Twitter posts

With so much money going into social media as a marketing and branding tool, it’s hard for businesses to discern the true value that their social media efforts are bringing. How much are they really getting when someone posts a tweet about them or mentions them on Facebook? Are they getting real value or is it all just another intangible to throw into the advertising budget like billboard signs and television ads? The folks over at backupify took their cloud data and applied it to the question, “What is social data worth?” The results help to quantify social by showing the average per-user value and…

One of the biggest complaints about Twitter over the last couple of years surrounds doubts about their actual size. They have the users – over 200 million – but are they really engaged? How many of them are actually using the service and how many created an account after Ashton Kutcher did, then abandoned it after an annoying month of hearing about what people were having for breakfast. They get plenty of that on Facebook, after all. Today, they purchased the technology and most of the team behind RestEngine, a “social marketing automation platform” that specializes in getting users re-engaged…

One of the hardest parts about personalizing social media profiles and pages is getting the artwork and branding just right. Every site has different sizes and styles that they prefer when placing artwork on your page. The challenge is that they rarely (for some reason) tell us the dimensions that work best. This graphic by San Diego web design is a perfect cheat sheet for those who want their pages to look just right. It’s particularly useful for agencies who have to post graphics on a semi-regular basis. Click the image to download the PDF version for safe keeping. …

Marketing execs drinking midday highballs on Madison Avenue are posh and glamorous. No wonder then that some businesses still hold traditional media marketing—glossy campaigns in print, splashy billboards, tv spots and their mindless jingles—over and at the expense of their social media marketing efforts. Just like business school is stuck in analog and antiquated ways, denigrating modern, online MBA programs in favor of prestigious institutions that have always been there. Marketing is the same way.  But the problem with this dated type of advertising push is that the information…

During the last ten years, social networks have evolved from simple communication hubs to veritable agents of change; galvanizing thousands of people over political discourse, creating and changing industries, and all in all, transforming people’s lives. Just couple of years back, many people dismissed Facebook as a place for kids to share their rants/pictures. Today, more than 600 million users worldwide are active on this website. Approximately 200 million people are active on twitter, another 100 million use LinkedIn. None of these social networks even excited at the beginning…

Nearly every business in the world has considered using social media for their brand (or at least been told by someone to do so). It’s an important concept because social media has all of the characteristics of an excellent set of venues for getting out a brand message – popularity, ease, reach, and interactivity. The challenge is that with so many businesses doing it, many messages start with great intentions and end up falling on deaf (aka nonexistent) ears. There are ways to use social media properly to get out the message whether it’s a general PR item or a major announcement. While press releases…

You’ve finally met the right person. They have all the qualities you love and look for in a significant other. Now you’re engaged and it’s time to plan the wedding. This is where the problems start. What colors should you choose? Is this really the cake you want? Those invitations are hideous and I refuse to send them to my family. Is there anything that can help? Social media may be the answer you are looking for. The most obvious choice to help you plan your wedding currently is Pinterest. Pinterest allows you to create online boards that you can pin images or videos to. This allows you to create…

Some would say that social media doesn’t really tell an accurate tale about people. We are often portraying our “ideal self” as some famous psychiatrist once described, supporting causes and charities, giving compliments to our friends and family, and sharing funny links even when we don’t normally do anything in the real world with charities, we rarely talk to our friends or family, and we just aren’t able to deliver a joke. It’s not in the way we present ourselves but in how we react and what we do online through social media that really shows what Americans have in their guts. This isn’t a call for…

Everyone has startup fever again after Facebook’s huge purchase of Instagram last week, perfect timing for Path to announce a $30 million round of funding led by Redpoint. “We are delighted to announce that last week we closed a significant round of funding with a new set of investor partners,” CEO Dave Morin. “It is important to us to work with investment partners who share common values around quality and building for the long term. Our ‘Path’ has only just begun, and we are looking forward to continuing to bring world-class design and simplicity to the world of mobile personal…

Most businesses are getting involved in social media in some way. Whether for marketing, customer outreach, collaboration, or any of the many ways that businesses can utilize social media, the need to have a proper strategy and plan is growing. The biggest question many ask is whether to train their current employees, hire new ones, or outsource. It’s the expert versus the advocate question. Hiring an outside firm to handle a company’s social media is an option that allows for proven, repeatable strategies and experience to run the campaigns. It means that internal people have less control…