I’m not much for status quo. I imagine you aren’t either. Lucky for us, we’re in an industry of constant and unexpected change. I had an opportunity to share some observations about where digital communications are headed, at a recent Social Media Breakfast in Calgary.
You can watch the edited version of the presentation below (less then 30 minutes), or see the whole enchilada here. I would love to see what you think and whether you agree or disagree with any of the ideas presented.
August 31, 2012
August 29, 2012
Why Twitter Will Live And Facebook Will Die
As is the often the case, the words of Bruce Springsteen ring apropos:
Well now everything dies baby that’s a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back
To make Facebook attractive, the company must put its makeup on and fix its hair up pretty. Twitter doesn’t have to bother with that mess. Jeans, white t-shirt, a pair of Chuck Taylor’s, pony tail, no makeup and it’s good to go.
Well now everything dies baby that’s a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back
To make Facebook attractive, the company must put its makeup on and fix its hair up pretty. Twitter doesn’t have to bother with that mess. Jeans, white t-shirt, a pair of Chuck Taylor’s, pony tail, no makeup and it’s good to go.
August 28, 2012
The 5 Step Mobile Marketing Blueprint
AllthingsD reported a few months ago that mobile now accounts for 20% of all internet traffic in the US. Yup, you read that right, 1 in 5.
The simple fact is, if you are doing business on the internet, and you do not have a plan to account for your mobile users, you are leaving money on the table.
August 27, 2012
Inside The Mysterious World Of Online Reputation Management
In the Whack-a-Mole game of online reputation management, it’s not so much about completely erasing all the bad things that are being said about you on the Internet: it’s about replacing the stuff you don’t want people to see with things that you do want them to notice.
The Internet has a memory, and anything of note that happens to anyone is bound to find its way onto sites where everyone can see who you are and what you’ve been doing with yourself. All of it: the good, the bad and especially the really ugly.
August 26, 2012
How the Physics of Social Media Could Kill Your Marketing Strategy
There is a fundamental reality of the social web that is slowly killing your marketing strategy, whether you know it or not: The Physics of Social Media.
Now, don’t freak out. It’s not complicated or boring, and it makes no mention of black holes or the Higgs Boson. It’s a pretty simple but important idea about the increasing demands on your content and marketing messages. Let’s look at the two colliding factors that will dramatically impact your marketing initiatives.
Now, don’t freak out. It’s not complicated or boring, and it makes no mention of black holes or the Higgs Boson. It’s a pretty simple but important idea about the increasing demands on your content and marketing messages. Let’s look at the two colliding factors that will dramatically impact your marketing initiatives.
3 Unique Ways to Use Infographics Beyond “Linkbait”
Infographics are an increasingly popular way to get other sites to link back to your site (“Linkbait”) – which is great for your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts. Infographics can go “viral” because information presented via a well-crafted infographic is often very compelling – both informing and entertaining the audience – and thus it can lead to winning a number of links.
Still the question must be asked, are infographics only good as link-bait? Or should we be thinking outside the box a little and occasionally use them for other purposes as well? If you have the internal capacity to produce infographics, then here are three unique ways to use infographics beyond traditional “Linkbait”.

Still the question must be asked, are infographics only good as link-bait? Or should we be thinking outside the box a little and occasionally use them for other purposes as well? If you have the internal capacity to produce infographics, then here are three unique ways to use infographics beyond traditional “Linkbait”.
1) Use Infographics in Client Communications

A Quick Guide to Tumblr for Business
With the rise of Pinterest and Tumblr's astounding growth, it seems that 2012 may be the year of the visual platform. Tumblr surpassed 15 billion monthly pageviews in January, and Pinterest is driving some serious traffic to retailers. We've already covered some best practices for brands on Pinterest, but if you're looking to mix up your content creation, try Tumblr. To date, there have been 16,827,658,845 posts on the site, so isn't it time you get it on the action?
As with any other platform, there are pros and cons to consider. But with the popularity of Tumblr and the ease of setting up, customizing and maintaining your blog, we suggest you at least check it out—there's a very engaged Tumblr audience waiting to see your content. Here are some tips to help you get started.
As with any other platform, there are pros and cons to consider. But with the popularity of Tumblr and the ease of setting up, customizing and maintaining your blog, we suggest you at least check it out—there's a very engaged Tumblr audience waiting to see your content. Here are some tips to help you get started.
August 22, 2012
The Controversial Sahara Q Shop Ad - Featuring Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh
Sahara Q Shop, a venture of Sahara India Pariwar, is, for thefirst time, offering you completely adulteration-free, 100% quality consumer merchandise products in 73 categories, such as staples, processed foods,personal care products, home care products, general merchandise and lifestyle products, at most competitive prices. You can receive these 100% quality household items every month in the comfort of your home.
Source:
August 21, 2012
5 Things Toddlers Can Teach You About Marketing
When Sense Worldwide’s Brian Millar spent a couple of years as a stay-at-home dad, he garnered more awards than at any other two-year stint of his career. Here’s what he learned.
The tantrums, the thrown food, the tears, and shouting . . . running an advertising creative department really is the ideal preparation for being a stay-at-home dad. Some time back, I swapped my job as a creative director to spend a couple of years looking after the kids. To my surprise, it actually boosted my career. By freelancing in the evenings and during my children’s afternoon naps, I actually won more creative awards than in any other two-year period of my life. Kids are a tough crowd; they raised my game. Here are some of the things that mine taught me about marketing.
The tantrums, the thrown food, the tears, and shouting . . . running an advertising creative department really is the ideal preparation for being a stay-at-home dad. Some time back, I swapped my job as a creative director to spend a couple of years looking after the kids. To my surprise, it actually boosted my career. By freelancing in the evenings and during my children’s afternoon naps, I actually won more creative awards than in any other two-year period of my life. Kids are a tough crowd; they raised my game. Here are some of the things that mine taught me about marketing.
The Future Isn't About Mobile; It's About Mobility
While the globe grapples with uncertain economic realities, "mobile" appears to be gold.
Facebook is expected to announce their uniquely targeted mobile advertising model before the end of the month. Amazon is talking to Chinese manufacturer Fox Conn with ambitions of building their own mobile device to serve as a complement to Amazon's considerable digital ecosystem of products and services. China itself has surpassed the US as the world's dominant smartphone market with over a billion subscribers and roughly 400 million mobile web users. Advisory firm IDC predicts that by 2014 there will have been over 76 billion mobile apps downloaded resulting in an app economy worth an estimated thirty five billion in the same year. Mobile business will become big business in the not so distant future.
However, there will be blood as the business world pursues the mobile gold rush.
Facebook is expected to announce their uniquely targeted mobile advertising model before the end of the month. Amazon is talking to Chinese manufacturer Fox Conn with ambitions of building their own mobile device to serve as a complement to Amazon's considerable digital ecosystem of products and services. China itself has surpassed the US as the world's dominant smartphone market with over a billion subscribers and roughly 400 million mobile web users. Advisory firm IDC predicts that by 2014 there will have been over 76 billion mobile apps downloaded resulting in an app economy worth an estimated thirty five billion in the same year. Mobile business will become big business in the not so distant future.
However, there will be blood as the business world pursues the mobile gold rush.
August 20, 2012
The Social Technology Behind Empowering Your Fans
Since the early days of social media marketing, which is to say for the last 10 years or so, the coveted Nirvana for brands has been to recruit, engage and empower its most loyal fans in hopes they’ll advocate on behalf of the product, service or company. Building an army of marketers you don’t have to pay drives word-of-mouth referrals and buzz, which is often cited as 10 or more times more effective than traditional advertising. Having a community of loyal advocates on your side is a powerful marketing weapon.
How McDonald's Created a Social Media Success With Questions Campaign
Earlier this year McDonald’s got something of a social media trashing with its US #McDStories campaign. You could have seen that one coming.The fast food giant is an easy target and Twitter was given free rein to use the burger chain as a punch bag, bug it wasn’t scared away.
Lessons have obviously been learnt and a current social media effort by the fast food giant, originated by McDonald’s in Canada, is proving to be some thing of a hit.
August 18, 2012
How the Tech Scene in India is Changing
Two news items from the tech startup ecosystem broke through the clutter of politics, cricket, Bollywood, and more politics news in India earlier this month. The first was good. The second was just grim.
Just Dial, which runs the local business listings site Justdial.com, had raised US$57 million in one of the largest ever pre-IPO rounds of VC funding in India from existing investors Sequoia Capital and SAP Ventures.
Just Dial, which runs the local business listings site Justdial.com, had raised US$57 million in one of the largest ever pre-IPO rounds of VC funding in India from existing investors Sequoia Capital and SAP Ventures.
Advertisers Target Men On Mobile Devices - VIDEO
Michael Bayle, Senior VP of ESPN Mobile, says mobile advertising is a highly effective way to reach male consumers. And Bayle would know, since his audience at ESPN is 85% male.
August 17, 2012
See How Many Fakers Are Following Your Favorite Celebrity On Twitter
Earlier this week we discovered Status Group's new app that allows users to find out how many fake Twitter followers you and your friends have.
We decided to have a little fun with the app and see how many fake followers vocal celebrities on Twitter have.
We decided to have a little fun with the app and see how many fake followers vocal celebrities on Twitter have.
Lady Gaga has 28,445,916 followers, 47% of those are fake.
Pop went the social media bubble. Now what?
Yes, there was a social media bubble. And, yes, it popped. The question now is, what happens next?
There's no doubt as to when the dot-com bubble popped: it was on March 10, 2000, the day the Nasdaq peaked at 5,132.52. But when exactly did the social media bubble pop? Was it Nov. 23, when Groupon shares fell below their $20 IPO price or this week, when they neared $5? Was it May 18, the day of Facebook's IPO fiasco? Was it even more recently, when Facebook shares dipped below $20 for the first time or the day Zynga's began trading at less than $3 each, a whopping 70% below their offering price? Hard to say. But pop, it did.
There's no doubt as to when the dot-com bubble popped: it was on March 10, 2000, the day the Nasdaq peaked at 5,132.52. But when exactly did the social media bubble pop? Was it Nov. 23, when Groupon shares fell below their $20 IPO price or this week, when they neared $5? Was it May 18, the day of Facebook's IPO fiasco? Was it even more recently, when Facebook shares dipped below $20 for the first time or the day Zynga's began trading at less than $3 each, a whopping 70% below their offering price? Hard to say. But pop, it did.
August 16, 2012
A Tongue-In-Cheek Guide To Branding Terms
Canadian branding firm Compass360 has come up with this tongue-in-cheek guide that features a list of hilarious, made-up branding terms.
Lack of Leadership: How Focusing on the Tactics Will Lead to Failure in Digital
Everyone is talking about how we should be using our tactics better, smarter, harder, blah-blah ROI, but we seem to have replaced vision for startups and the future for APIs. What we are really missing is a point of view, a focus and an attention to detail that differentiates us from others and our clients from each other. How are the investments we make for our clients going to last or build up to something beyond just the next campaign?
Are Sound Waves the Future of Mobile Marketing?
Your Starbucks runs and concert visits will soon be more interactive.
Imagine the luxury of walking into a coffee shop and receiving a personalized drink deal on your smartphone or tablet upon entry. Or, receiving an automated mobile thank-you note for watching a film, exactly an hour after leaving the theater.
Thanks to Sonic Notify technology, activated by audio, our smartphones are getting smarter. So smart, in fact, they’re interacting with elements in your surroundings to bring you relevant media. By installing Sonic technology into apps, companies can trigger mobile notifications at precise times or specific locations.
Imagine the luxury of walking into a coffee shop and receiving a personalized drink deal on your smartphone or tablet upon entry. Or, receiving an automated mobile thank-you note for watching a film, exactly an hour after leaving the theater.
Thanks to Sonic Notify technology, activated by audio, our smartphones are getting smarter. So smart, in fact, they’re interacting with elements in your surroundings to bring you relevant media. By installing Sonic technology into apps, companies can trigger mobile notifications at precise times or specific locations.
August 15, 2012
For Online Reputation, the Best Defense is a Good Offense
If you’re a serious business person whose business isn’t digital, you’re probably too busy making money to fool around on social media. Social media’s stupid, right? Just baby pictures, workout check-ins, adorable kittens and the self-indulgent ramblings of under-employed folks too far to either the left or the right to amount to much.
Making Social Media Work in Business to Business
Once upon a time dubbed a “Queen” of Twitter, Laura “@Pistachio” Fitton co-authored Twitter for Dummies and founded oneforty.com (acquired by HubSpot) in 2009 when she recognised that software built on Twitter’s API was going to change the world.
As an Inbound Marketing Evangelist, she’s excited about showing companies how to grow by helping people buy instead of cramming marketing messages down their throats.
Laura believes that everyone can benefit – dramatically – from realtime technologies like Twitter because of their power to overcome isolation.
Watch the video or scroll down to read the transcript:
As an Inbound Marketing Evangelist, she’s excited about showing companies how to grow by helping people buy instead of cramming marketing messages down their throats.
Laura believes that everyone can benefit – dramatically – from realtime technologies like Twitter because of their power to overcome isolation.
Watch the video or scroll down to read the transcript:
Social media shift in business
AS YET another large company feels the heat from social media, marketers are weighing up whether the benefits of being on Facebook outweigh the risks.
Coles, Qantas, Channel Seven and now Target have all been subjected to widespread criticism that began and then snowballed on their Facebook pages.
Coles, Qantas, Channel Seven and now Target have all been subjected to widespread criticism that began and then snowballed on their Facebook pages.
August 14, 2012
5 Ways Analytics Can Help Grow Your Business
Small business owners know that their customers are headed online. That’s why you’re working hard to create a Web site that attracts customers, understands their problems, and sets your business up as the answer to that problem. But how do you know if your site is working? If it’s meeting the objectives you originally set out and if you’re connecting with your customers?
Q: What’s your best advice to social media managers? A: Stop talking about social media - Brian Solis
I recently presented at Microstrategy’s iCommerce Summit in Amsterdam on the importance of looking inside to improve how to engage on the outside. Following the event, I was invited to join Peter Gentsch of Big, Michael Buck of Dell, and Andreas Bock of Telekom. The conversation explored the importance of rethinking how businesses approach social media. Rather than driving social media strategies based on just clever ideas, campaigns, soft KPIs, and intangible results, I shared the importance of focusing on the bigger picture. At stake is nothing less than not only the future of social media in your organization, but more importantly, how decision makers recognize and value relationships throughout the customer life cycle.
August 13, 2012
The Guide To Search: Why Social & Mobile Are The Future
Search is currently in a transition period right now. As algorithms become more complex and the major search engines introduce new features, it’s clear that our expectations about how search should work and what it can do for us has risen with every new development. It’s not enough that it just suggests relevant information. Now we demand that it comes faster, becomes more accurate and matches our tastes and interests. Throw Siri and Google Now (or at least, the potential of Siri and Google Now) into the mix and the idea that the very concept of search will be radically different in three to five years time is a distinct possibility.Six things I learned from six days on Pinterest
Just what the world needs--another social network! If that, accompanied by an exasperated sigh, is your reaction to hearing all the buzz about Pinterest, then you're like many others.
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But because so many smart people (almost all of them women) are talking about Pinterest, I decided to give it a whirl. In addition to all the general buzz, three other things caught my eye:
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But because so many smart people (almost all of them women) are talking about Pinterest, I decided to give it a whirl. In addition to all the general buzz, three other things caught my eye:
- Pinterest was the fastest independent social network to 10 million unique users, according to Comscore
- Pinterest was driving more referral traffic to many publishers than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn combined
- Pinterest was becoming a top driver of traffic to some women's and food magazines ("The social bookmarking site already drives three times the amount of traffic to Cooking Light compared to Facebook" ).
August 10, 2012
4 Ecommerce Experiences to Learn From
Online shopping still hasn’t overtaken the traditional brick-and-mortar retail store, but according to eMarketer it’s projected that U.S. online shoppers will spend a total of $224.2 billion by the end of 2012. That’s a huge opportunity for online retailers. The fundamental problem is that almost every major brand has an online shopping experience in place, and with growing competition it’s hard to stand out from the crowd.
If you’re wondering how your company can stand out, here are four instances of innovative ecommerce experiences worth exploring.
August 8, 2012
Australia Ruling May Make Facebook Page Administrators’ Jobs Tougher
The Herald Sun reported that the ASB became involved after a complaint about posts on the Smirnoff Australia Facebook page, which is managed by Profera and Diageo.
According to the Herald Sun, the complaint cited posts containing vulgarity and obscenity, promoting excessive drinking, and tying alcohol consumption together with sexual and social prowess.
10 Old SEO Methods You Need to Stop
I'm proud to say that I've never been responsible for a site that has been punished by any of the Google Panda/Penguin updates.
I've seen my fair share of Google fallout though, usually brought forth by someone after they've seen their traffic tank. They don't know what happened, why, or much less how to fix it.Truth be told, I'm surprised by how often I've been presented with this scenario. Every single time it's boiled down to using bad SEO or outdated SEO tactics that they consider tried and true but are no longer valid.
As Mark Jackson stated in "7 Habits of Highly Effective SEO":
August 6, 2012
How Mobile Is Different from Other Media
First there was print, then recordings, then cinema, radio, TV, and the internet. Mobile is the seventh and latest form of mass media. And the smartphone is the fastest spreading technology in history. More iPhones are activated every day than babies are born.
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