Five key things to watch this year as the trends continue. Three segments of opportunity for tremendous “mass influence” jump out to me:

Facebook’s goal is to let you share every facet of your life with anyone and everyone you care to. Sure, on a personal level [...]]]>

Everyone knows how powerful Word of Mouth marketing is. It’s about to get an incredible shot in the arm thanks to the new social graph features within the upcoming Timeline profile.

Facebook’s goal is to let you share every facet of your life with anyone and everyone you care to. Sure, on a personal level we may not be in interested in all of this activity (hello lists) – but from a digital marketing perspective, this is just huge.

One of the activities users will be able to share is that new car they just bought. (When, where, who they were with, description & share a photo) Note the location element. Should be a fun feature to leverage.

Also interesting to note: The high percentage of CMO’s responding that they either don’t know or have zero ROI for their activities. [...]]]>

Great article from Marketing Profs. shows the seven social marketing channels & activities with the highest ROI:

1. Ratings & Reviews
2. Your Company/Brand Community
3. Your Company/Brand Blog
4. Participate in Industry Blog/Forum
5. Facebook
6. LinkedIn
7. Twitter

Also interesting to note: The high percentage of CMO’s responding that they either don’t know or have zero ROI for their activities. Tracking and listening to activities still seems to be lacking.

What’s working for you?

Read more at MarketingProfs.com

Quora is awesome.

If you haven’t checked it out, here’s a few quick reasons why I think it has the chance to change the way information is shared & discovered.

I see it as a unique combo of Twitter and a Blog. (Tlog? Blitter?) Maybe even a dash of Linkedin Q&A’s. The [...]]]>

Quora is awesome.

If you haven’t checked it out, here’s a few quick reasons why I think it has the chance to change the way information is shared & discovered.

I see it as a unique combo of Twitter and a Blog. (Tlog? Blitter?) Maybe even a dash of Linkedin Q&A’s. The premise is simple. Ask a question about any topic, share your responses, vote them up and follow/get followed. If you’ve been online for a while, all the familiar faces are there & they’re willing to share their experiences and knowledge.

So far, the content I’m following has been hype/spam free, just great people asking & sharing good stuff. I like Twitter because it
helps me find content…but this helps me find specific topics,
answers and a quick connection to the person to who actually knows
something about the question being asked. No need to read a full
blog post and it’s comments to find out who else is a real expert
on the subject.

Looking for another way to build your own credibility on a topic and help your personal brand? Answer some questions and share your knowledge. Pro bloggers typically end their blog posts with thought provoking, engaging questions to get the conversation started. Quora skips all that fluff and gets right down to that last question at the end of the blog post. And the responses are great.

Check it out. I’ll save my question for Quora:)

Want to test yourself? Talk to a group about the basic, simple principles behind some of your business strategies.

That’s what Tim Eddinger, Josh Pies and I did today at the Victor Chamber of Commerce Social Media Breakfast hosted at Auction Direct USA.

A quick survey showed nearly everyone in attendance using [...]]]>

Want to test yourself? Talk to a group about the basic, simple principles behind some of your business strategies.

That’s what Tim Eddinger, Josh Pies and I did today at the Victor Chamber of Commerce Social Media Breakfast hosted at Auction Direct USA.

A quick survey showed nearly everyone in attendance using social media. However, only a couple were confident enough to say they were using it effectively for their business.

Recap of the ideas & tips shared with the group. (Geared towards users with a general familiarity of SM sites, looking to add an additional layer to their efforts)

• Companies & brands who actively blog, see 55% more website visitors, 97% more inbound links and 434% more pages indexed by search engines than those who don’t (Hubspot)
• 75% of social media site users spend 25% of their time online
• Friends & fans of brands via social network sites are up to 63% more likely to purchase from that brand again.

Quick ideas on how to get started creating content: (Stumped? need something fresh?)

• Expert advice – You’re an expert. Tell your unique story and simply explain how you can help make things bigger, faster, cheaper, etc. (This is different from selling – this is how you help)
• Leverage testimonials & word of mouth – people trust testimonials. Genuine testimonials are great. Video testimonials are even better.
• Interview other influential people – Great way to meet people, build relationships and give your contacts the attention rather than you or your company
• Host an event at your business. Simple way to create even more exposure:)
• Ask your clients/customers for feedback – When they give it, listen to it and act upon it
• Share content – blend the mix between informative & entertaining; always tasteful, yet memorable
• Know your intended audience and the content they’re seeking. If it’s not what they want – its basically spam
• Check the default security settings for your new profiles. Concerned about what people may see or gain access to? Change your settings or even easier – don’t share it!

Quick links & examples:

• Get started quickly using Posterous.com – send an email to post@posterous.com & have your content transformed into a blog. Instantly.
• Use free PR servces such as PRLog.com and Free-Press-Release.com Personal favorite: PitchEngine.com; used for the Auction Direct USA Newsroom. (paid version)
• Slideshare.net – Share your presentations & PDF’s for added exposure, connections & credibility
• Create a LinkedIn.com business profile page – great free & paid resources for business, employee profiles & job postings

Thanks to everyone who made it out this morning!

What else would you share with someone starting out or looking for fresh ideas?

How is social search changing the way Google looks at search functions? what about the world of apps? They’re also changing the way people search.

Dan Zarella dug up some great insight regarding the best words to use, and the best to avoid, to get more people to share you content. If anyone knows, its Dan. (Self proclaimed Social Media Scientist)

Dan stated that adjectives don’t work as well as verbs & nouns; big [...]]]>

Dan Zarella dug up some great insight regarding the best words to use, and the best to avoid, to get more people to share you content. If anyone knows, its Dan. (Self proclaimed Social Media Scientist)

Dan stated that adjectives don’t work as well as verbs & nouns; big shocker – sexual references appear to work the best with regards to total sharing.

6 Words that make people want to share content:

1. Facebook
2. Why
3. Most
4. World
5. How
6. Health

6 Words to stay away from

1. Vs
2. Apps
3. Review
4. Down
5. Poll
6. Game

When content is simple and easy to understand, people will share it more often. As reading level and overall ability to understand the content increases, frequency of content sharing decreases.

Simple stuff gets shared.

Can Foursquare be an effective social media communications tool for retail car dealers?

Foursquare is a location-based social networking site which requires the use of your mobile phone or device to check in to venues.

To “check in” requires [...]]]>

Can Foursquare be an effective social media communications tool for retail car dealers?

Foursquare is a location-based social networking site which requires the use of your mobile phone or device to check in to venues.

To “check in” requires you log in to Foursquare, pull up a list of places or venues that have been added to foursquare.com by other users and use the Check In button. If the venue doesn’t exist you can add it by entering the name and address. Beyond the individual aspect lies an intriguing marketing opportunity.

I’ll share some of the activities used within the Auction Direct USA Foursquare Venue during the next AC Social webinar Thursday May 13 at 11:30am EST.

Some of the topics covered will be:

• New-school engagement using “location-based marketing” concepts
• Creating memorable, interactive experiences for guests
• Leveraging our networks w/regards to surrounding businesses for promotions & the breadth of our personal networks
• Improving brand recognition
• Driving traffic
• Creating sales opportunities

Join us on Thursday May 13 at 11:30am. We will begin with a brief orientation of the AC Webinar Series and Registration Process; the presentation will last around 30-40 minutes.

To register for this event use the button below. If you are already registered with the AC Social webinar series then there is no need to re-register. Likewise if you have an interest in this topic but can not make this particular webinar, click here to view our schedule of events or sign up to receive email and text alerts for all upcoming webinars.

Click here to register for the AC Video Webinar Series

Websites can include the same “Like” button everyone in the universe is familiar with, within their own content.

Why is this [...]]]>

Facebook’s Like button is the newest content sharing feature to hit the ‘Net. And its kind of a big deal when it comes to social media optimization, easy content sharing and making extra connections.

Websites can include the same “Like” button everyone in the universe is familiar with, within their own content.

Why is this a big deal?

• Website visitors can connect your content to Facebook easier than ever before
• Page Titles will be displayed as a live link within user’s wall (looks like ~95 characters max.)
• Personalized content can be displayed on Facebook
• Custom buttons (names, avatars, like vs. recommend text, colors, font, etc)
• Allows for easier content endorsement – users not comfortable leaving comments may prefer this option

The small “counter” style button can be seen at the top of this post. Below is an example of the full size button and how it appears on Facebook for logged in users.

Interested in adding the Facebook Like button on your site? Full instruction included here: Like Button – Facebook Developers

Two WordPress plugins are available (that are compatible) WP-FB-Like-Button and WP FB Like

What are your initial thoughts of the new Facebook Like button?