Social Influence Marketing : A New Science To Develop!

By Raymond Morin 

 

Social Influence Marketing : A New Science to Develop!

Since 2009 and the lightening-speed emergence of Klout, the concept of online influence has evolved a lot. The approach used by early adopters has rapidly evolved from being quantitative analysis (like Klout and other currently available online tools) to more qualitative metrics (based more on achievements). Suddenly, the importance of social scores take up much less room in the debate, and interest has immediately turned to the recommendation of ambassadors who represent a greater value for company name brands (see: Social Media Influencers or Social Media Ambassadors : What Is Their True Value ?)
However, Klout’s newly modified algorithms will likely affect the score most influencers currently have (and their relationship with the brands). This means we can expect users to play an even more important role in the game.
Six Major Social Influence Marketing Trends
The science of influence marketing in social media continues to evolve. And observers’ attention is now turning towards new metrics, focusing more on the actual values of influence such as commitment and user confidence. In a recent post on BusinessesGrow.com: Six Hot Trends In Social Influence Marketing , Mark Schaefer describes six major social media trends:

1 – The notion of influence in social media is finally emerging from the experimental stages, and is becoming progressively more prominent in the various marketing agencies’ campaign budgets.

2 — Social influence is hitting the streets – small businesses and merchants are finally benefiting from programs that reward established loyalty (through perks) put in place by measurement tools.
3 – Influence marketing is still a new science, but it will become an increasing concern for professionals who will continue to discuss and share the best practices.
4 – Measurement tools tend to further integrate recommendations from peers among their metrics and are still seeking a way to get these online interactions and exchanges in order to convert the consumer
5 – New measurement tools (such as Appinions from Cornell University) now put social media influence into context and are evolving towards the metric analysis of user sentiment.

6 – More and more companies are currently integrating measures of influence internally by compensating employees who are best at being brand ambassadors (such as PepsiCo.)

These six major tendencies have been observed by expert, as Mark Schaefer, as within the industry. They effectively illustrate how influence marketing will become an increasingly important strategy for brands and agencies.
Eight Ways to (Re)gain Generation C’s trust
Nevertheless, when examining social media’s current context, it’s important to closely monitor the growing impact on the new online consumer that is Generation C. (Read: Social Media Influence : Understanding The New Generation C)
Cheerfully enjoying the tremendous viral power of their recommendations and their ability to impose new economic rules, Generation C users now require new, more social rather than commercial approaches to marketing. In some ways, they reveal themselves as the true social media influencers.
Currently, in order to engage these social consumers businesses and traders need to gain (or regain) their trust. In an infographic relayed by @DR4WARD (Dr. William J. Ward) in his blog, Mark Smiciklas (Intersection1, Vancouver) recalls the eight essential steps to build (or rebuild) trust within one’s network (The Path of Building Online Trust – 8 Steps to Build Social and Online Trust):
1 – Communicate honestly and freely admit your errors.
2 – Never use the personal information provided by your contacts.
3 – Never break a commitment.
4 – Make sure you respond quickly to every situation.
5 – Show integrity through your approach.
6 – Demonstrate high ethical standards through your marketing.
7 – Adopt a charter that is open and transparent.
8 – Create history of positive interactions over time.
These are the eight simple but unavoidable steps that business owners will have to learn to implement in order to (re)gain consumer trust online.


http://windmillnetworking.com/2012/08/28/social-influence-marketing-a-new-science-to-develop/

Mobile app downloads surged 33 percent after iPhone 5 launch

November 30, 2012 5:00 AM

Dean Takahashi

The iPhone 5 was good for the app economy. Mobile app marketer Fiksu said that mobile app downloads surged 33 percent in October after the Sept. 21 arrival of the Apple iPhone 5. Users began organically searching for new apps, and that help drive down mobile marketing costs in October.
The drop in the cost of acquiring new loyal app users should be welcomed by developers, who worry that marketing costs may eat away at the profits that they get from free-to-play mobile games, where users play for free and pay real money for virtual goods.
Fiksu said that the cost to acquire a loyal app user fell 6 percent in October to $1.06, down from $1.13 in September. That coincided with increases in searches and app discovery. The Fiksu App Store Competitive Index, which measures the average aggregate daily download volume of the top 200 free U.S. iPhone apps, rose to 5.4 million daily downloads in October, up 33 percent from September. The Index saw a similar gain following the availability of the iPhone 4S in October 2011, when traffic also surged by a proportional 29 percent.
“October was a month of opportunity for mobile app marketers,” said Micah Adler, CEO, Fiksu. “Organic searches soared as users around the world actively explored the App Store searching out new apps for their new iPhones. This heightened period of organic discovery – coupled with peak download volumes – drove down the cost of loyal user acquisition. Some savvy marketers chose to ride this wave without substantially increasing their advertising spending.”
The Fiksu Indexes measure monthly fluctuations in competition for rank in the Apple App Store and the cost to acquire loyal users, helping mobile app marketers benchmark their performance against industry trends. Fiksu has measured more than 55.6 billion app actions such as game launches or user registrations to date.

http://venturebeat.com/2012/11/30/mobile-app-downloads-surged-33-percent-after-iphone-5-launch/

Plyfe’s game-powered social rewards platform hits mobile | VentureBeat

Plyfe’s game-powered social rewards platform hits mobile | VentureBeat

No top Internet company is more mobile than Pandora, but Twitter is a solid #2 | VentureBeat

No top Internet company is more mobile than Pandora, but Twitter is a solid #2 | VentureBeat

5 “Must Have’s” in any So(Social) Mo(Mobile) Lo(Local) Strategy

Having a SoMoLo marketing strategy makes it easy for consumers to find anything related to your business.

Businesses unleash the power of SoMoLo when they connect with consumers where social, mobile and local intersect; it is at this point where companies meet consumers where they are (not vice-versa, as in the old days of marketing).
Identifying that sweet spot and crafting seamless messages across these three venues requires an integrated mindset, and a land of opportunity exists for those who adapt and embrace the new way of thinking. I talk about this in more detail in What is SoMoLo and Why is It So Important to Marketers; it’s my first post on the SoMoLo topic and I will have a lot more to say in the future.
Knowing the elements that are non-negotiable in a SoMoLo strategy is part of getting there. So here, I outline 5 essential elements in every SoMoLo strategy.

5 Must-Have’s in any SoMoLo Strategy:

1. CONSUMER INSIGHT—Developing a successful SoMoLo strategy requires you to become an expert in consumer search behavior.

Becoming aware of consumers’ search behavior will enable you to craft targeted content so you’ll increase relevance and convert leads more efficiently.

Searching is the primary activity of mobile consumers. Based on research, consumers are using search to:

• Research before they purchase (57% smartphone, 66% Tablet)
• Locate stores (73% smartphone, 42% Tablet)
• Check prices (62% smartphone, 52% Tablet)
• Read reviews of recent/future purchases (45% smartphone, 56% Tablet)

Take advantage of this search behavior by figuring out the questions consumers are asking and then offering useful content to provide answers. Be sure to take into account context.

• For example, where are consumers and what are they doing while they are seeking the information? Are they in your store looking at products? Or are they in their car trying to find your location? Adapt content appropriately to each channel; don’t just edit the same copy so it will fit each channel. Focus on helping instead of just selling.

Don’t overlook video content. Video is an effective teaching tool, and when optimized it’s an effective way to attract consumers searching for help. The content in your product or service-based video can pave the way to solving a consumer’s challenge.
2. ABILITY TO RELINQUISH CONTROL (i.e. GIVE CONSUMERS CONTROL)

  Consumers expect transparency, control and customization. (Source: Deloitte 2012 Retail Study)

You may be wondering how giving consumers control helps you; but think of it this way: like it or not, consumers are in the driver’s seat in today’s marketplace. If you don’t empower them, you’ll likely never be able to convert them.
Today’s empowered consumers easily move from one channel to the next effortlessly. Often they will start a transaction on one channel then move to another; perhaps several more before they make a decision to purchase.
Some studies have found that 65% of consumers initiate a purchase on a smartphone then 61% move to a personal computer.
Action-oriented SoMoLo Marketers can give consumers control through numerous response options to this multi-channel consumer behavior. For example:

• Offer consumers different cross channel options.
• Allow them to interact with your brand based on their convenience.
• If you have physical locations, consider providing wifi access.
• Make sure physical locations have printed materials that indicate other online options.

Conduct an audit of your particular path to purchase with a goal to create a seamless customer experience. If a consumer is in one of your locations and decides to order a product or service online are they able to do that from a smartphone? If they see something of interest, will they be able to access it from another location or device effortlessly? Empowering consumers with the ability to navigate their preferred path to purchase gives them the control they expect.
3. CONVENIENCE
Consumers are looking for choice, convenience and control; and they expect each of these on their terms.
One implication of implementing a SoMoLo marketing strategy is that you must make it easy for consumers to find anything related to your business. For example:

• Locations and hours
• Content
• Answers to their questions
• Deals

If you aren’t helping your business get found easily, consumers will quickly move on to another company that’s more easily found first.
Search engines and Location Based Services are excellent resources for owners and managers willing to invest in the resources needed to take advantage of these. To get started:

• First, optimize your online assets using the key terms consumers use to find whatever it is you do.
• Next, optimize content that is hosted on these assets. Search engine optimization is technical and usually requires the help of a professional.

For the sake of convenience, where possible, prefill information; here’s one obvious but important example: if someone is completing a shopping cart transaction and the same information is required in multiple locations, don’t make the consumer rekey the same information over and over. Most businesses force consumers to conform to their systems; if you are able to do some of the heavy lifting for your customers, you will enhance the experience.
Simplify, often less is more. Only collect information you intend to use to create a more relevant experience.
4. LISTENING SKILLS
Pay attention to what consumers are saying about you, your product or service category, your competitors, and your community. Decide what you can realistically follow and then create a system that will facilitate keeping track of the conversations.
There are paid and free software programs designed to help filter out a great deal of the noise so you can follow the conversations you care about. Social Mention , Howsociable and Google Alerts are a few of the more popular free tools. Any listening tool will require hands-on review and analysis.
When appropriate, respond to comments or concerns; however, don’t be too defensive if you decide to try and resolve a problem or correct misinformation. Acknowledging compliments is a nice way to show that someone is paying attention. Use this feedback to improve service, solve problems and reinforce positive behavior and when fitting, deepen relationships with customers.
5. LOCAL ADVANTAGE
74% of smartphone owners surveyed cited looking up local services as a leading activity they associate with their smartphone. (Source: Keystone)
According to Pew research, 65 million Americans use mobile or location based services, and the numbers are increasing. You may have heard of the term hyper-local. Consumers are interested in exploring local options. Location based services like Foursquare allow consumers to check in to specific locations telling their social network about their experience.
Check-in behavior allows consumers to find deals, evaluate services or products and share their experiences with others. Often these platforms are connected to other popular social media platforms, like Facebook, for example.
In addition to optimizing your marketing assets, claim your local place. There are resources that make this process pretty simple and doing this will ensure your content shows up in local search results.
If you already offer coupons, discounts or premiums, consider tailoring an offer to draw in local customers or reward loyal behavior.

Are you harnessing the power of SoMoLo?

Being aware of the essential elements of a SoMoLo strategy is the first step to achieving success. Consumer insight, ability to relinquish control, convenience, listening skills and local advantage all have a common thread: they each put the consumer at the center. Without a customer-centric focus, a SoMoLo strategy will never flourish. Conversely, keeping your customer at the center and honing these 5 essential traits will springboard your business. In which of these areas do you need to focus?


http://windmillnetworking.com/2012/11/27/5-must-haves-in-any-sosocial-momobile-lolocal-strategy/

The world is your runway with Polyvore’s new iPhone app | VentureBeat

The world is your runway with Polyvore’s new iPhone app | VentureBeat

Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers - Writing

Dangling and misplaced modifiers are discussed at length in usage guides partly because they are very common and partly because there are many different kinds of them. But it is not necessary to understand the grammatical details involved to grasp the basic principle: words or phrases which modify some other word or phrase in a sentence should be clearly, firmly joined to them and not dangle off forlornly on their own.
Sometimes the dangling phrase is simply too far removed from the word it modifies, as in “Sizzling on the grill, Theo smelled the Copper River salmon.” This makes it sound like Theo is being barbecued, because his name is the nearest noun to “sizzling on the grill.” We need to move the dangling modifier closer to the word it really modifies: “salmon.” “Theo smelled the Copper River salmon sizzling on the grill.”
Sometimes it’s not clear which of two possible words a modifier modifies: “Felicia is allergic to raw apples and almonds.” Is she allergic only to raw almonds, or all almonds—even roasted ones? This could be matter of life and death. Here’s a much clearer version: “Felicia is allergic to almonds and raw apples.” “Raw” now clearly modifies only “apples.”
Dangling modifiers involving verbs are especially common and sometimes difficult to spot. For instance, consider this sentence: “Having bought the harpsichord, it now needed tuning.” There is no one mentioned in the sentence who did the buying. One way to fix this is to insert the name of someone and make the two halves of the sentence parallel in form: “Wei Chi, having bought the harpsichord, now needed to tune it.” If you have a person in mind, it is easy to forget the reader needs to be told about that person; but he or she can't be just “understood.”
Here’s another sentence with a dangling modifier, in this case at the end of a sentence: “The retirement party was a disaster, not having realized that Arthur had been jailed the previous week.” There is nobody here doing the realizing. One fix: “The retirement party was a disaster because we had not realized that Arthur had been jailed the previous week.”
Using passive verbs will often trip you up: “In reviewing Gareth’s computer records, hundreds of hours spent playing online games were identified.” This sort of thing looks fine to a lot of people and in fact is common in professional writing, but technically somebody specific needs to be mentioned in the sentence as doing the identifying. Inserting a doer and shifting to the active voice will fix the problem. While we’re at it, let’s make clear that Gareth was doing the playing: “The auditor, in checking Gareth’s computer records, identified hundreds of hours that he had spent playing online games.”
Adverbs like “almost,” “even,” “hardly,” “just,” “only,” and “nearly,” are especially likely to get stuck in the wrong spot in a sentence. “Romeo almost kissed Juliet as soon as he met her” means he didn’t kiss her—he only held her hand. True, but you might want to say something quite different: “Romeo kissed Juliet almost as soon as he met her.” The placement of the modifier is crucial.

7 Open Source Questions With Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst

Fredric Paul 

I recently had a chance to sit down over a Thai food lunch with Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst.

Whitehurst, who took over Red Hat after leaving Delta Airlines in 2007, had a lot to say about the current situation of open source computing, and ReadWrite will be following up on many of those threads in the coming weeks and months. But I didn't want to wait to share some of Whitehurst's most interesting observations:

1. How Does Open Source = Kaizen Manufacturing?

Whitehurst compared open source software development to the Kaizen "continuous-improvement" manufacturing system made famous by Toyota. According to Whitehurst, open source is the digital equivalent of breaking up the manufacturing process into key individual components and using just-in-time inventory to make sure you have the right re-usable objects at hand when you need them.

2. What's Up With Red Hat & OpenStack?

Red Hat has promised to have support for OpenStack ready in the next year, Whitehurst reminded me, and remains on track to deliver. "But until then, I would be hesitant to run production apps on OpenStack… We're not seeing much more than experimentation with it for now."

3. Who Makes Key Enterprise Architecture Decisions?

Surprisingly, Whitehurst claimed that neither Red Hat nor enterprise CEOs typically make key IT architecture decisions.

For Red Hat, the company usually has little input on whether a customer will go with Linux. "Generally that's an architecture decision that's already made when Red Hat gets involved," Whitehurst explained. We've been a layer player… We haven't had a seat a the table for the architecture discussion."

Even more interesting, an enterprise's technology partners make the vast majority of the technology decisions, Whitehurst said, not the end customers. That's true at even the largest companies.

4. When Do CIOs Get Involved?

According to Whitehurst, only at those few companies that actually use technology for competitive advantage - like an investment bank - do the CIOs get involved in the technology decision. At Delta Airlines, Whitehurst's previous employer, for example, the decision to use Linux and the JBoss application server was made way down the IT org chart.

5. What Factors Go Into IT Technology Decisions?

"80% of technology decisions are not made on the merits of the technology," Whitehurst claimed. It's more, do we have the people to run it and support it? Is there an app infrastructure for it? What skill do our in-house developers have or need? And, crucially, what's the risk?

6. How Do Smaller Companies Make Their Technology Decisions?

For small businesses, they typically choose by the ability to find people to support the technology, Whitehurst said, because they can't afford to devote scarce resources to training. That's a big advantage for Microsoft, which has already trained legions of MCSE's around the world.

7. What's The Real Difference Between Enterprise And Consumer Technology?

"Enterprise IT sees the glass half empty," Whitehurst said. "Consumer IT sees the glass half full." Technologists in the consumer space have "bravado," he added. "It's okay for them to fail; they just try again. We need some more of that in the enterprise." That won't necessarily be easy, though, because the enterprise world faces such different challenges. Enterprise problems are so mundane, it's like trying to take spaghetti and unravel it… but the guy who wrote the original code "literally died" and they have to figure out what to do, Whitehurst explained. "That's their lives."

Image courtesy of Red Hat.

http://readwrite.com/2012/11/27/7-open-source-questions-with-red-hat-ceo-jim-whitehurst

QR code app Scan hits 25M downloads, launches total overhaul | VentureBeat

QR code app Scan hits 25M downloads, launches total overhaul | VentureBeat

http://venturebeat.com/2012/11/27/extreme-makeover-scan-edition/#XJflf0KZOU2horVC.15

Chapter 10. Communication Climate - Interpersonal Communication

Chapter 10. Communication Climate

27 November 2012

Intimacy comes in many forms including physical, emotional, intellectual, and shared activities.

The most common strategies for creating distance are withdrawal and avoidance. Other common avoidance tactics include being reserved, shortening, interaction, restricting topics, restraint, and deception.

The notion of intimacy varies from one culture to another. An important determinant of intimacy although not the only determinant is self-disclosure.

Self-disclosure consists of honestly revealing messages about the self that are intentionally directed toward others.

Disclosing  communication contains information that is generally unavailable via other sources.

The social penetration model describes two dimensions of self-disclosure: breadth and depth.

In a casual relationship, the breadth may be great, but not the depth.

Gender and culture exerts a strong influence on both the amount of intimacy in a relationship and how that intimacy is communicated.

Communicators disclose personal information for a variety of reasons. Benefits include catharsis, self-clarification, self-validation, reciprocity, impression formation, relationship maintenance and enhancement, moral obligation, social influence, and self-defense.

Four alternatives to revealing self-disclosure are silence, lies, equivocations, and hints.

Silence, lies, equivocations, and hints may be ethical alternatives to self-disclosure, however, whether they are or not depends on the speaker’s motives and the effects of the deception.

Reasons people cite for lying include: to save face, to avoid tension or conflict, to guide social interaction, to manage relationships, to gain power, and to protect other relationships.

Risks of self-disclosure include: rejection, negative impression, decrease in relational satisfaction, loss of influence, loss of control, hurt the other person, and increased awareness.

In order for an act of communication to be considered self-disclosing, it must meet the following criteria:

1. It must contain personal information about the sender.

2. The sender must communicate this information verbally.

3. Another person must be the target.

The subject of self-disclosing communication is the self, and information about the self is purposefully communicated to another person.

We can summarize the self-disclosure concept by saying that it:

1. Has the self as subject

2. Is intentional

3. Is directed at another person.

4. Is honest.

5. Is revealing.

6. Contains information generally unavailable from other sources, and

7. Gains much of its intimate nature from the context and culture in which is it expressed.

Self-disclosing messages must contain information that the other person is not likely to know at the time or be able to obtain from another source without a great deal of effort.

With $400M Icoa buy, Google shows it really wants to be an ISP | VentureBeat

With $400M Icoa buy, Google shows it really wants to be an ISP | VentureBeat

Five Social Media Tips for Incoming Members of Congress

Five Social Media Tips for Incoming Members of Congress

What is the Difference Between http and https?

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http) is a system for transmitting and receiving information across the Internet. Http serves as a request and response procedure that all agents on the Internet follow so that information can be rapidly, easily, and accurately disseminated between servers, which hold information, and clients, who are trying to access it. Http is commonly used to access html pages, but other resources can be utilized as well through http. In many cases, clients may be exchanging confidential information with a server, which needs to be secured in order to prevent unauthorized access. For this reason, https, or secure http, was developed by Netscape corporation to allow authorization and secured transactions. In many ways, https is identical to http, because it follows the same basic protocols. The http or https client, such as a Web browser, establishes a connection to a server on a standard port. When a server receives a request, it returns a status and a message, which may contain the requested information or indicate an error if part of the process malfunctioned. Both systems use the same Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) scheme, so that resources can be universally identified. Use of https in a URI scheme rather than http indicates that an encrypted connection is desired. There are some primary differences between http and https, however, beginning with the default port, which is 80 for http and 443 for https. Https works by transmitting normal http interactions through an encrypted system, so that in theory, the information cannot be accessed by any party other than the client and end server. There are two common types of encryption layers: Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), both of which encode the data records being exchanged. When using an https connection, the server responds to the initial connection by offering a list of encryption methods it supports. In response, the client selects a connection method, and the client and server exchange certificates to authenticate their identities. After this is done, both parties exchange the encrypted information after ensuring that both are using the same key, and the connection is closed. In order to host https connections, a server must have a public key certificate, which embeds key information with a verification of the key owner's identity. Most certificates are verified by a third party so that clients are assured that the key is secure. Https is used in many situations, such as log-in pages for banking, forms, corporate log ons, and other applications in which data needs to be secure. However, if not implemented properly, https is not infallible, and therefore it is extremely important for end users to be wary about accepting questionable certificates and cautious with their personal information while using the Internet. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-http-and-https.htm

Why HTML5 provided more tricks than treats in 2012 | VentureBeat

Why HTML5 provided more tricks than treats in 2012 | VentureBeat

Infographic: Digital Shopping Predictions for Black Friday, Cyber Monday

Infographic: Digital Shopping Predictions for Black Friday, Cyber Monday

Using Social Media To Cover For Lack Of Original Thought - Onion Talks -...

http://readwrite.com/2012/11/21/the-social-media-economy-explained-by-the-onion-video

Theory Of A Deadman - Not Meant To Be

50+ Job Skills You Should List on Your Resume

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There are lots of reasons it might be hard to cobble together a decent resume. Maybe you've been unemployed for a long time, maybe you're trying to switch careers or maybe you're a mom who's been home raising kids for a few years.
Whatever your situation, there's good news. Resumes are changing. Your skills are just as valuable as your formal employment and can help sell your resume to a potential employer.
Ford R. Myers, career coach, speaker and author of the book "Get The Job You Want, Even When No One's Hiring" (John Wiley & Sons, 2009) encourages job seekers to draw on a variety of past experiences, in both paid and non-paid positions, when applying for new employment.
"These transferable skills, acquired during any activity - volunteer positions, classes, projects, parenting, hobbies, sports - can be applicable to one's next job," Myers said.  "By adding transferable skills to a resume, employers get a better understanding and broader picture of who they are hiring - as well as the interests, values and experiences that the candidate brings to the table."

Myers divided transferrable skills into five broad skill areas and gives examples of how you can describe each:
 

[20 Great Ways to Jump Start Your Job Hunt]

Communication:  writes clearly and concisely, speaks effectively, listens attentively, openly expresses ideas, negotiates/resolves differences, leads group discussions, provides feedback, persuades others, provides well-thought out solutions, gathers appropriate information, confidently speaks in public

Interpersonal Skills:  works well with others, sensitive, supportive, motivates others, shares credit, counsels, cooperates, delegates effectively, represents others, understands feelings, self-confident, accepts responsibility

Research and Planning:  forecasts/predicts, creates ideas, identifies problems, meets goals, identifies resources, gathers information, solves problems, defines needs, analyzes issues, develops strategies, assesses situations

Organizational Skills:  handles details, coordinates tasks, punctual, manages projects effectively, meets deadlines, sets goals, keeps control over budget, plans and arranges activities, multi-tasks

Management Skills:  leads groups, teaches/trains/instructs, counsels/coaches, manages conflict, delegates responsibility, makes decisions, directs others, implements decisions, enforces policies, takes charge.


http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2135-job-skills-resume.html

How to Use Video as Part of Your Social Media Marketing Strategy

By Jayson Duncan

When it comes to social media, the power of online video is undeniable. Video creates a personal connection in a way text can’t. It seems that most businesses are catching on to that fact, yet, every once in a while, I still find myself in a meeting with an executive that insists that his target doesn’t watch online video.
Forbes magazine  recently released an article that reported that 75% of executives watch work-related videos at least weekly, and more than half of those watch work-related video on YouTube.
Many marketers disregard YouTube as a mere extension of the show America’s Funniest Home Videos. The fact is, YouTube has grown up over the last few years to being the second largest search engine next to Google. YouTube is more than a place to store your videos; it is a social media platform, and it has the ability to level the playing field for companies that want to start a conversation with clients and customers using video.
There are many video sharing sites out there. For social media purposes, YouTube should be at the top of your strategy plan. YouTube also has 60 hours of video uploaded every minute and over 4 billion videos viewed per day.
So how do you get started using video as part of your social media marketing strategy? Create a programming schedule frequency, just like you would for your favorite TV show. If you are going to create content, plan to do it once a week and release it the same day and time every week so that people will know when to tune in.

 

If you can’t create video once a week, how about shooting for once a month? You can even record them all in the same day and just release them over time. This also gives you content for your blog, something to tweet about, and something to share on Facebook. You can create tent pole programing; which just means creating a special video around holidays like Christmas or Mothers day. This has worked well in the TV world. Charlie Brown Christmas was first aired in 1965 and people still gather around each year to watch it.

YouTube is a community, just like the other social media platforms. It takes time to connect with other users within YouTube to help build your YouTube viewership and subscribers.
YouTube has placed more importance on subscribers in the last few months. You need to interact and not just post. Make sure to like others’ videos, subscribe to their channels, and comment on their videos. You can even use videos to respond to their videos. Old Spice used the power engagement in the follow up to their “Your Man Can Smell Like” videos.
They created 180 video responses. They received 5.9 million YouTube views in the first day of launch. While your company may not have the resources for this type of campaign, the point is that they used video to engage viewers.
One trap that companies fall into is that they think because it is an online video, it doesn’t have to be good. That might have been true in the early days of YouTube but that is no longer the case. The only amateur content that is considered acceptable is user-generated content. There are exceptions to this, but if you are a professional company with amateur marketing, it is going to seem to the viewer that you don’t care about them.

 

There are many different types of videos that will work as part of your social media marketing strategy. Here are a few:

Video Blog Post this video to YouTube and then post it to your blog. Blogs with video find an increased view rate. You can also use YouTube to drive viewers to your blog.
Testimonial Videos Make your product or service visible and credible. When you say something yourself, it is bragging, but when someone else says it about you, it is fact. Viewers can now picture themselves enjoying your product or service. It also helps people relate to your company.
Training or How To Videos Answer questions people have and help the viewer feel like they have received value from your company. This is also true of videos that answer frequently asked questions.
Company Overview This is one video that I think all companies can benefit from by giving a face to the company and telling the company story.
The bottom line: Video content is easier than ever to create, but creating good content is an art that requires strategic planning and professional effort. No matter how you slice it, good video content with a good picture and sound is an investment of time and money that will provide strong ROI for your social media marketing strategy.

http://windmillnetworking.com/2012/06/06/how-to-use-video-as-part-of-your-social-media-marketing-strategy/

Social Media Influence: Understanding the New Generation ¨C¨

By Raymond Morin

Generation C and User Influence
To understand what’s at stake when considering the influence of social media, companies and organizations must first try to understand user motivation. In the era of social networks and mobile communications, new Internet users are taking the reins of a new economic power; this power belongs to Generation C.
This new generation isn’t delineated by age or demographic evolution. Rather, as Trendwatching magazine (who launched the concept of Generation C in 2004) defines it, it’s a new generation of social network and mobile technology users – connected consumers – who benefit from on-line tools in order to demand a more active role in the purchasing chain.
Although mostly represented by digital natives (those born after 1994), Generation C groups all of the generations together. A large number of users belong to Generation Y (born between 1979 and 1994) and Generation X (born between 1963 and 1979). Baby boomers, (born between 1945 and 1963) constitute the age group that has the highest number of users adopting social media within recent years (on this, please refer to my post on @Locita: Génération C : Le moteur d’une nouvelle société).
These effective consumers expect more than ever from their shopping experience. They now demand to be heard and they won’t hesitate to share their advice and /or recommendations, whether they’re positive or negative, in order to express themselves. In 2012, it’s no longer the company who controls the projected brand image, but rather the tremendous power the viral recommendations of peer-to-peer (P2P) users wield.

The user therefore becomes the influencer by influencing the company to make decisions they no longer influence themselves. Taking advantage of this newfound influence, users take a greater role in the process. Now, the privilege of deciding the level of commitment comes back to the user.
Further reading includes :
Brian Solis : Meet Generation C : The Connected Consumer.
Mark McCrindle : The ABC of XYZ : Understanding the Global Generations
Influencers of Social Media: Ambassadors or Sponsors?

Today, brands therefore need to solicit user engagement so they may become their ambassadors. In an article published last autumn in Windmill Networking, Social Media Influencer Outreach Brand Ambassador : Case Study All Nippon Airways #Analax, Neal Schaffer presented his own case which proved to be a very good example. Rather than settling for a formula that included perks or sponsorship, the Japanese airline company offered him a higher level of commitment. This approach was more satisfactory to Neal, who preferred becoming an ambassador to the company.
The notion social media’s influence continues to raise a lot of controversy. The definition of user influence in the context of social networking is not that of someone using influence to cause discomfort. Rather, it is a concept that exists only in terms of the confidence and commitment given to the influencer. Influence in social media will always remain relative and in accordance with the topic and the channels of distribution that are being used. We must therefore go beyond the “social score” to understand how someone with user influence wins the trust of his or her followers.
With the new Generation C consumers, the conversation must be honest and transparent. In order to be influenced, the user must be open and be able to allow him or herself to communicate passionately and this, in turn, must lead the influencer thereby transforming the user into an ambassador. User trust must already be established by the influencer along with recognition of credibility and authority.
When choosing sponsorship or program perks offered by brands, both parties agree on a purely professional level of commitment. The influencer accepts a role like that of a spokesman and message amplifier. This role is a departure from the role of user, and followers must be duly notified – otherwise, he or she runs the risk of becoming influenced!
(Read also Michael Brito in a recent article on Edelman Digital: Shifting The Conversation From Influence to Advocacy)
Social Influence Marketing, just like in the days of silent movies
I often refer to this metaphor from Mark Schaefer because I fully agree with this idea: at the present time, we can only see how influence is of paramount significance on the social media scene. One cannot help but be fascinated at what can be discovered and to get excited about what the future holds.
However, the scope and understanding of the new Web science is still in its infancy. By measuring only the amplification and resonance of the messages of an influencer, the measurement tools available on the ‘Net only assess certain aspects of social capital.
However, as I wrote in a recent post on Virage 2.0: “As it is when learning the best practices, it’s not so much the value of the metric (measurement) that is lacking. At this level, everything remains to be done.” As in the days of silent movies, the best (and the worst) is yet to come!
What do you think of the future of social influence marketing?

http://windmillnetworking.com/2012/05/21/social-media-influence-understanding-the-new-generation/
 

2012 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Manhattan.

2012 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Manhattan.

30 Big Ideas, Trends and Predictions for 2012

. CREDIT: Vichaya Kiatying-angsulee | Dreamstime.com View full size image

What's in store for small business in 2012? We asked small-business owners nationwide to tell us what trends and big ideas they think will take center stage next year. Here's what they had to say:
Gesture-recognition technology. Voice is only the first step, according to Microsoft. The company envisions an interactive landscape that involves touch and gesture recognitionas well as voice input. In fact, Microsoft is also beginning to bake that functionality into products such as the Xbox Kinect, where the user's body functions as the onscreen controller. – Ilya Bukshteyn, Microsoft's Tellme
No boundaries. Forward-looking brands and retailers are creating a new, universal shopping environment for consumers, giving the green light for their customers to shop across all channels. You wanna buy online? No problem. In-store? Certainly! You wanna shop online while in the store? Of course! Buy it online and pick it up at the store? You can do that, too. This whole division of online shopping versus brick-and-mortar will slowly fade into memory. – Mark Grondin, Shopatron.com
Cyberinsurance.  We started to realize: When it comes to data breaches, small businesses are as exposed and, at times, even more exposed than large businesses.– Matt Cullina, IDT 911

Proximity-based social networks.Talking to strangers will become a big trend in 2012. Proximity-based social networks will allow you to identify like-minded individuals who are near you. As you ride a bus or attend a seminar, your smart phone will identify individuals nearby you should probably know. Our smart devices will thus evolve to become a way to meet new people in realtime, taking networking, hiring, marketing, dating and other human-to-human interactions out of the Stone Age and into a new and much-more-efficient era. – Ken Gaebler, Walker Sands Communications
Public/private partnerships.2012 will see the strengthening of a decades-long move away from government providing basic services, in favor of private or nonprofit entities. Government has spent its funds so badly, at all levels, that it has to shed some of its load, and the private entities provide those services better and price them more wisely. – Dan Biederman, Biederman Redevelopment Ventures
Business rollups. Look for an uptick in companies that acquire small- to mid-size businesses and consolidate them into larger entities. Baby-Boomer business owners that want to exit their companies will have few other viable options than to sell out to rollup firms. That's because one-off acquisition financing will remain scarce and because there are not enough Gen X or Gen Y business buyers to consume the fast-growing supply of Baby-Boomer businesses for sale. Moreover, valuation multiples, the numbers used to determine how much a business is worth, are generally higher for larger firms. As such, simply by merging into a larger firm, a business owner can increase the valuation of his or her life's work, possibly allowing the business owner to exit a business that might otherwise be unsellable or sold for a less-than-optimal price.  – Mike Handelsman, Bizbuysell,Bizquest
Strategic technology consulting will be an innovative service offering that gains traction in 2012. As more and more organizations start grappling with cloud computing models, technology scatter, virtualization, managing remote workers and branch offices, etc., the necessity for a company to come in and assess the current network environment and make recommendations for technological improvements that can provide significant business advantages will become apparent. – Heinan Landa, Optimal Networks
[How'd we do with last year's predictions?]
Local and mobile search is a trend gaining lots of traction in both the organic and paid search-optimization and digital-marketing worlds. Statistics show that consumers prefer to shop locally within 10 to 20 miles of their home or workplace, and 45 percent do not have a particular business in mind when searching. Many of these searches are conducted with some sort of smartphone. It is imperative that businesses understand the dynamics of local and mobile search to capitalize on these growing consumer trends and habits. – JoAnna Dettmann, tSunela
Social media for hiring. More than 80 percent of surveyed HR professionals said they are using social networks to help them recruit candidates. Specifically, 79 percent search LinkedIn, 65 percent have a company page on LinkedIn, and 63 percent have a dedicated Facebook page established for jobs and careers. – Anne Berkowitch, SelectMinds
Outsourcing IT functions.There is compelling evidence that managed services, even when implemented on a small scale, can deliver significant cost savings, freeing up cash for other businessneeds. More importantly, these savings are accomplished without impacting the availability and reliability of the technology solutions the company relies on to conduct business. – Carolyn April, CompTIA
Personalized business software. The last generation of business software was meant to optimize your back office, make accounting easier and keep up with tax rules. The new generation of business software is going to focus on creating value for your business, connect your customers and suppliers in a network and make it easier for you, not your accountant, to do business. – Christian Lanng, Tradeshift
Increased franchising. The franchise industry, which has been going strong, will see a big uptick in franchises with very low overhead costs and low start-up costs. For example, fitness boot camps require basically no overhead, as there is no facility to pay for. With successful franchises having a proven business model, many looking to start their own business see franchises as offering more of a guarantee than starting their own business from scratch. There are many franchises that can be started for less than $10,000 and I think we will see a lot more of those springing up in 2012.  – Dan Martin, IFX
Reputation reviews for business servicesand software will become the driver for accelerating adoption, especially for the business buyer. The fact is that business owners are using more online services to grow website traffic, members and sales. A lot more of these growth services will be purchased online via the B-2-B group-buying sites when the reputation of the site and its suppliers shine through. – Van Jepson, GroupPrice
The deals space will continue to expandin the next year. While we have started to see some consolidation in the industry, we're now seeing growth and expansion through specialization, and offerings in other verticals. – Tom Aley, RapidBuyr
With more than 50-million smartphones in the United States and the tablet market really taking off, companies will find it more effective and efficient to do more with less. Mobile learning is just beginning to grow, and companies will find that these mobile devices and tablets will allow them to help their employee learn, no matter the location or the time. – Chad Udell, Float
The expense management of mobile applications, cloud computing and SaaS subscriptions (salesforce, LinkedIn, etc.) are three areas that we feel will significantly challenge many organizations in 2012. – Kurt Brown, Quickcomm
Companies investing in "bolt-on" acquisitions to their current company. These bolt-on acquisitions are typically new business niches or companies that would provide added strength to the core business. However, if the small bet does not end up working as intended, it would have a low risk of polluting the core company. Entrepreneurs who have mastered this small-bet approach often prototype their small bets, letting their mentors and customers give them feedback on how to morph and design the final bolt-on concept. – Dennis Stearns, Stearns Financial Services Group
This year was all about the power of group purchasing, in which consumers band together to receive better deals from retailers. For 2012, we'll see this concept evolve from the opposite direction: group incentivization, with retailers, developers, and merchants banding together to offer a singular, more rewarding incentive for engagement. And just as Groupon defined a new vertical, companies that incentivize, like Swagbucks.com, can do the same. – Eron Zehavi, Swagbucks
Firms in industry after industry will see the competitive landscape shift as Chinese companies become a force in global markets. These firms will first be seen in emerging markets in Asia, Latin America and Africa, but shortly thereafter will begin to compete in the developed-country markets of North America and Europe. A common characteristic of these new competitors from China is their ability to offer "almost-as-good products at a very attractive price point," reflecting their fast-follower and fast-learner competencies. – George F. Brown, Jr., David G. Hartman, Blue Canyon Partners, Inc.
The focus of marketers in 2012, as involves social media, is going to be on understanding chatter (those billions of data points being created by people every day as they interact online, with each other and with a multitude of websites and social networks), and understanding how chatter can be used to improve customer relationships and drive sales. – Neil Rosen, eWay Direct
 More ad measurement.Measuring the success of advertising and marketing campaigns has historically been a challenge for marketers, most notably with print campaigns. With social media emerging as an appealing channel for many brands today, marketers are likewise faced with similar challenges in regards to tracking campaign success. In 2012 you'll see more marketers tracking the ROI of campaigns like these through call tracking.  – Irv Shapiro, Ifbyphone
Websites being more accessible on televisions and the ability for users to be able to navigate the Web using voice command. It is rumored that Apple is coming out with a television and the interface might be more streamlined for your living room. Additionally, accepting and processing payments on your smartphones will be a growing trend in 2012. – Kevin McNally, Interactive Palette
Consumer products and technologies will start to make their way into businesses. Tools and technologies that started as consumer products or look like consumer interfaces will become more popular, as the adoption rates increase when employees need less training to use the tools. This will also provide businesses with a competitive advantage for bringing in and retaining younger talent. 2012 will be the year of consumerization and consumer-friendly business applications. – Rob Bernshteyn, Coupa
Innovative workspace services. 2012 will mark an inflection point in the consumerization of real estate. Tools that put power directly in the hands of individuals will give them the autonomy to choose a workspace that optimizes their productivity by the hour, day, or month while increasing flexibility and reducing risk and overall cost for their companies. Workspace-as-a-service is the concept of providing a variety of workspaces on a subscription basis by the hour, day or month in facilities like business centers and co-working centers.  – John Jordan, President, Global Workspace Association
With employees increasingly moving toward using three to four different devices to do their jobs, the term "endpoint" is becoming more complex. The new endpoint, the user (versus the old endpoint, the device), will require more friction-free mobile-device management strategies as environments become more distributed. To provide the flexibility needed for employees to maintain productivity, IT will need to operate with more transparency, without losing control over the environment. – Steve Workman, LANDesk Software
There will be a rise in the building of customized enterprise application stores. Smartphones and tablets have little value without applications and the increased use of these devices creates demand for more applications that IT groups need to manage. An application store makes that process easier. – Dan Croft, Mission Critical Wireless
The disintegration of "channels." Shoppers, especially those under 35, don't think in terms of channels. Consumers are beginning to expect the same story, assortment, and prices no matter how they are consuming content. Their brand and transactional experiences blur across channels. We can see evidence of the disintegration on our news shows, as they now frequently pull from social media channels and evaluate the trending topics. Even retailers such as Walmart are using Facebook as their primary localization tactic for in-store promos. Brands and retailers that align their organization and budgets around brand, editorial and product content, not individual channels, will gain market share in the very near future. – Jeremy Gustafson, KSC Kreate
Cloud-based documents and information resources. After decades of being a resource primarily accessible to the wealthy and/or those with serious problems, specialized advice and situational training will go mainstream through a combination of on-demand experts, social graphing and mobile devices. Think of it as OnStar for your personal and professional life. – Jason Nazar, DocStoc
2012 begins the year of the "Digital Coupon Book." Discount directories empower the consumer by allowing them to search for interesting deals, transforming passive discount recipients into active couponers. Digital "coupon books" will dominate within the next two years, offering small businesses an engaged, active audience and another way to leverage their existing consumer relationships with hyper-local offers. – Jerry Nettuno, Schedulicity
By the end of 2012, making a website will not be something you pay thousands of dollars for, it will be something you create and maintain yourself. As a result, the small businesses that do not currently have a website will be able to get online. Those businesses that do have websites will be able to develop something modern that attracts clients, works with search engines, and helps build their business. - David Rusenko, co-founder and CEO of Weebly.com