Archive | October, 2011

What’s a QR code and why should you care?

by Brand Adoption • on October 28, 2011 • in News

The QR code debate continues. The percentage of users seems to be growing. A couple of months ago you would really have to keep your eye out to catch a hidden QR code, but today you can’t go a day without one of those crazy boxes popping out at you.

qrcode

Read What USA Today Has to Say about the QR Code…

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Unthink to Facebook, Google+: “It’s FU time”

by Brand Adoption • on October 28, 2011 • in News

Have you heard of Unthink?  Unthink is the next social networking platform to take its shot against Facebook, and even Google+.  Their promo video (below) uses the voice of all those users that feel abused by the social networking giants.  Leaving with the simple message… “It’s FU time.”

Read More About Unthink Here.

 

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25 business-tastic B2B social media case studies

by Brand Adoption • on October 26, 2011 • in News

Take a little time out of your day to check out 25 B2B social medial case studies.

1. American Express

OPEN Forum and Facebook campaigns

AmEx does a lot to support business customers, from the long-standing OPEN Forum, through to running related campaigns across its Facebook Page.

One of note was the recent “Big Break” campaign which was a contest for SME’s, the five winners of which received an all-expense paid trip to Facebook HQ, for a one-on-one business makeover and $20,000 to aid their existing social media strategy.
2. Archer Technology

Online communities and marketplaces

Echoing American Express, Archer has a whole online community dedicated to enterprise governance, risk, and compliance software.

It’s often held up as a 101 case study in B2B social communities – especially the Idea Exchange – having more than 7,000 users actively communicating and collaborating. As an extension of this, Archer also has a marketplace where users can download applications that have been developed by other users.

Check Out All 25 Here..

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4 Ways to Integrate B2B Social Media into Marketing Plans

by Brand Adoption • on October 25, 2011 • in News

B2B marketers have long known that to succeed with social media they can’t view it as a stand alone campaign or tactic, but must integrate social media into their marketing plans. Here are Jeffrey Cohen’s  four suggestions for doing just that.

1. A Social Website

Read Full Description And Post Here…


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Financial Firms Go Social, Seeking Friends With Benefits

by Brand Adoption • on October 24, 2011 • in News

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. wants to be liked, and it is willing to pay handsomely for it.

As part of an advertising and marketing campaign around its Chase Freedom credit card, the New York bank hosted a sweepstakes, ended Sunday, for users who “like” the card’s page on social-networking site Facebook. The “like” function allows users to signal something they are interested in to other friends and users. The grand prize was $1 million, while $500 was given away each hour from Oct. 3 to Oct. 23.

The push is the latest by a consumer financial company to try and tap the social-media well, an area where the industry has been slow to adapt. Through sites like Facebook, mobile social network Foursquare and microblogging service Twitter, financial companies are gathering data on new consumer spending habits. And the initiatives have another benefit: helping drive consumers to online services, which lenders see as cheaper and more efficient than branches and paper statements.

Read Full Post…

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12 Most Critical Things Businesses Must Know About New Facebook

by Brand Adoption • on October 20, 2011 • in News

1. It’s about people

You’d think this goes without saying, but many businesses are still lacking a customer-centric communication strategy. Businesses talk about what they can do, how they can fix people’s problems, how their service improves lives and so on… but rarely focus on letting their prospective client qualify themselves. Many companies still beat their customers into submission through advertising and blatant broadcast style messaging instead of engaging in an two way dialog with their core customer base.

The behavior follows them everywhere, it’s not just limited to Facebook. Remember, Facebook is a business too; a free service whose success hinges on the happiness of it’s users. If marketers manipulate the platform for extra exposure, it really isn’t fun for users. Facebook’s mission “is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.”

For Numbers 2-12 Click Here

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10 Things You Should Include in a Social Media Plan

by Brand Adoption • on October 20, 2011 • in News

While the 4 Ps of marketing are still relevant, it’s the 7 Ps that are most applicable to modern day marketing. Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance. This is especially true for social media planning, where all too often the plan revolves around a murky set of objectives and a band of interns.

When done right though, a social media plan for marketing, recruiting, or customer service is a thing of beauty. Having completed a handful of these plans on behalf of clients in the past few months, here are the 10 components that belong in your social media plan, regardless of organization type, size, and structure.

1. The Baseline Metrics

2. Competitor Benchmarks

See All 10 and Read the Descriptions Here.


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Google Shutting Down Buzz and 4 Other Services

by Brand Adoption • on October 18, 2011 • in News

Rob Young with http://searchenginewatch.com highlights some of the services Google will be shutting down in the near future.

Young says, “Google announced that several products will be shut down by January 15, 2012. This includes Google Buzz, Code Search, the University Research Program for Google Search, iGoogle social features, Jaiku, and several APIs associated with these services.

The Products Slated for Closure

Google is continuing its trend of narrowing focus with the announcement of a “fall sweep.” In this case, what’s being swept away is a number of products that haven’t been popular enough for Google to warrant continued support and development. As mentioned above, those products include:

  • Google Buzz. This is certainly the most noteworthy shutdown, although far from the least predictable. Buzz was introduced in February of 2010 and garnered lots of early attention, but failed to gain traction or long-term support. Buzz will be shut down in the next “few weeks.”
  • Code Search. This niche search tracked down open source code, but both it and its API will be closed for business on January 15th, 2012.
  • University Research Program for Google Search. This program gave academic researchers API access to search results, but will discontinue on January 15th, 2012.
  • iGoogle social features. While iGoogle will continue as normal, all features that gave social capabilities will be closed in favor of Google+ on January 15th, 2012.
  • Jaiku. This social updating feature acquired by Google in 2007 will be shut down on January 15th, 2012.”

Read Young’s Full Post Here…

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Twitter and Google search talks in deadlock

by Brand Adoption • on October 18, 2011 • in News

Until July 2011, a deal between the two firms allowed Google users to view the latest relevant tweets alongside normal web search results.

Since it expired however, those seeking up-to-the-second information on a topic have been forced to go to Twitter or the other major search engines with which it works.

Read Full Post Here…

 

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The Four Essential Phases of Social Media Adoption

by Brand Adoption • on October 17, 2011 • in Blog

Tom Pick, very accurately details the steps in planning a company’s social media strategy, in the article linked to below. The way he creatively conveys social media through a story explains that social media is composed of multiple parts that need to be viewed as a whole, rather than compartmentalized. His steps include:

1.       Observation: When developing social media strategies, you must start by noticing the online environment. Who are you targeting? Where do these people interact online? What are they talking about and how can you get involved while making your company seen?

2.       Preparation: Rather than jumping into things, a plan should be constructed to facilitate the use of social media. Many employees are probably already using social media and directly or indirectly talking about your company. It is best to regulate these discussions by establishing the goals, limits and rules to the company’s social media approach. Additionally, guidelines and consequences should be conveyed so as to avoid costly social media mishaps.

3.       Participation: Time to get in the game! Participation in social media should encompass more than just blasting your consumers or other business with information. The goal is to engage people and get the conversation going. Make sure to always provide interesting, relevant content.

4.       Integration: Social media is much more than just PR and marketing. All departments in the company can use social media in one way or another. HR can get involved, recruiting and screening employees prior to hire. Customer service can address customer issues in real time while also promoting how well things are solved. Sales can generate leads while building credibility. And finally, one of the most important applications, Product Development can gather important feedback from those who truly matter to construct a better product or service.

Ensuring that all steps and departments are coordinated and working together to paint one social media picture will guarantee success.

Read the full article: http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2011/4221/the-four-essential-phases-of-social-media-adoption

 

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