US. I got on a bit of a rant but I think I had a good point to make. As a strategic marketer it drives me absolutely nuts to see [...]

I was having lunch with my friends Ike and Jacob Pigott recently and we were discussing the state of social media here and across the US. I got on a bit of a rant but I think I had a good point to make. As a strategic marketer it drives me absolutely nuts to see companies (and professional marketers) executing tactics without a solid STRATEGY. This practice seems to be even more prevalent in the emerging social media field. Everyone with a Twitter account is an expert. Every company with a Facebook fan page is “doing social media.”  Social networks are tools, tactics are tools, heck, a hammer is a tool. Would you hire anyone who can use a hammer to build a house for you? I hope not. You’d want someone who could help you develop a PLAN for the house. Not just a plan for putting up walls and a roof, but a plan that would create a house that does what you need it to do. A plan that ties the different systems together in an elegant and useful way.

Then I started thinking about what else is missing. It stands to reason if there is no strategy and your just swinging your social media tools at random people, you probably don’t have much CREATIVE thinking involved either. After all, CREATIVE is what conveys the message that came out of the, you guessed it: STRATEGY.  I happened upon a post by Edward Boches, Creativity in the age of social media. Bam! Edward hit the nail on the head. He says that in social media’s infancy, the the tendency is to “simply abide by the protocols of social media:” i.e. listen, learn, share, engage and be transparent. His next questions are exactly the ones I’ve been thinking about:

But what happens when every brand is on Facebook and Twitter, when there are so many communities and conversations that we encounter cacophony? Will it be possible for a brand to gain notice or attention without it? Perhaps. But my instincts tell me that we, as marketers, will have to get more inventive with our content and that we as consumers will demand it.

We have an unprecedented opportunity for unlimited creativity not just in the content itself but also in how it’s presented and how users interact with it. Have you noticed that the most creative ideas are part message, part meme, part distribution? My two favorite examples that  Boches provides are Nike’s use of the Chalkbot and the Boone Oakley website that they executed on YouTube. See the embeds below and then next time you’re thinking about social media, think about creating an effective STRATEGY and stretching your CREATIVE muscle before picking up the social media tools.

Two Dell Executives to Perform Keynote at Social South

Social South™ has announced that two exciting speakers will perform Friday’s keynote address at the social media conference: Richard Binhammer, Strategic Corporate Communications, Social Media and Corporate Reputation Management at Dell and Lionel Menchaca, a 15-year Dell veteran and chief blogger at Direct2Dell. Richard and Lionel will take the stage together for the first time [...]

Social South™ has announced that two exciting speakers will perform Friday’s keynote address at the social media conference: Richard Binhammer, Strategic Corporate Communications, Social Media and Corporate Reputation Management at Dell and Lionel Menchaca, a 15-year Dell veteran and chief blogger at Direct2Dell. Richard and Lionel will take the stage together for the first time ever. It promises to be a lively and enlightening discussion as they reveal the strategy behind Dell’s successful social media presence. See Social South for more.