For many of these businesses, it may not be a case of the marketing and/or public relations departments not wanting to be social, but company heads claim they cannot see a proven return on investment (ROI), so they opt not to go social.

In looking at several of the more popular social media venues, here is what your company is missing out on if you are not actively engaged:

• Facebook – By far the largest of the social media venues, this site provides companies with a great opportunity to create fan pages and share pertinent information with both current and potential customers. If you have a small retail business and have not done so already, create a fan page. Use it to interact with those interested in your business, offer them special deals related specifically to the site, start topic threads and engage in conversation with visitors. As Facebook is likely to pass 1 billion users later this summer, businesses not having a presence on the site are missing out on free advertising;
• Twitter – Considered in some circles to be more for use by celebrities, Twitter is a great tool for businesses to interact with consumers. Although the site’s comments are limited to 140 characters, Twitter allows businesses to tweet out information on the company and share links to information that visitors will find informative. The site has also served in the last few years to be a venue that people turn to for news updates, etc., so visibility can certainly work in a company’s favor;
• Google+ – While this site may not get all the attention that the first two mentioned do, Google+ is also a good option for businesses to share company products and services with the public. Just the fact alone that Google attracts more than a billion visitors a month to its search engine is reason enough to have a company Google+ page. Other reasons include the fact that its +1 button is not tied to usage just inside the framework of its social network, but throughout the search process when a visitor comes to Google;
• LinkedIn – Even though many business professionals use this as a networking site, it has a number of advantages for companies. Along with being valuable to building links and driving traffic to both your Web site and/or blogs, LinkedIn is good for businesses because it is easy to use and will not involve a lot of time and effort in marketing your business. You can also interact with other businesses, so that you can do some cross-promoting with those that would not be considered immediate rivals;
• Wikipedia – When you put together your company’s business reference page here, you can interact among other users on the site’s community portal. Business owners should be forewarned that their company will need to qualify in order to have a page on the site. Businesses that stand the best chance of getting such a page are those that have experienced some high-level media exposure and have some history behind it. Given the site is viewed as credible by most folks, having a page on it makes your information appear more valuable than on some other locations;
• Pinetrest – Now reported to be the third most popular social media site, Pinetrest can be a very wise decision for businesses. Analysis shows that 60 percent of the site’s users are women, something that should be of interest to many businesses given the fact that women in families in particular account for many of the shopping decisions. The site is a good venue to tell your company’s story through pictures and give consumers more of a reason to want to come and do business with you, building brand loyalty when all is said and done;
• Tumblr – Along with being easy to set up, Tumblr offers businesses the opportunity to have their coverage “re-blogged” around the Internet. When the content is re-blogged, it credits your site as the original source, meaning you bring more recognition to both your services offered and available products.

These are but a few of the social media venues that your business should have a presence on.

If your company’s leader/s thinks social media is not worth their time, tell them to reconsider that line of thinking which is downright anti-social.

It’s obvious that the world of mobile tech is on the fast track to major innovation and change. With the rise of 4G networks, and powerful peer to peer technology, we are entering a world where mobile users can share information regardless of operating system or service provider. In fact, in the very near future smart phone users will be able to share data over a secure network without the use of Bluetooth or Wi-Fi technology. This will all be done through powerful P2P technology that is currently being developed by mobile tech engineers all over the globe.

The Marriage of 4G and P2P: A Real-Time Problem Solver

Consumer-facing P2P technology has existed since you downloaded your first song off of Napster. The problem it has always faced is that there has never been powerful enough wireless architecture to support the use of P2P hardware on mobile phones. The rise of 4G technologies has not only made powerful peer-to-peer integration possible, but has provided a way for mobile integration to be fully realized.

The Changing Landscape of Mobile

Qualcomm has been involved in mobile connectivity research and development for a long time. Some of the most advanced mobile processing chips and network hardware have been conceptualized and developed by their talented staff of researchers, developers and engineers. As continuation of their already vast hardware development strategy, they are taking on the world of wireless networking with two new hardware products that signify a major advancement in data sharing.

• Flashlinq — Unveiled at February’s GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Flashlinq is expected to usher in the next phase of P2P networking. Flashlinq advances a technology known as proximal communication, which allows users to seamlessly connect, disconnect and transfer files to and from nearby users. Flashlinq will be beta tested in devices throughout South Korea in partnership with SK Telecom.
• AllJoyn — AllJoyn is an open-source project developed specifically for mobile networking developers. The technology is similar to Flashlinq in that it accommodates proximal communication technology – i.e. seamless data sharing among smart phone users — but due to its open-source framework, there are very few hosting requirements. This means that apps utilizing AllJoyn can share data without accessing virtual servers or cloud technology — and without mobile OS restrictions.

The Future of Mobile: Cross-Platform, Open-Source, P2P, Oh My…

Since Qualcomm leads the way in so many facets of mobile hardware development, it isn’t hard to imagine how this proprietary P2P technology will inform the future of mobile development. Closed platform app development, and other smart phone hardware and service provider restrictions will be a thing of the past. Lastly, it’s likely that open-source app development within the P2P environment will begin to shape mobile interactive gaming, and data sharing. In other words, mobile computing is about to become more social than ever.

One of the more interesting developments in digital marketing is creating a game for people to play that advertises a product – otherwise known as “advergaming.”

Years ago, Burger King sold a triad of games with their Whoppers that they creatively named “King Games.” Each of them retailed for $4 and offered a concentrated, yet perfunctory experience on an Xbox disc. The games were intentionally bizarre (in keeping with their bonkers ad campaign at the time), but fun despite itself. It served as an experience that would pull more customers into BK restaurants. Those games must have been successful because advergames have reappeared in marketing strategies, and this time they are bolstered by social media.

Here are a few advergames that I’ve come across (while working on research, er-hem…) that show how advergaming has grown and could possibly portend what we could see in the future:

The Hunger Games:

The critically acclaimed youth-murder book series will likely become the biggest motion picture phenomenon of the spring (read: the opposite of John Carter). It will also use a Facebook game to build anticipation for the film’s release and keep die-hard fans hooked into the fictional world of Panem. Facebook obviously offers a platform that reaches about 850 million people, and the game allows you to create your own avatar and take place in the Games against series favorites.

It’s a simple formula, but as long as the game can appeal to more than just die-hard fans, it’s poised to become a huge draw and turn over a huge ROI for the marketing budget.

Self Workout in the Park

Self Magazine has hosted its Workout in the Park event every year for the past two decades. This is, however, the first year where they will dip their toes into social gaming to promote the nationwide health and fitness event. The game is incentivized by typical game fare – puzzles, virtual goods, avatars, etc. – and represents where magazines and other legacy media are trying to pull new customers and revenue. The game is aimed at women and makes its mission to illustrate how “the more you play, the more you’ll see how diet, exercise and overall well-being can affect your life. All while having fun! It’s virtual fitness with real-life benefits!” (Source)

Red Bull’s The Art of Flight:

The Art of Flight is a straightforward high-score game with a simple gimmick: GET AIR, BRO! The title is part of a branding campaign Red Bull is executing that emphasizes its high-octane sports image. It probably took 45 minutes to code this game, but it appeals to a rudimentary sense of being the best at an easy thing. This is accommodated by the social sharing buttons on the game’s page asking that you “Challenge your friends” on Facebook and Twitter. It’s the simplest game marketing formula in the world, but it works.

Advergames have become an ascendant form of web marketing in the wake of the social media boom. The Hunger Games on Facebook with be a litmus test for whether these social games can succeed on a huge platform rather than just a short Flash diversion on a company’s website. If it does, we could see a whole new branch of social marketing bloom up from the already rich sod.

• Have you ever posted to twitter from the toilet?
• Is every experience an opportunity to post a status update?

Want to know whether or not you have a serious addiction to Facebook & Twitter?  Answer the 6 simple yes or no questions in the infographic below.  Take a look at the warning signs that you might be in denial about your addiction to these social media powerhouses.

Timeline for Facebook - Do Users Like it or Hate it?

Facebook is making all users integrate Timeline into their Facebook profiles. If you haven’t made the switch yet, then you’ve put it off long enough. Facebook warned you back in September that you will have to use Timeline for your profile, well folks it’s finally going to be mandatory in these upcoming weeks. A poll conducted by SodaHead reflected a strong opposition to the mandatory use of Timeline.

Infographic: Facebook User Reaction to Making Timeline Mandatory

Facebook is no stranger to resistance, take a look at of the new features they released in the past… Noone was a fan of the news feed, but it seems to be one of the most popular features on Facebook today!

Forbes magazine recently reported that India is now Facebook Nation No.2, for country with the most active Facebook users after the US.  In a years time, India went from ranking No. 6 to moving infront of the previous No. 2 Facebook Nation, Indonesia.

Real-time rankings for countries with the most active Facebook users according to checkfacebook.com.

1. United States: 155,699,640
2. India: 43,497,980
3. Indonesia: 43,060,360
4. Brazil: 37,907,400
5. Mexico: 32,031,340
6. Turkey: 31,247,120
7. United Kingdom: 30,249,340
8. Philippines: 27,593,300
9. France: 23,599,740
10. Germany: 22,600,660

At this rate, Facebook is projected to reach 1 billion active users by August.   “There are about 6.9 billion people currently living in the world, and Facebook is projected to capture close to 14% of that number by the end of this summer.” – Jeff Hughes, Digital Trends.  Just another impressive statistic to add to the list for Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg.

]]> http://www.inqbation.com/international-facebook-statistics-which-countries-have-the-most-users/feed/ 0 http://www.inqbation.com/facebook-timeline-of-events-a-history-introductions/ http://www.inqbation.com/facebook-timeline-of-events-a-history-introductions/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:12:06 +0000 Amanda http://www.inqbation.com/?p=6695 Read more »]]> Typically, the introduction of new Facebook functionality is never warmly welcomed.  I am guilty of showing resistance to new Facebook features, maybe because I am a control freak and I hate when my interface changes without being able to have any control over it…  but I have to admit, I was able to clean up my act with Timeline‘s face-lift to my Facebook profile.

Here’s a chart from BBC News displaying the history of introductions leading up to Facebook’s most recent introduction, Timeline.

Facebook Timeline of Events:
The History of Facebook Introductions & Growth of Active Users

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news

• September 2004 - The Wall, the original space where users and their friends can post and share content, is added to users’ profiles. Status updates which were of the form “user is…” are now “What’s on your mind?”.
• September 2006 - News Feed and Mini-Feed are introduced – now users can see what their friends are doing on the network.
• May 2007 - Facebook Platform launches, enabling third party developers to build applications and integrate with Facebook. It’s the platform on which hit games like Farmville are built.
• May 2008 – Facebook Connect starts. Users are able to “connect” their Facebook identity to any site. It marks the beginning of the “log in with Facebook” world.
• February 2009 - The “Like” social plug-in is added, allowing users to give positive feedback about online content they enjoy.
• August 2010 - Location-based service Facebook Places begins allowing users to share information about where they are. This feature is later
• January 2012 - Facebook announces “Timeline” will be mandatory for all users.  Timeline was launched in September 2011, allowing users the option to replace their existing profile with an audio visual timeline of their life.integrated with status updates.

In conclusion…

People tend to forget or ignore that there is a unwritten understanding / binding contract when you’re involved with technology & the Internet.   By using any application, tool, browser, website, etc… you agree to adapt to any advancements, enhancements, upgrades, make-overs, face-lifts, implants that are defined by the developers/creators/owners as necessary requirements to keep technology moving forward.

Now, if you disagree with their definition of “moving forward” then I suggest you make your own app, tool, browser, website, etc.. because if you didn’t make it or pay to develop it, you can’t really complain!  A lesson I’m still trying to teach myself

Related Blogs: Facebook Timeline – Helped Me Clean Up My Act!

As more and more customers turn to the Internet for their browsing and purchasing options, it behooves businesses who are not already doing so to implement a more aggressive social media approach over the next 12 months. Without it, they stand to lose their ability to stay one step up on the competition.

In the event your company has been lagging behind in the SM world, there are some steps you can implement to catch up to and even find yourself surpassing the competition. Among them are:

• Integrating social media into your customer service approach – The goal here is to give your customers and potential customers an outlet to speak to you. Yes, you sometimes may not like the message, but communication is important. Assuming you have a Facebook page and/or Twitter profile, make sure that you update it on a regular basis. Most importantly, listen to what your customers are saying, both positively and negatively;
• Engage your customer base – When you have social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter, use them to run things like contests and promotions. This is a great way to increase your customer base, bringing more eyes to your company Web site. Be sure that you are spreading the word regarding promotions that you are running so that the customer keeps returning to your site to see what you have to offer;
• Provide relevant and fresh content – You can utilize social media to promote things like your blog, white papers, podcasts, videos and more. By providing links of such material on sites like Facebook and Twitter, you give customers a reason to keep returning to your site. On the other hand, stale content and stuff that everyone else is doing will lead many individuals to visit your site once, then go in search of more interesting views;
• Do e-mail blasts – One way to promote your social media endeavors is by sending e-mail blasts to clients to show them your latest projects. You can then request that they spread the word to others. Keep the e-mail blasts to the point and don’t make them overwhelming to the point where you are constantly bombarding people with them;
• Promote, promote, promote – It is important going forward that you ramp up your social media promotion efforts. You can do this very easily by using the company site to promote new social media efforts, adding links on your homepage, and networking with others who are not rivals. If you have a small real estate business, work with others like the local chamber of commerce, other local businesses, etc. to promote their efforts. In return, they should be more willing to promote your site and social media endeavors, making it a win-win situation for all involved. You should also promote your social media pages on your business cards, any promotional flyers you send out and on things like bumper sticks etc. While a phone number is still real important for your business, promoting your social media links is just as and will grow even more important in the years to come;
• Know when to share, tweet and more – While the Internet is a 24/7 machine, there are some times that are better than others when it comes to promoting your product/s and engaging in conversation with customers. Define those times when you review your social media efforts in order to best determine when you will get the most bounce for your buck (social media really doesn’t cost a lot of money to employ, it is more time and effort). For instance, posting a blog on a Friday afternoon and promoting the heck out of it on Facebook, Twitter and other sites will not be the greatest benefit to you. Many people are already in the weekend mode by this time, so try on more plausible days like Tuesdays and Wednesdays;
• Be interesting – Lastly and most importantly, be interesting when it comes to your social media endeavors. It seems just about everyone has a Facebook or Twitter page these days, so how will yours stand out from the crowd? As noted earlier, social media does not have to cost your company an arm and a leg. In fact, it is essentially a time element that will prove the most necessary. If you find yourself not having the time in-house to do it, then check around for the necessary resources to have some outside assistance provided. Either way, make your social media efforts paint you as a leader in your respective field, not a follower.

While some ‘experts’ insist that social media is a fad, others point to what they see as a tool that will have significant staying power for years to come.

Those businesses who embrace social media are likely the ones who will find their companies were not a fad to begin with.

Indeed, many now view the snail mail as an inconvenience, delivering nothing more than junk mail. In a recent NPR interview, Steve Shiver, founder of Doxo (a company that helps consumers manage bills and documents online), stated “I had an epiphany one day when I went to my mail box and it was shoved full of junk mail and there’s only two or three important things I needed in all of this three of four pounds of paper. I generally want my government services focused on things that are really both efficient and valuable to me as a citizen. And what’s unfortunately happened incrementally over the years is a greater and greater proportion of physical mail is junk.”

What does this mean for businesses?

Considering that most of the “junk mail” delivered by the USPS is advertising for businesses, sales fliers, etc., many of which is time-sensitive, businesses will simply have to adapt to the changes that the Internet has wrought, or face the consequences. It isn’t practical to send these materials out through FedEx or UPS, yet these are obviously an integral part of building and promoting your business.

Already, many are predicting that the proposed changes to the USPS, which will be implemented as early as next April, will have a negative impact on small businesses and mail-oriented businesses such as Netflix. “It’s less of a disaster than it would have been ten years ago, but it’ll be a cash flow crunch for some companies,” Todd McCracken, president and chief executive of the National Small Business Association, told The Associated Press.  “It’ll be longer to get your invoice, and longer to get a check back.”

What can businesses do to stay competitive?

Simply put, businesses must learn everything they can about the Internet, and how to use it to their advantage. Here are five things that every business must do in order to adapt to these changes:

1. Learn everything you can about white hat SEO tactics. Many mistakenly believe that Search Engine Optimization is unethical, and should be avoided altogether. However, when done in an ethical manner, SEO can be incredibly effective.  Learn about keywords, relevant content, and so forth, and your website will flourish as a result.
2. Google has released many algorithmic updates, in order to weed out spammy sites and ensure better search results. The Panda Update, for example, gives Google the ability to read online content at a 10^th grade level, and was responsible for the demotion of several well-known websites in search rankings. Rather than being intimidated by these algorithm updates, learn as much as you can in order to use them to your benefit. Keep your content relevant and current at all times, and Google will reward you accordingly.
3. Experiment with online advertising, marketing and sales methods. Email marketing is the easiest way to target a specific demographic, without wasting money on paper and postage. Alternately, sites such as Facebook and Google offer different advertising options that can be used in lieu of mass mailings. Finally, there are several sites out there that offer coupons and deals to customers, making sales fliers a thing of the past.
4. Use social media to your advantage! As with all other Internet-related topics, sites like Facebook and Twitter were once thought to be only appropriate for keeping in touch with family friends, but now they can be used to promote your business. Retweet business-related items, or start a Facebook page for your business and encourage your customers to check-in in order to spread the word to their friends. With a little extra effort, you can increase your online presence exponentially, and your business will thrive as a result.
5. Start a blog, and write about all aspects of your company. You will not only gain customers as people discover your site, but you will also meet other business owners and learn what they are doing to remain competitive in the ever-changing market. Networking will always be beneficial, whether it is done online or in person, so why not take every possible opportunity to do just that?

Many view the changes with the USPS as a bad thing, but they are proof of what happens to a business that is unwilling or unable to change and adapt to technological advances. Rather than taking the risk of fading away into oblivion, stay up to date with everything and be a step ahead whenever possible. In doing this, you will be assured that your business will continue to grow.

Viral is Personal

Long before the internet was invented, every salesperson knew a universal truth about closing: Converting a lead who’s been referred is much easier than selling a cold prospect. It is this basic premise that is behind viral marketing. The trick, if you wish to call it that, is to create an image, message or video for your brand that attracts real attention of both a likely user and someone with Social Networking Potential. What one study suggests is that when one influential social media user adopts a brand, he or she not only shares that selection, but becomes invested in the success of the product or brand and are much more likely than not to remain very loyal to that brand. If you doubt this, strike up an online debate about iPhones and Droids and you’ll soon see this phenomenon in practice.

Why College Students?

Several behaviors associated with college students tell us a lot about viral marketing.

• College students spend a significant amount of time using social media
• College students tend to reveal more details than other groupings
• College students strongly factor in social media to buying decisions

College students today include more than the 18-22 demographic of past generations. Millennials in the 23-33 year range enrolled in an online university, many working part or full time, also share these behaviors. Even within the redefined limits of traditional students, these college-goers have spheres of influence still larger and more diverse than those not long out of high school.

Tomorrow’s prime market

Marketers looking at today’s college students realize that they’re also looking at the next prime demographic group, reason enough to study their media habits. Studying today’s students will offer a prologue to what will likely work on a much bigger scale when these students enter the workforce full time, bringing with them their networking habits.

Platforms are already getting it

Though only an anecdote, Facebook’s recent addition to its Page Insights dashboard, plainly labeled People Talking About This, is directly tapping into the contagion factor that can sprout from a creatively useful brand promotion. It is no coincidence that Facebook also added a premium ad pack that allows brands to appear on the profile pages of users who interact with that brand’s page as well as their network’s profile pages. At present, that service is limited to only those firms that can pay the hefty fee for that level of marketing, but it’s clear that someone at FB has been paying attention to the behaviors represented by college students.