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@SweetCityCandy thanks for the RT and happy new year...#candy for #jewish holidays http://bit.ly/5dP3kIvia TwitterThe new FTC disclosure rules for bloggers can be confusing. While many people do their best to explain when they may have received gifts or food or books for free, it’s not very easy to know just how to disclose, and when!
I came across the following blog post which prepared a set of FTC disclosure icons that will see you through practically any possible conflict of interest…..enjoy!
I noticed on Google’s homepage tonight that that are promoting and linking to their new Discover Music service
You can now find music faster and easier using Google….search for artists, albums, songs or lyrics. Google will provide links to partner sites where you can preview and purchase songs…(uh oh iTunes????)
The video below from Google gives you a good idea of what is now available:
I have always been a strong believer in strategic partnerships and it doesn’t stop when it comes to social media….
Social media partnerships can increase visibility by promoting your content across multiple web properties. Moreover, niche social networks are essentially targeted marketing….you wouldn’t be discussing gardening and flowers at DNForum.com and you’re also not likely to discuss internet marketing strategies at TheStreet.com. The abundance of social networking sites only means that if you look deep enough you WILL find a venue on that web that gathers your niche customers, no matter who you are trying to reach!
From a financial perspective, social media partnerships can also help to save money as the social network may offer its services for free in exchange for offline promotion in order to drive more visitors….
So think about it and make a list of 5 potential social media partners you would like to work with and contact them today!
Retailers are using online social networking to spread the word about bargains and it could have big payoff for both retailers and consumers.
They’re definitely not your grandmother’s Black Friday ads. This holiday season, the busiest shopping day of the year is all about social networking with consumers.
“This way it feels customized. It feels directly targeted towards them. They can pick and choose what they want to hear so it’s not like they’re flooded with information,” says consumer psychologist Kit Yarrow.
The National Retail Federation says almost half of all retailers are advertising more on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Major brands have developed massive followings. Starbucks has more than five million Facebook fans, and Coke has more than 4 million followers. And this holiday, retailers are luring consumers in by offering discounts and coupons just for their social networking fan bases.
“Retailers are going to be sending out info to consumers about what’s on sale where and it’s going to be up to the minute and fast,” says Yarrow.
Shoppers hitting the stores today say it is social networking and emails from advertisers that drew them out early and will probably be what draws them back out again tomorrow.
“Twice a week, I get coupons for Barnes and Noble that drag me in there, even if I don’t need anything,” says Rick L of California.
Craigslist founder Craig Newmark has been accused of ruining traditional advertising sales in newspapers with his online market place. He says the social networking trend is here to stay — largely because consumers love it.
“Social networking changes advertising in a big way because people will rely on what their friends and what trusted experts say that has implications for the future of advertising, that I’m not smart enough to figure out,” says Newmank.
One survey found that about 30 percent of online shoppers plan to use Facebook and Twitter for their holiday shopping this year, and with all of the bargains out there, it appears the consumers are the smart ones in this deal.
For more info stay tuned ane be sure to follow me on twitter – www.twitter.com/AndrewHazen
I feel VERY sorry for the marketers that have not registered twitter handles for their brands, which now may be at stake!
How do you think Hyundai feels when the Twitter @Hyundai page shows 140 characters in Korean and English about the Yankees, cellphone and oysters?? To my surprise, some of the biggest marketers in the world are blocked from using the Twitter handle that corresponds with their names/brands thanks to mysterious ‘Twitter-Jackers’ who are squatting on the handles…..the following companies DO NOT own their twitter handle:
While Twitter has awared celebrities like Ashton Kutcher and Oprah special ‘verified’ account status, marketers have yet to be granted such badges….Even the Home Depot couldn’t register @HomeDepot in March 2008 when it was ready to dip its toe into Twitter….instead it registered @TheHomeDepot and nearly one year later it finally got the @HomeDepot handle….others haven’t been so lucky.
So – don’t fall victim to Twitter-Jacking and instead procure your twitter handle and all other social media handles for that matter before someone else does!! One great free tool to use is UserNameCheck.com
With so many social networking platforms, there are search engines to match. In fact, there are new tools and websites popping up every day that will help find, sort and learn from what people are saying every day. Here is a list of some of these tools, but in no way is this list complete.
In a test it hopes will improve user experience and lead to better ad creative, YouTube added a “skip” button to some pre-roll ads. The ultimate goal, says YouTube, is to create a scenario where advertisers pay only for ads users watch in full or engage with some other way.
It’s a minor development to be sure. Skip buttons for video and interstitial ads have been around as long as the ad messages they help users circumvent. But the move suggests Google is not satisfied with the quality or performance of pre-roll inventory on YouTube.
“We want to learn who skips, which ads they skip, when do they get skipped, and how can we use that skip as a quality signal,” said Phil Farhi, YouTube Product Manager.
Read a great list of “Idiot Mistakes made in Social Media” – some of these are common sense but the others are great to reinforce that you MUST have somewhat of a plan when you dip your toe into the Social Media world…..
Following is the list of 8 Idiot Mistakes in Social Media:
1. Obsess over Numbers
2. Don’t Complete Your Profile
3. Create Profiles Everywhere
4. Enter Blindly With No Plan
5. Be Inconsistent
6. Be a Spammer
7. Assume That One Size Fits All
8. Be A Sales Person
To read the rationale and ideology behings these, please read the entire article here
iMedia Connection has a decent article out this morning on How to be a good social media listener. What I really took away from the article is that “Above all, you have to find a way to listen to those who are not speaking. About 15 percent of those online account for most of the chatter. That leaves 85 percent in the silent majority. Many of those people are highly engaged. They’re reading, forwarding, and making purchases based on those interactions. They’re also influencing others through those actions. Influence must be judged by solid metrics. The person shouting the loudest is not always the most influential. A good listening platform measures the engagement of that silent majority and accounts for influence and reach.”
A major question/concern of marketers is when do we engage? Especially with the new FTC Laws coming into effect 12/1/09, marketers have to be extremely careful about how they proceed. I suggest you enter the conversation(s) when you can bring true value and contribute to what’s already being said, discussed and explored. Moreover, if you join a conversation, DO NOT leave it when your purpose has been met….stay involved or you will instantly lose credibility and respect.
This mornings iMedia Connection had a good article on Top 6 PR Tips EVERY Marketer Should Now….
As to the last point, I agree 150%….just last week, a reporter from the Long Island Businesss News contacted me about Domaining and the buy/selling/developing of domain names….I explained the industry to the reporter and turned him on to two industry experts….as a result we all got published and the reporter now knows I am trusted, reliable and accurate source….that article on Domaining can be read here
Some other great quotes/takeaways include:
You can read the entire article here
