Do you remember the person who consulted with you about social media and told you that brands are having tremendous success on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest? That’s the type of person that you’re reaching the most according to a report by NBCUniversal Integrated Media. The report is designed to show how consumers who are part of GenX and GenY are digesting their influences. It took a split approach to the study which consisted of 2,500 people – 2,000 were average respondents age 18-49 and the other 500 were “digital trendsetters” in the same age group which represent 5% of the national…

It’s hard to believe that Facebook is nearly a decade old. I can remember when it was just a social media toddler spreading across colleges. Oh, how it has grown. The last five years have been tumultuous but successful for the most popular website in the world. It was in 2008 that Microsoft gave the ultimate bid of credibility to the site by investing in it, something that the software giant rarely did for up-and-comers like a social network. It can be argued that it was at that point that the attention of the world really turned to Mark Zuckerberg’s baby and the site has stayed in the forefront of media…

It was hot, then it was cold, then it was hot, then it was cold. Google+, the search giant’s 54th attempt at a social network, is going on two years old now and it has made a splash in the social media world with half a billion users, over 100 million of whom are considered “active”. These seem to be impressive numbers until you spend enough time on the site and realize that it’s still not in the same league as Facebook when it comes to engagement. People live a good portion of their lives on Facebook, while they struggle to remember to check their Google+. They aren’t far off from having a truly valid social…

Those in social media marketing as a profession realize that there are certain unknowns when it comes to the new web. We know that people are on social media. We know that they don’t want direct marketing. We also know they’d rather get direct marketing than pay for the services, so there’s at least a little room for something. The question is, “what is that something?” Whether from B2C or B2B, social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn give marketers the ability to try to reach the target audience and generate leads. The vast majority are trying. Most are failing, or at least not meeting…

In 2008, Twitter introduced the ability for advertisers to buy promoted trends, a way of taking over a portion of the homepage to drive traffic to a topic. At launch, it was a “mere” $80,000, a number that many experts thought was too high. In 2013, the number is officially $200,000. So much for the experts. According to AllThingsD: The promoted trend lets an advertiser insert its own message atop the “trends” list on Twitter.com home pages and on Twitter apps; Twitter sells a single message a day, per territory. Except when it doesn’t: Today, for instance, there’s no promoted trend on the…

There was once a time when being a geek or a nerd wasn’t cool until you bought your first Porsche. Today, thanks in part to a heightened awareness of intellectual necessities mixed with the onslaught of the internet, smart is chic and the wildly popular TED conferences and their Talks series are leading the charge to make it even more socially acceptable. Part of the revolution has been social media. In the early days, it was better to be frivolous than brainy on social. Today, the funny cat pictures are still popular, but there is a growing sentiment of more refined sensibilities and contributions…

There’s a minor journalistic debate currently happening surrounding the marketing, particularly how social media played into the Super Bowl ads, that is happening right now between Matt McGee and Bobby Grasberger. McGee said that Twitter was the big winner amongst social media sites as he claims that 50% of the ads included mentions of Twitter. Grasberger says that only 3 of the ads mentioned Twitter with the others using hashtags which can be used on multiple platforms. In ways, both are correct. In other ways, they both missed two of the bigger points. First, it’s clear that businesses can…

What would you say if I told you that the tools you need to accomplish everything you need professionally and practically are at your fingertips in a one-stop-shop on the Internet? It’s true. And you’ll find tons of useful help and organizational guides to accomplish everything you need in a place you may have never thought to look: Mommy blogs. I’m not a mother. But knowing my own mother and watching my sister with my niece and nephew, I’m well aware that there’s no determination comparable to a woman that needs to get something done for their family. I have much less to juggle than the majority…

Thinking about giving a gift this year? Watch out – it should come as no surprise that while the amount you’re likely willing to spend is about the same as ever, the cost of things people actually want continues to rise. Gone are the days when the most popular gifts were $20 – $30. These days, you could be shelling out almost $600 to get them that Samsung Galaxy S3 that they want! In fact, in 2012 the most popular gifts all clocked in at over $100 and included things like smartphones, tablets, e-readers, MP3 players and head phones – a far cry from the $5.95 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures…

Firing employees can be hard. There are emotions at play and emotions can lead to bad decisions. They can also lead to funny consequences when the people in charge aren’t cognizant of how the new world of social media works. Such is the case for embattled British music retailer HMV. The company, already embroiled in a form of bankruptcy protection (see image from their website below) due to the shift towards digital music downloads, fired 190 employees today. At least one of those employees had access to the company’s Twitter account and gave a blow by blow report of the events as they unfolded. The…