How to use Twitter to mitigate a crisis

Planning, setting and managing expectations, establishing your message platform as well as aligning resources are essential to gaining the most value from your Twitter channel, and will help you be prepared for “what-if” scenarios.

iMEDIA  CONNECTION

Social networking as an online marketing tool

There was a time when many believed that social networking was just a fad that would only be used by the young, but as its popularity continues to grow it is becoming a major part of many companies’ online marketing campaign.

Social networking growing as an online marketing tool

Twitter is changing the sports industry

SI.com has a write-up that combines two of our favorite things, Twitter and sports.  Is the start-up social media site doing what SI claims?

Stewart Cink is a nice golfer — ranked 29th in the world, a member of the 2008 Ryder Cup-winning U.S. team — and one of the most affable, accessible guys on the PGA Tour. But the 17th flagstick at Sawgrass has more star power than the laid-back Atlantan. So why does a digital version of Arnie’s Army, 280,000 strong and surging, follow Cink’s musings on Twitter? Perhaps they are riveted by the revelations that he recently forgot the departure time of a flight, got lost driving around Jacksonville Beach and — brace yourself — refilled his allergy medication. Even Cink is bemused. “I’m honored,” he said of the size of his audience. “I respect and am grateful to everybody choosing to listen to the b.s. that I’ve put on Twitter.”

Twitter craze is rapidly changing the face of sports

Common Social Media Mistakes

Macon.com has come up with 10 mistakes that are easily made when folks start diving into the world of social media.  Well worth the read if you’re just beginning to get your feet wet.

Social media networking is a marketing phenomenon too powerful to ignore. Many companies use it wisely to communicate and connect with existing and potential customers, but just as many use it incorrectly. Here are some wincingly bad social media practices.

Ten common social media mistakes

Time Magazine Explains Twitter

Courtesy of Mashable, a preview of a Time cover story on how Twitted will “change the way we live.”

Time Magazine Explains Twitter

While an appearance on Oprah back in April may have marked Twitter’s official jump into the mainstream, the coronation might be this week’s Time Magazine cover story about the company, entitled “How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live..”

The magazine – a barometer of sorts about what’s important in the world – expounds on all things Twitter, ranging from the very basics about how it works, the power of real-time search, its application ecosystem, and its cultural significance, among other things. So how does Time explain the phenomenon to its audience of more than 20 million readers, median age 47.2? Here are a few choice excerpts:

YouTube views are setting records…

To accompany the top brands using Google post, BizJournals brings us a look at the YouTube chunk of the online video pie.

YouTube leads pack as online video views set record – Bizjournals.com

Search Engine Watch

YouTube leads pack as online video views set record Bizjournals.com, NC Americans watched a record 16.8 billion online videos in April, with YouTube hosting four of every 10 videos viewed over the Internet. Internet traffic tracking firm comScore says online video watching grew by 16 percent from March to April. … 152 Million US Internet Users Watched 16.8 Billion Online Videos … Search Engine Watch Americans Viewed a Record 16.8 Billion Videos Online in April … PR Newswire (press release) YouTube drives video viewing to record month Computerworld

Does cause marketing work?

A Michigan School of Business article discusses a Management Science study that reviews the business impact of cause marketing, with some interesting findings.

It’s this spillover effect to a company’s other products that can make cause marketing worthwhile, the researchers say. In fact, even if a firm is unable to increase the price of a cause-related product enough to compensate for the donated money or if it simply ties a low-selling product to cause marketing, it can still increase its profits — as long as consumers feel good about buying the company’s other products.

Michigan School of Business

Brand Leaders in YouTube Marketing

Catherine-Gail Reinhard of Videasa has an excellent write-up on Mashable.com in regards to the leaders in YouTube Marketing

As YouTube has grown into the preeminent video sharing service online, marketers have tried, with limited success, to broadcast themselves and to reach audiences with their messaging. And while individuals have used YouTube as a platform to step into the spotlight, most brands have been left behind in the shadows. Save for the occasional media-supported viral video blitz, or user generated contest, commercial success on YouTube has been elusive to the many brands that have tried to reach for that brass ring.

Read more at Mashable

Marketing & Sales Integration – Go forth and prosper!

Marketing And Sales: Integrate And Prosper
Forbes, NY

Forbes

Sales and marketing should be playing the same score, even if marketing plays the trumpet and sales plays the baritone saxophone. But too often, this level of cross-department collaboration is a holy grail that few companies achieve.

Forbes

Social Media’s big time! Now featuring their own gov fund!

Communities, Innovation and Washington – New York Times

Communities, Innovation and Washington New York Times, United States Central to the initiative is the creation of a Social Innovation Fund housed at the Corporation for National and Community Service. Congress has authorized the fund, and President Obama’s 2010 budget allots $50 million for it to start. ….

Need a Productivity Boost?

We weren’t crazy when we were touting Inbox Zero!

Almost 30,000 advertising jobs have been lost since the start of this recession. With fewer people, agencies desperately need increased productivity. But how can they increase productivity in the midst of layoffs? One answer comes from a surprisingly obvious place: e-mail.

Advertising Age

Google Wave: Weird and quite wonderful

CNET kind of misses the boat here – this is much more than just a slick email/IM tool.  Google Wave, set to launch later this year, has the potential to change how we use the internet.  Web 3.0?  Maybe….  How is it more than just email?  Google has provided API’s that will allow web developers to incorporate the open source software into their web pages with unprecendented ease of use and access.  As the old cliche goes, the possibilities are endless.

Google’s experiment make e-mail more like instant messaging, and IM more like e-mail.

CNET

The New Yankee Stadium: Not every fan’s baseball paradise

Yankee fans seeking a moment of interaction and a player’s signature are often leaving disappointed.  As creators of the guest experience, it’s interesting how easily small details can be overlooked and amazing the impact those details have on the end user experience.
New York Times

WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury set to rock sponsored jerseys. Awesome.

It looks like sponsored jerseys have made their their way into the American professional sports scene. And the Cubs home jerseys looked so clean! Dang you, WNBA!

Seattle Post Intelligencer

Mercury enter into marketing partnership with LifeLock Examiner.com In a move that will surely change the face of women’s professional sports, the Phoenix Mercury announced today that they have entered into a multi-year marketing partnership with LifeLock to launch the first-ever branded jersey in WNBA or NBA history. … Dear WNBA: A marketing wizard in your midst Hartford Courant In WNBA, Jersey Sponsorship Could Set New Standard New York Times Phoenix Mercury partner with Lifelock Examiner.com all 199 news articles

View Original Article

Tweet your favorite Flickr shots with Autopostr

Want to post some of your latest Flickr shots to Twitter? Autopostr lets you do it without any special browser add-ons or software.

View Original Article

In Preparation of IPhone 3.0, Apple Posts ITunes 8.2

In Preparation of IPhone 3.0, Apple Posts ITunes 8.2 – PC World

Techtree.com

In Preparation of IPhone 3.0, Apple Posts ITunes 8.2 PC World Apple on Monday released iTunes 8.2, an update to its music jukebox software and online store interface for the Mac and Windows. It’s available for download through the Software Update system preference. Apple notes that iTunes 8.2 now supports iPhones … Apple sued over methods for repeat iTunes, App Store sales Apple Insider Apple Releases itunes 8.2, quicktime 7.6.2 PC Magazine Apple unveils new version of iTunes ahead of new iPhone software SmartCompany.com.au

Microsoft’s Online-Ad Outlook: ‘Signs of Life Everywhere’

Microsoft’s Online-Ad Outlook: ‘Signs of Life Everywhere’ – Wall Street Journal

Washington Post

Microsoft’s Online-Ad Outlook: ‘Signs of Life Everywhere’ Wall Street Journal At a New York marketing conference, Scott Howe, who leads monetization efforts for Microsoft’s advertising unit, said “we’re seeing signs of life everywhere,” adding that the software giant expects that the third quarter, back-to-school and holiday … Bing Goes Live Today as Microsoft’s Newest Search Site MobileTechReview.com

Online Advertisers To Be Monitored?

White House Aide Warns Online Advertisers To Be Monitored – Wall Street Journal

Center For American Progress

White House Aide Warns Online Advertisers To Be Monitored Wall Street Journal “We face this challenge of maintaining an environment that promotes efficiency, innovation, economic prosperity, and free trade, while also promoting safety, security, civil liberties, and privacy rights of ordinary Americans,” she said. … The Obama Administration’s Silence on Privacy New York Times Obama Team Stumps for Tech … InternetNews.com all 12 news articles

The Best of SlideShare: “The Twitter Book”

Each Friday, we hand select a presentation from SlideShare that focuses on the area of business, design or technology (preferably a marriage of the three) for your personal and professional enlightenment.

Product vs. Commodity: NBC’s “Wide World of Sports”?

We must be able to draw a distinction between a company’s commodity and it’s product.  The commodity is the good or service, while the product satisfies the need.  For example…

Apple produces iPhone’s as a commodity they put into the marketplace – the physical item that is sold.  But Apple also recognizes the perceived need in the public of the lifestyle on the go, so the product they sell is mobile office, the world at your fingertips.  Their commercials aren’t bandwidth this, gigabyte that, screensize galore.  When you walk into the Apple Store, you aren’t purchasing the physical phone.  Rather, they sell you the perceived need the phone fulfills in your life.  Apple is among the best at identifying your perceived needs, and delivering a product to you to fulfill those needs.

Which brings us to NBC.  Any great marketing campaign triggers a user experience that engages the user within the product.  NBC is looking to move their sports broadcast business from commodities to products in an effort to become the new “Wide World of Sports” from ABC’s glory days.