There are both upsides and downsides to life in the social media world. On the down side, online anonymity and the freedom to customize your media gadgets, friends, and information sources can lead to self-indulgent behavior. On the plus side, social media opens up extraordinary possibilities for personal connection and intellectual and geographic discovery. Both sides are on full display in an interesting new white paper from Euro RSCG Worldwide titled “Social Life and Social Media.”

Euro RSCG found several noteworthy trends that have developed as a consequence of broader social media usage. The first is the rise of hyperlocalism, e.g. the ability to connect via community websites or more easily find local businesses. (Though relatively new to social media, local search has long been a facet of search engine optimization.) Another is a more intense emphasis on self as social networking enables greater customization or personalization of one’s online world. A related finding is that social media users are more willing to take risks or engage in daring behavior—both bad (posting Facebook photos that could lead to employment trouble) and good (feeling more empowered to meet new people or do something you’ve always wanted).

“Social Life and Social Media” provides four takeaways for companies that are currently involved in social media marketing:

• Embrace the trend, ride the fads

The benefits of social media are more important than particular technologies or social networking sites. Build your social media strategy using today’s most popular sites, but be prepared for tomorrow’s trends, such as mobile.

• Aim to participate, not dominate

Social media is about organic, consumer-driven communication. Unlike traditional marketing, companies and brands are on the periphery of the medium rather than in control. Creativity and authentic interaction are essential.

• Stop thinking online/offline; start thinking interaction

The theme of social interaction should trump marketing divisions such as online vs. offline or old media vs. new media. From senior executives on down, employees must be familiar with and understand the possibilities of social media.

• Pay attention to location-specific initiatives

In social media, Euro RSCG writes, “the most powerful interactions are those with ‘local,’ face-to-face qualities.” Rather than scale up, social media marketing challenges companies to scale down and meet the needs of individual, local consumers.

www.eurorscgprcampaign.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/EuroWhitePaper_SocialMedia.pdf

Last month, Ford chief marketing executive James Farley said that by year’s end, the American car company will have spent a hefty 25% of its annual marketing budget on digital and social media. Today, Ford made a stunning announcement: a third-quarter net income of $997 million.

Coincidence? Maybe, but not likely. Ford has long been one of the most prominent “traditional” corporations in the social media marketing sphere. Scott Monty, Ford’s head of social media, is a familiar face on television and YouTube, and a well-recognized blogger and tweeter. In May, a statistical analysis by Mashable.com found that Monty had succeeded in giving Ford a much stronger and more personal social media presence than that of other U.S. automakers.

Monty has also been involved in creative social media marketing campaigns that have yielded truly eye-catching results. The most notable example is the Fiesta Movement, in which 100 people were given Fiestas in exchange for sharing their experiences on blogs, video sites, and social networking sites. As of October, the campaign had made 11 million social networking impressions. And though the Ford Fiesta has yet to be released in the U.S., Ford surveys have found that Gen Y awareness of the car is already on par with other Ford models that have benefited from multi-million dollar traditional marketing campaigns.

Cost cutting and Cash for Clunkers undoubtedly had major roles in Ford’s third-quarter success. Monty himself modestly attributes the numbers to a strong transformation plan and solid products. But if the combination of a sizeable social media marketing budget and unexpected profits continues, other automakers will need to seriously rev up their social media efforts.

In our last post, we looked at a few reasons why small businesses should be involved in social media marketing. This week, we’re going to take a closer look at why some small and mid-sized businesses have yet to embrace Internet marketing or social media.

An Internet marketing survey released last week by Merchant Circle found that there were two primary reasons for a lack of online engagement by SMBs: it’s too costly (26% of respondents), and there’s not enough time to do it well and still run a business (15.9% of respondents).

Excuse #1: It’s Too Costly

Of the survey’s respondents, 79% had marketing budgets of less than $5,000 per year and 44% of less than $1,000. In traditional marketing, that might be a pittance. But online, a dollar can go a lot further. For example, pay-per-click marketing allows you to set a tight budget and target specific keywords. Even something as simple and inexpensive as monthly blog writing services can have a huge impact on your online business. An August report by HubSpot found that small and medium-sized online businesses with blogs attracted 55% more website visitors, 97% more inbound links, and had 434% more indexed pages—a big boost to any search engine optimization campaign.

Excuse #2: There Just Isn’t Enough Time

This is where Molding Web can help. Our team has worked with some of the leading companies in the Internet marketing and search engine optimization industries. We founded Molding Web in order to take a more organic, collaborative approach to online marketing. We do the Internet marketing work that you don’t have time to do, and our number one goal is always the long-term growth of your business. We shape our social media and content writing services to your needs and budget, and are always ready to adapt as your circumstances and business needs change. To learn more, call us at 1-877-900-6932.

For most small businesses, social media remains uncharted—and potentially shark-infested—waters. Concerns ranging from worker productivity to legal liability have led small business owners to stick with what they know in the Internet marketing world—namely search engine optimization. This is ironic, considering that just a few years ago, SEO was still seen by many companies as only a few steps removed from those Nigerian email banking scams.

Social media marketing appears to be in a similar position today as SEO was in a few years ago. A recent survey of 500 small business executives across the U.S. by Citibank/GfK Roper found that the vast majority consider social media sites unhelpful and prefer to use search engines for finding information and their own company websites for generating sales.

What these executives may not realize is that the worlds of social media and search engine optimization are rapidly converging. The microblogging site Twitter is in talks with Google and Bing about allowing them to include Twitter’s 140-character posts in their search results. Already this year, Twitter has enhanced the ability of its users to get real-time search results. Google is also unveiling services such as Sidewiki that will allow anyone to comment on or add useful information next to any webpage. In short, search is going social.

The social media sphere is also where the customers are. August 2009 numbers from Nielsen show that 301.5 million people in the U.S. and several other major countries are using social media sites versus 229.2 million who are using email. Social media use is now happening in the most unexpected industries. A recent Fresno Bee article examined the growing use of Facebook, Twitter, and blogs among U.S. dairy farmers. Yep, dairy farmers. Milk, meet microblogging.

What all of this means is that Internet marketing is becoming a two-sided enterprise. Search engine optimization and content writing services will not lose their importance. But relying solely on familiar marketing techniques to build your business is like laying a foundation with one arm tied behind your back. As social media continues its remarkable growth, building an online business is going to require two strong and agile arms: SEO and SMM.

It’s October, which means it’s Christmas—at least in the American retail world. After last year’s drop of 2.4% in holiday sales—the first decline in 40 years—companies are looking for creative ways to reach cash-strapped gift buyers, even as a report from Deloitte Services LP predicts a stagnant holiday shopping season.

However, Deloitte’s announcement concluded with a hopeful note: “The proliferation of mobile applications and social networks may yield new opportunities to pursue targeted advertising, build brand loyalty and measure campaign effectiveness.”

One example of how seasonal social media marketing might look is the new Christmas campaign from Best Buy. The consumer electronics retailer got a lot of attention back in July when it started its Twelpforce—customer service via Twitter. Best Buy is now supplementing its Twelpforce with a Facebook page that allows fans to share products with and get shopping advice from friends.

Even tiny URLs will be a part of Best Buy’s seasonal strategy (URL shortening sites make it easier for people to share links via social media networks). As Christmas ads, Best Buy will be recording videos of 25 Christmas songs reworded to offer gift ideas. Shortened URLs linking to the songs will then be shared via Facebook and Twitter.

Find out how creative social media marketing could benefit your company during the holidays. Contact Molding Web at 1-877-900-6932.

In the spring of 2008, the Halifax, Nova Scotia-based band Sons of Maxwell was seated aboard a United Airlines plane that was preparing to leave Chicago. A woman who was seated behind them watching the baggage handlers outside suddenly cried out, “My god they’re throwing guitars out there.” As it turned out, they’d wrecked a $3,500 Taylor guitar belonging to the band’s lead singer, Dave Carroll. After spending nine months trying to resolve the issue and get United to accept responsibility for the damages, Carroll finally vowed to create three songs about the event, as well as music videos that would be posted online. The first of these songs, “United Breaks Guitars,” has turned into a viral video sensation.
United Breaks Guitars

The lesson here is that social media marketing cuts both ways. Social media not only provides new avenues that companies can use to communicate or promote their brand, but it also gives a voice to customers whose complaints have not been given a proper hearing–something every customer service representative should bear in mind whenever they encounter a gracious Canadian musician with a legitimate grievance.

You can read the whole story here: http://www.davecarrollmusic.com/story/united-breaks-guitars.United Breaks Guitars