July 2012
81 posts
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WatchSocial media and taste buds. The new social media arm of Walmarts, @WalmartLabs, found that cake pops — small bites of cake on lollipop sticks — were becoming popular. Starbucks was offering them and people were talking about them. Wal-Mart decided to carry cake-pop makers and found they were popular enough to bring them back the following holiday season. Via New York Times
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Preventing failure in social media marketing means... →
Among the steps outlined in “Social Marketology,” a book by Ric Dragon: + Identify the smallest segments possible of your constituents. Due to the information overload felt by consumers today, marketing at the generic segment level no longer works. Social media is the only one which allows you to be hyper-granular and drill down to micro-segments, to dramatically improve engagement...
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“Arms-length involvement puts CEOs in a precarious position. They are making...”
– CEOs need social media, but many fear it: IBM
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Good social customer conversations: Start by... →
Companies need to look at what conversations get the most comments, what gets people talking, and do more of it. A Facebook page or Twitter account with no conversations going on makes a company look like [it doesn’t] know what [it’s] doing with social media. — Deborah Smith, social media consultant. Via E-Commerce Times
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4 stages of social media involvement for the... →
As Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus and other social networks gain popularity, many CIOs are uncertain how to become involved. Some suggestions —
Phase one: Find your community. Open an account, identify people with relevant interests and then take time to observe.
Phase two: Participate in the community. Share links, engage with those in your interest group and become part of that...
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A beginner's guide to socializing your CEO →
Every day, new studies arise that make the case for why your CEO needs to get social – and the benefits to employees, shareholders, customers and influencers alike.
The relative anonymity of social media – which some suggest may be the very thing that is making the C-Suite socially shy – provides an opportunity for the kind of candid, authentic discussion a CEO may be hard pressed to find in a...
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Social scientists might gain access to Facebook's... →
Facebook’s in-house scientists have been involved in publishing more than 30 papers since 2009, covering topics from what drives the spread of information and ideas to the relationship between social-networking activity and loneliness. Facebook is now exploring a plan that could allow external researchers to check its work in future by inspecting the data sets and methods used to produce a...
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How CMOs and CIOs can work together →
With new tools from IBM CMOs can become more responsive to changing business conditions without waiting for IT to implement requests. Marketers can now:
Post rich media assets like images, videos, podcasts on the web, engaging with a variety of content to capture attention and drive further awareness/interest.
Change content on the fly without having to engage IT. That will save time and enable...
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“The Lego story, according to Robertson, lies at the heart of why companies...”
– How Lego Rebuilt Its Brand Through Controlled Innovation | Business | TIME.com
Hint: head for blue oceans instead of red, which are infested with sharks.
(via debk)
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Unifying media management across the social divide →
Plenty of brands have paid, earned and owned media campaigns in place. The problem is, these elements often come from three disparate departments or agencies, creating a disconnect in messaging, aesthetic and call to action. To create a consistent brand message, “paid, earned and owned stakeholders must meet at the table to plan initiatives, content, creative, media and strategies that link them.”...
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Is Facebook the next online bank? →
dm2studios:
via businessinsider.com
Australia’s Commonweatlth Bank is reportedly building a Facebook app that will allow customers to make payments to third parties and Facebook friends through the network.
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Marissa Mayer's amazing talent network →
For the past decade, Mayer, now the CEO of Yahoo, has been the doyen of a collection of some of the most talented young engineers and product managers in all of technology. These are the hand-selected prime talents of an accelerated leadership program at Google called Associate Product Manager. Via wired.com
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From “have” to “access” →
A major “trend” of the new digital economy will be a new way of consuming and will affect all stages of production and circulation of goods. “On demand” technologies, initially confined to the entertainment audiovisual industry, will extend into a wide range of products and services. In general, access to goods and services will be more important than their direct ‘possession’. In our virtual...
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Mysteries and myths of millennials in social media →
Millennials are changing notions of marketing through traditional media because they don’t read newspapers and they watch TV online or TIVO, where they don’t see your commercials. Reaching Millenials in social media is critical. But, Millennials are in social media to socialize with friends, so using disruptive marketing techniques won’t work for them.
They also have distinct ideas about work and...
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Mobile shopping grows in popularity as social... →
Retailers that want to grow sales and improve customer loyalty would be wise to invest in mobile shopping. According to a new report from IBM, retailers experienced 15% growth in sales from mobile devices. Conversely, sales traced to social media were down 20%. Via RetailingToday.com
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Social Tools Collide with Talent Management... →
Do you agree that social tools should be added to HR-specific software rather than integrating the HR software with existing social software?
fredericwilliquet:
Must read
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“Before doubling down on mobile, any business should first ask themselves if they...”
– The future isn’t about mobile; It’s about mobility - David Armano - Harvard Business Review
Anonymous asked: how i can start social business?
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What does branding mean now? →
There are differences in execution when we build brand relationships with individuals versus communities. More mportantly, how do we even think about the nature of branding itself and the role it plays in designing a customer relevant, connected business. Is it realistic to design products and services for individuals not segments? What is the right level of relationship for a brand? The...
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“The story of IBM encouraging individual voices — at the heart of being a...”
– Ed Brill
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Changing your company from a brand to an... →
5 tips:
use photos
monitor and respond
publicly reward stars
crowdsource innovation
let people share their experiences
Note: article includes lots of specific examples
dvirreznik:
Building a holistic brand experience means breaking down silos within a company to foster collaboration between community managers, PR, advertising, product marketing and customer service. (via Sharon Weshler)
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“Marketing in the social era does start to look a lot like falling in love,...”
– Why social marketing is so hard - Nilofer Merchant - Harvard Business Review
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Social media gives helping hand to fall-prone... →
Social media can enable assistance for the elderly to be expanded into a ‘team’ so that children and nearest neighbours can play a part as well as municipal or private services. A person who has suffered a fall is often in pain and may be in shock. If the alarm is sent to many, help can get there quicker. This is vital both to the person who has suffered the fall, and their...
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Moving from analytics to action →
Using analytics?
Make partners part of your action plan by sharing your data.
That includes business partners, contractors and others. Marketing consultants, for example, can use conversion rates to optimize your landing page. Developers can use them to provide customized functionality.
Other tips for moving from analytics to action:
Get over the tools … and implement your action plan
...
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“70% of big company CEOs have no presence on social networks.”
– CEOs Afraid Of Going Social Are Doing Shareholders A Massive Disservice - Forbes
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The dawn of the digital enterprise →
Characteristics of the future enterprise, based on digital transformation—
Sustained innovation: increased specialization
Relationship-based: open & collaborative
Fading hierarchy: diminished command & control
Adaptive: flexibility in operating and business models
Engagement driven: Experiential versus transactional
Insight driven: Prescriptive
Design principles: Mobile first...
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The future of social analytics →
Jeff Schick, IBM vice president of social software, recently conducted a live demonstration of a version of IBM’s Connections software connected to the company’s Watson technology. Watson was the Jeopardy playing artificial intelligence system now being used in healthcare and other key verticals. In a social networking setting,
Watson is a plug in where community members—-in...
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How the e-commerce giant will destroy local retail →
Amazon is investing billions to make next-day delivery standard, and same-day delivery an option for lots of customers. If it can pull that off, the company will permanently alter how we shop. To put it more bluntly: Physical retailers will be hosed. Via Slate Magazine
