Is The Social Media Hype Over In 2010?

My job is social media so why would I even bring this up? The reason that I am and the reason that I believe the hype is over is because social media is no longer a buzzword. Instead, it is and should be accepted as an integral part of any marketing strategy. Looking back at [...]

Small Businesses: Show Customer Appreciation by Recognizing Your Customers Online

Showing appreciation for clients and customers comes in many forms.  Some industries have it figured out, and instead of getting creative, they just follow trends.  For example, large retail outlets have, “Customer Appreciation Days” that give customers up to 20 percent or 30 percent off their purchases.  Restaurants have customer loyalty cards that give you a free sandwich [...]

Social Media Analysis: Understanding Your Client

My most recent client project has been to put together a social media analysis. What this means is that I go through a thorough process that helps me to identify the conversations and the influencers online, and then I quantify it. Sometimes the quantity is comments, sometimes it is hash tags, and in some cases [...]

The Hidden Benefits of Building Your Brand Through Social Media: (Passive) Recruiting

Over the last year the big discussions were around company layoffs. The layoffs were obviously newsworthy and mirrored the state of the economy, and the recession we are in.  During this same time period however, an issue that was not as given as much attention was the implementation of hiring freezes. Though it was most prevalent in the [...]

The Trade Show Lesson: Using Traditional Marketing to Learn About Social Media

I attended a great presentation yesterday that was put on by The Essex Group at the GNHCC.  The topic of the presentation was Secrets to Trade Show Success.  To most in my age group, this topic may not spark much interest, and I would be lying if I said I couldn’t sleep the previous night [...]

The Key to a Successful Facebook Fan Page: Goals and Strategy

Here at Mason, Inc. we are getting our Facebook Fan Page started and beginning to promote it. Because we believe in practicing what you preach, and an effective social media strategy is something we preach often, we knew that we needed to go into this with goals and of course, a strategy. We want to [...]

For Small Companies, Successful Social Media Strategies Start Internally

I am a firm believer that you should hire someone specifically for social media. I think that it is an important part of your marketing strategy, and it deserves full time attention. I do realize however, that some companies cannot afford to take on new staff, and would rather not put their online brand in the hands of an intern (which I agree with). If this is the case it is a good idea to make the entire team accountable so that everyone has something to say, and everyone will be cautious about the material they put online.

3 Steps to Managing Your Company’s Social Media Policy

With online conversation now a way of life, it is very important to monitor the information that is being said about your company. You cannot always control the external voices online, but you can (and should) control the voices coming from your organization. The best way to control your company’s brand online is not necessarily [...]

Want to create a viral marketing campaign? Get brand evangelists.

Brand evangelists have been around forever. Think back to the paper boys in the early part of the 20th century standing on the corner shouting headlines in order to sell the local periodical. They were out there building brand awareness, while using the headlines as the hook. Times have changed a bit and instead of [...]

The Power of Twittering

I am a firm believer in the power of Twitter, and this is a great example. According to Nation’s Restaurant News, Costa Vida recently did a Twitter promotion announcing a one-day free burrito to about 80 fans on Twitter. What happened next is that Costa Vida fans then forwarded it to about 15,000 fans that [...]