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

So, the latest “time-waster” to show up in the social spaces is Empire Avenue. Here’s a quick breakdown: You buy & sell “shares” of people; a virtual, wanna-be version of a stock market of social media personalities.

I do like the creativity, the site usability (considering the intricate nature of the platform) and [...]]]>

So, the latest “time-waster” to show up in the social spaces is Empire Avenue. Here’s a quick breakdown: You buy & sell “shares” of people; a virtual, wanna-be version of a stock market of social media personalities.

I do like the creativity, the site usability (considering the intricate nature of the platform) and most of all, the behaviors of the users within the site – that’s what I’m most interested in seeing. I’m curious how people will try to leverage Empire Avenue. Influencers, Internet Celebrities, major brands and plenty of people you have never heard of, you’ll see them all. But what’s their purpose for playing here?

I say check it out at the very least. You can decide for yourself on the typical “why bother” question posed whenever a new concept catches fire. Sure, the “game” element is fun. The ultimate goal for Empire Avenue is obviously the in-game sales and upgrades available to the users. They want you to buy “Eaves” and spend real money to increase your portfolio value (so you can buy more shares in people) or you increase your portfolio’s available cash by completing various free/paid “offers” such as buying a magazine subscription or an FTD floral arrangement.

For example, you can buy 70,000 eaves right now and get 30,000 extra eaves, for only $50. Why? Not sure. Is it worth it? Maybe, if you’re trying to increase your own exposure and want to try something new and cheap. I’d like to think people like Robert Scoble and Jeremiah Owyang don’t need to pay real money to claim another star on their social walk of fame. There are a few things you can do to extend your hand and play nice, such as endorsing someone’s blog feed link within their profile, recommending their shares for purchase and tweeting the fact you just bought shares in someone. (And you thought checking-in on Foursquare was odd?)

It seems like a clever affiliate model leveraging social gaming techniques: social connections, awards, chat, upgrades, time-based/expiration models, etc…plus it hits on multiple ego items.

The problem is the game element itself. It’ll eventually wear thin. The formula behind a users stock price, as I understand it now, rewards you for your connections and consistent sharing – not quantity of sharing. So, unless an active user like Robert Scoble hangs up his SM sharing activities, his value could be infinite. I’m curious if they’ll introduce the ability to short shares as well. Let’s hope they don’t add margin and options functionality. Charles Dow would roll over in his grave.

Not sure what renders a person’s value as overbought or oversold. (Other than zero activity and everyone selling your shares) Knowing this, could Scoble’s stock become the social media share value equivalent to Berkshire Hathaway?

I have seen a few nice examples of Empire Avenue being used wisely for additional exposure. Besides the brands like Ford & Audi, Jay Baer is using it to help promote his book, w/Amber Nasland, “The Now Revolutions” by giving away one free copy to shareholders who tweet their purchase.

Don’t give it too much thought thought. It’s just a game. And if you are interested, you can sign up here. Oh, and be sure to buy some shares in ERICM

Have you tried it? What do you think?

Still have your doubts? Check out this great infographic from Olgilvy PR Wordwide. This outlines six strategic approaches by sharing the basic principles with regards to who you follow, what you [...]]]>

People still debate the issue whether or not twitter is a channel that should be utilized for any purpose other than sharing nonsensical information.

Still have your doubts? Check out this great infographic from Olgilvy PR Wordwide. This outlines six strategic approaches by sharing the basic principles with regards to who you follow, what you should create and how you should engage. Click image to expand.

How are you using twitter now?

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

Top 5 performers:

1. Tabloids and blogs
2. Media & Entertainment
3. E-commerce
4. Travel
5. [...]]]>

Truly honored by Mike Johannson @mikefixis for his initial nomination – thank you Mike, nice gesture. And while it has my name attached, my partner [...]]]>

Thanks to all of the amazing friends and colleagues who have supported my passion for automotive technology & the CarZar app!

Truly honored by Mike Johannson @mikefixis for his initial nomination – thank you Mike, nice gesture. And while it has my name attached, my partner in this location based marketing project, Jared Hamilton, deserves a ton of credit for his contributions to CarZar as well.  As of right now, we’re in 5th place among 100+ nominated apps!

The Shorty Awards honor the best people and organizations on Twitter and social media.Nominations may be made through Twitter and this website, culminating in an awards ceremony that recognizes the winners in dozens of official categories, as well as thousands of crowd-sourced categories. For the first time, the Shorty Awards will also honor the industry’s best agencies and social media professionals.

Here’s a sampling of some of the awesome people who have voted – very appreciative and humbled by your comments. It means more than you know.

Thank you!

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?

For those who know me, I’m not one to argue or complain. I will, however, laugh at something that’s so obvious. Today’s Pew Research Study [...]]]> [/caption] I know, that title is too easy. I'm sure it's not the first time they've heard it. It won't be the last if they keep doing studies like this one. For those who know me, I'm not one to argue or complain. I will, however, laugh at something that's so obvious. Today's Pew Research Study fits that bill nicely. Here's why: Location-sharing as a concept is still in the early-adopter stage. General awarenes" data-image="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2697/4353769995_cee720facf_m.jpg" data-site="Location Based Marketing">

Image by Jameson42 via Flickr

Image by Jameson42 via Flickr

Plus, if you’re in [...]]]>

Knowing that over 18,000 people per day are signing up for Foursquare daily and even lesser known location based services such as SCVNGR signed up 100K+ in one week because of their Facebook Places tie-in, wouldn’t you want to consider the opportunities these channels may provide your [...]]]> [/caption] More foot traffic. That's what every business wants. Knowing that over 18,000 people per day are signing up for Foursquare daily and even lesser known location based services such as SCVNGR signed up 100K+ in one week because of their Facebook Places tie-in, wouldn't you want to consider the opportunities these channels may provide your brand? Yet businesses are still reluctant. Now is the time for the self-pr" data-image="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Talpas_katona.jpg/300px-Talpas_katona.jpg" data-site="Location Based Marketing">

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia