5 Reasons Why Google Plus Will Never Replace Facebook

With the launch and humungous growth of Google Plus, many people have begun to think that Facebook’s reign of the social networking world may be (relatively)soon close to be being over. Is this because people are infatuated with Google Plus? Or because of people disdain hatred for Facebook (some people, not everybody) and what the new social platform can do to their lives.

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G 11:35 PM  No comment

5 specific instances of social communication and how brands can deal with them

One of the most basic facets of social media is that it is a many-to-many communication mode and such conversations impact and affect many more people than the 2 people who may actually be in the conversation, simply because such a conversation is being conducted in public, online.
Naturally, social media is a phenomenal opportunity for brands to not just impact the perception of one person on the other side of the conversation but do it with many other who may be merely watching the conversation progress. It is here that brands need to create smart and intelligent content that goes beyond addressing one person and offering clues to impact perceptions of a lot of people.
Here are 5 typical scenarios of social media-led many-to-many communication and practical ways in which brands can deal with them.

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G 11:40 AM  No comment

Why I Love Facebook Timeline [OPINION]

Facebook has announced big changes in the past few days, and one of them is Timeline, a new way of looking at your personal data that will change the way you use Facebook — and even the way you look at yourself. I love it, and here’s why.

When CEO Mark Zuckerberg demonstrated Facebook‘s new Timeline profiles at Thursday’s event, it all seemed abstract to me at first. But as his own personal timeline scrolled on the big screen behind him, racing from his birth to the present, I began to understand the significance of presenting personal data this way.

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G 10:32 AM  No comment

Yes, You Can Acquire Customers On Facebook

Many people claim that the primary benefit of Facebook is for managing existing customer relationships rather than starting new ones — but this should not be an either-or proposition.
Yes, Facebook is a great platform for customer relationship management. Facebook accounts for more than 12 percent of all time spent online, and a whopping 38 percent of all page referrals.
Based on these stark numbers, does any sane marketer believe that all they need to do is talk to their existing customers or fans?

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G 10:28 AM  No comment

What Does It Take To Be a Social Strategist? [INFOGRAPHIC]

Looking to break into a social media career? Here’s pretty much everything you need to know about the job and the people who do it every day. Nearly 80% of corporations use social media, so there’s plenty of opportunity for aspiring strategists — especially as the other 20% get on board.
Step 1: Get a Twitter account — 100% of social media managers represented in the survey have one, and you have to know the lay of the land if you’re going to innovate and build a brand on said land.
Step 2: Be ready to wear many hats. When it comes to social media, there’s a lot to tackle, including crafting actual posts, analyzing metrics, training and managing a team, spearheading campaigns, working with agencies and managing a budget.

Want to know if you’re cut out for it? In the infographic below, you’ll see the personality traits, education, career paths and responsibilities of today’s successful social media strategists. Statistics were pulled from LinkedIn data, as well as job listings for positions in the field.

See INFOGRAPHIC

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G 6:27 PM  No comment

9 Facebook Marketing Strategies to Build Super Fans

Are you looking to attract high-quality and loyal fans to your Facebook page? Without quality fans, your Facebook marketing efforts can fizzle out quickly.
Keep reading to discover nine ways you can build loyal fans who’ll love your business.

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G 9:34 PM  No comment

3 Ways to Improve Your Company's Social Media Architecture

While the pressures on large organizations to use social media have gone up, creating a social media presence has reached one-click simplicity. The result is a sprawling mess.
Take one look at the social media footprint of any large brand and you find dozens of social sites that lie abandoned with no active engagement. Many are redundant, fracturing the same potential audience into separate, so-called “communities.” And the bigger the organization, the bigger the problem.

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G 10:55 AM  No comment

Five Social Media Lessons for Business

A Home Depot executive discusses the retailer's strategy for engaging consumers via Facebook, Twitter, and blogs, relying on store associates for much of the social interaction.

Social media has become a way for us to improve our customer service—not merely a vehicle for us to talk about it. In 2008 we started on Twitter, but many of the solutions our customers were looking for needed more than 140 characters. In 2009 we launched our Facebook page and a year later started a DIY (do it yourself) community online.

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G 12:10 AM  No comment

6 Ways to Track the Impact of Social Media on Public Relations

As news outlets continue to boost their online presence, public relations professionals have a tremendous opportunity to leverage social media outlets to enhance their outreach efforts.
Social media networks like Twitter provide a new level of access to reporters that open dialogue in new and exciting ways. As social media sites become the “source” for news and breaking stories, marketers are seeing media coverage spread more rapidly than ever before.
But the big question is, how can you quantify the impact that social media has on your public relations efforts?

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G 10:37 AM  No comment

How Nike Outruns the Social Media Competition

Sportswear and equipment giant Nike is one of the most social brands in the world, and has evolved its social strategy over the past five years, focusing on expanding globally to reach its wide range of customers.
We spoke with Nike’s Global Digital Brand and Innovation Director Jesse Stollak to gain insight into how the brand connects with fans on a global scale.

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G 11:04 PM  No comment

6 Ways to Track the Impact of Social Media on Public Relations

As news outlets continue to boost their online presence, public relations professionals have a tremendous opportunity to leverage social media outlets to enhance their outreach efforts.
Social media networks like Twitter provide a new level of access to reporters that open dialogue in new and exciting ways. As social media sites become the “source” for news and breaking stories, marketers are seeing media coverage spread more rapidly than ever before.
But the big question is, how can you quantify the impact that social media has on your public relations efforts?

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G 8:02 PM  No comment

STUDY: How Facebook Incentives Boost Brands 38%

Brand perception increases an average of 38 percent when incentives are offered on Facebook.
Incentives have been a staple in marketing long before social networking came about, but the benefits of this practice are quantified in a study released today by market research firm Knowledge Networks’ KN Dimestore subsidiary.

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G 6:19 PM  No comment

5 Simple Steps for Improving Your LinkedIn Visibility

Are you wondering how to get the most from LinkedIn? Over the last few months, the LinkedIn network has made upgrades and undergone changes.
If you already have a profile created on LinkedIn, it’s a great time to revisit and refresh your presence!
Or if you’re just wondering how to get started, these 5 simple steps will help you make the most of your time and effort!

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G 10:39 PM  No comment

Digital is NOT social

Considering the fact that a lot of people have started using ‘digital’ and ‘social’ interchangeably, let me try and make sense out of this misguided practice.
To start with, digital is not the same as social. At best, social could be a subset of digital. Let me explain.
Digital marketing or digital communications makes use of any digital (as against analog) tool to communicate – between a brand and its target audience. These tools could include television, mobile, internet, radio and of course, social media (assuming you already know that internet is not equal to social media). Billboards may not be part of this mix for the simple reason that they are printed…and not digital. Digital billboards are of course a reality, these days, however.

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G 11:22 AM  No comment

5 Ways To Fail At Facebook Marketing

Use caution in leveraging the millions of Facebook users or your marketing will take a dive.
Here are five things you’ll want to avoid doing.

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G 11:27 PM  No comment

5 Ways to Optimize Your Facebook Page

Are you maximizing the marketing power of your Facebook page? Want to know how?
Keep reading…
There are several lesser-realized features on and around your Facebook page that can be optimized to best reflect your brand.

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G 9:47 PM  No comment

6 Ways Facebook Analytics Ninjas Get Mega-Likes

If you’re not a complete Facebook beginner, you know you need a good Feedback rate (more likes and comments on your posts) to stay visible to your fans.
Okay, so you’re ready to improve your results… But getting better results in online marketing requires good analytics. Which Facebook page analytics should you use?

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G 12:34 PM  No comment

Don’t Be An Expert, Be A Trusted Advisor For Your Customers

Every professional wants their customer base to consider them well-informed and in the know, but there is a fine line between being an over-authoritative know-it-all and being a trusted advisor. The latter territory is what all professionals should aim for. Being a trusted advisor means your clients feel comfortable going to you for their needs because they feel confident you have their best interests at heart. Still, some professionals have difficulty cultivating that type of relationship.

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G 11:54 AM  No comment

How to Make Facebook a Useful SEO Tool

Social media and SEO are more intertwined than ever before; just look at the creation of the latest social network, Google+. Google, the undisputed king of search, is making a viable attempt at entering into the realm of social media, solidly owned by Facebook. Meanwhile, Facebook and Bing have formed a partnership to personalize the individual SERP of every Bing searcher. What does this mean for site owners? If you want your SEO to succeed, you have to start incorporating elements of social media into the mix.

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G 1:42 PM  No comment

How To Effectively Tell Your Brand's Story On Twitter

Storytelling is an essential aspect of personal branding. The goal is to create a personal brand that resonates with your audience--and to do that, it is important that your brand tells a story. A flat, one-dimensional brand doesn’t give an audience any reason to pay attention. On the other hand, telling your story and letting your brand evolve will naturally generate interest in your personal brand--and by extension, your business. So how do you tell that story?

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G 6:15 PM  No comment

20 Ways to Promote Your Facebook Fan Page

Are you looking for creative ways to spread the word about your Facebook page?
Your fan page can be one of your organization’s richest sources of interaction, R&D and lead generation. The only problem is making people aware of it!
Unless you have a built-in audience like big-boy brands Coke or Red Bull, you’ll need to educate your fan base on how to find you on Facebook.

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G 1:26 PM  No comment

4 Tips for Creating a Viral Branded Microsite

A website has so many components and pages — contact info, FAQs, product descriptions, company values, team bios — that sometimes you need a separate, dedicated site to highlight a certain product or promotion. Enter the microsite. When trying to figure out if a microsite is a good investment of time and resources, consider your goals, think of an idea that makes sense for your brand and keep it simple.

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G 11:17 AM  No comment

9 Facebook Marketing Success Stories You Should Model

Are you curious what other companies are doing to achieve success with Facebook marketing?
This article highlights nine companies (big and small) that have transformed their Facebook presence by implementing innovative Facebook marketing practices.

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G 9:59 AM  No comment

7 Ways to Get Noticed on Facebook With Facebook News Feed Optimization

Are you wondering how to get your updates into your fans Facebook news feeds?
Did you know that 90% of the people who click your Facebook fan page don’t come back to your Facebook page? They are more likely to read your content in their own Facebook news feed IF you know how to make sure it shows up there…

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G 9:59 AM  No comment

Facebook Marketing: Four Biggest Blunders Hurting Your Brand

It's the multimillion-dollar question: What's the ROI of a Facebook campaign? Usually, that question is answered from a brand or marketing perspective, which leads to much head-scratching and vague conjecture about "greater visibility." That's because the marketing campaign that drives brand reputation and awareness isn't the same as the program that drives sales through customer conversations, joint buying and game dynamics. CMOs are approaching Facebook as an experimental advertising platform, not a viable business-building platform. Simply put, CMOs are doing it wrong.
There is a strong and compelling business case for Facebook and plenty of evidence that the site can be used to drive traffic and sales. But CMOs and other execs are falling prey to a handful of blunders that have prevented them from capitalizing on the site's potential. Let's take a look at the biggest four.

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G 9:53 AM  No comment

7 Ways to Improve Your Event Planning With Facebook

From professional event producers to volunteer committee members, event planners see Facebook as must-have tool in their belts. How can Facebook give a boost to your next event?

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G 11:40 AM  No comment

4 Successful and Creative Facebook Contests

Years ago, if a marketer wanted to run a contest, he’d have to run print ads and hope that people would take the time to fill out an entry form and then mail it in. The Internet made things easier, but you still assumed that consumers would somehow find their way to your website.
Facebook adds another layer of ease to the process: Consumers are already there doing something else. If the promotion looks interesting enough, filling out an online form isn’t that big a deal. Rodney Mason, the chief marketing officer of promotions agency Moosylvania, says Facebook-only promotions have a lot of advantages. “One would be the ease of use,” he says. “You can also connect with people who’ve already opted in for past promotions, and everybody’s on there all the time.”

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G 1:05 PM  No comment

5 Simple Tips For Better Business Websites

There is one rule that typically holds true for all small businesses — they care about their customers. To a small company, customers aren’t just another cog in the mechanism, they’re the lifeblood of the business. Many small business rely on the support and repeated business of a loyal user base. So as a small business owner, naturally, you want to take care of your customers.
Here are a few tips for how “going the extra mile” can be applied to your web site. We’ve put together a list of five things you can do to make your customer’s time on your site more enjoyable and more productive.

5 Simple Tips Here

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G 1:44 PM  No comment

Why Your Fans Are Meaningless Outside Of Facebook

Unless you can link a fan with real-world purchase data, that connection is meaningless outside of Facebook.
You need an email address, cookie, or link to tie that user to a name in your customer database.
Facebook can serve as a loyalty program for your existing customers — regardless of whether they’d become fans — and to drive awareness among friends of fans, by leveraging social actions. That hits the very top and very bottom of the marketing funnel, but leaves the middle empty.

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G 9:54 AM  No comment