B2B firms led the first wave of social media adoption five years ago with aggressive blogging initiatives. More recently, Twitter, the simple yet powerful micro-blogging service, has lowered the barriers to social media entry for B2B entities almost to zero – allowing organizations to deliver sizable traffic to corporate and product Web content.  

Moreover, HR and legal departments are happy to see the ‘tweet’ alternative – diminishing any opportunity for users to provide inappropriate content with only 140 characters to get their message across.  In fact, Twitter has become a tool to point followers to safe corporate content – a means to monitor and listen to customer complaints before they get out of hand. 

Let’s not forget LinkedIn, the social network for professional adults – growing to 50 million users in 2009. The social network has become a popular destination for B2B companies in search of top talent or business professionals with areas of common interest. Moreover, LinkedIn claims its member demographics outpace those of The Wall Street Journal. 

With more than 500 million members, Facebook is the 800-pound gorilla of social networks. While it has been less popular with B2B marketers than other alternatives, companies including Ernst & Young, Forrester and IBM have built sizable fan bases there. Facebook is particularly popular with corporate recruiters trying to reach young job-seekers.  

Here are a few B2B social applications that will aid with integrated social initiatives – providing mechanisms to syndicate content, share content and monitor activity for future refinement:

SlideShare translates the popularity of PowerPoint presentations as a conversational medium into a membership that is reportedly approaching 10 million.  

BrightTALK takes the complexity out of managing an ongoing series of live and pre-recorded webcasts by consolidating them all into a single destination ‘channel’. It’s where you create webcasts and where your audience goes to see them. 

PRESSfeed, a social media newsroom, makes it easy for journalists, bloggers and site visitors to find and share your content. Content syndication through trusted channels is the next large wave for B2B social marketers. 

In the coming year, B2B marketers will turn their attention to expanding and optimizing the channels they use. Companies such as Jive are bringing tools to market that enable enterprises to manage large-scale social conversations while publishing simultaneously to multiple destinations.  

Great Resources: 

Social Media Will Change B2B Distribution Channels by Social Media B2B (Check out the entire site!)

9 Social Listening & Tracking Tools by Connected Marketer 

B2B Spending on Social Media to Explode by eMarketer

It's Official: Facebook Passes 500 Million Users by Mashable

Best

Denice MacDonald

Now that I’m an avid traveler, it has become increasingly important that I find the best travel, hotel or car deal. I routinely use Expedia, CheapTickets and even Priceline. Now, with the intro of KAYAK , I can maximize one-stop-shopping to all these sites by allowing KAYAK  to do all the work.   

        This is how it works     .     .     .     .     . 

KAYAK is a travel search site. Everybody knows what a search site is, and everybody knows what a travel site is. KAYAK is like both, but it’s different in some important ways. 

Like a search site, they can help you find what you want. What makes them different is that they’re specialized. Their tools are made to deeply understand things like airfares and hotel stays. And like a travel site they have flights and hotels. But they’re very different from most travel sites because they don't actually sell plane tickets, hotel rooms, or anything else. 

KAYAK  helps people find the best travel choices easily by searching the data from hundreds of travel sites at once. KAYAK  lets you compare options, and when you find something that fits your budget and tastes, you book it where you want: at the airline site, from the hotel, or from a travel agent. 

OK, now you’re wondering how they make money. It’s all advertising. Just like you can watch (most) TV shows for free, you can use KAYAK  all you want, free. 

KAYAK  has local websites in eleven countries including US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, India, and Spain, and offer free mobile apps for the iPhone, iPad, Android, and BlackBerry. 

Just for fun - check them out for your next travel destination.

Best,

Denice MacDonald 

Concerns over Facebook's new privacy policy and the online social network's recent efforts to spread its information across the Web have led some of the site's faithful to delete their accounts. 

What’s the hoopla? 

Some Facebook user's online preferences are showing up all over the internet now, instead of just on Facebook.com. Meaning, if you listed some predisposition to a certain outrageous rock band, made an innuendo about someone at work or even suggested you smoked pot one night – the whole world will know it. Facebook: Read the site’s privacy policy 

Will You Really Abandon Facebook?  

The reality is many Facebook users will have a hard time abandoning their social community – even though there may be some exposure. In fact, The Business Insider just posted Ten Reasons You’ll Never Quit Facebook – citing the reality of all our addictions to this fast-growing phenomenon. 

If You Do Want to Leave...Here’s The Delete Button 

If you want to completely "delete" your account -- meaning that all of your information will be deleted from view, although some of it may remain on Facebook's servers for a bit -- you can follow these instructions from wikiHow. 

The user-edited site lists several methods for deleting a Facebook account. One of them is a seven-step process. 

Resources

CNN

Business Insider 

wikiHow 

Best

Denice MacDonald

With the social media craze in full action, how do you keep ahead of the pack relative to the best social resources? 

Below you will find my top picks that will help your organization connect social media to business initiatives – including the last resource on building influence while maintaining your brand reputation. Enjoy! 

Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel

This is the first book to integrate digital marketing, social media, personal branding, and entrepreneurship in a clear, entertaining, and instructive manner that everyone can understand and apply. 

Buy it at Amazon

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Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuck

Cash in on your passion! The social media revolution has changed the way we live our lives and conduct our business. Learn how Crush It will give you the tools to take advantage and WIN.  

Buy it at Amazon 

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Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith

Use the web to build influence, improve reputation and earn trust. 

Buy it at Amazon 

Denice MacDonald

In a recent Mashable post The Maturation of Social Media ROI; Brian Solis helps C-suite execs understand the validity and moving ROI target of social media. Is anybody getting this 'measurement thing' right? 

It is quite apparent that social media strategists in their eagerness to prove social media's importance are literally creating bogus measures of performance – not to mention their own jargon to explain results – or lack of results.   

Organizations need to establish what needs to be accomplished, what should be conveyed and what should be measured before any actual engagement. Like most campaigns that require integration and defined ROI, begin connecting social media activity with a clearly defined end game.

To learn more about ROI, social media and the strategies that bind, read The Maturation of Social Media ROI.

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Brian Solis is a principal at new media agency FutureWorks, and author of the upcoming book, Engage. You can connect with him on Twitter or Facebook. 

Best

Denice MacDonald 

Website Magazine's March, 2010 cover story is about social media for business. And, as an educated audience of Web professionals in the industry, they want your input!

Please take just a couple of minutes to take their 2010 Social Media Initiatives survey. They want to know how social media is affecting your business, and what some of your objectives might be in 2010.

The survey is very brief, and they will share responses (anonymously, in aggregate) with all of their readers in the upcoming issue of Website Magazine. 

Take the survey now.  

Why should you care?

Social Media is getting quite a bit of hype – but is anyone truly doing it correctly?  With a lot of chatter and just plain noise – web strategist may need to get back to the basics: who is the intended audience and is the organization creating the right conversation that invokes engagement and sharing? I’ll be anxious to share the results of what others are doing in 2010.

More About Website Magazine (Denice's favorite web resource)

Website Magazine is the one magazine to focus exclusively on the business of running a website: tips for successful websites, solutions for enhancing website traffic, the latest Internet industry trends and statistics, as well as news analysis on the Internet industry.

Subscriptions (complimentary and professional/print and online)

Advertise (lots of opportunities and great pricing)

Best

Denice MacDonald

As always in January, we start to see a plethora of web predictions for the year. This year is not any different with the marked transition of mobile video, Android technology and geo mapping. In my estimation, the top technology to watch will be Social CRM.

We’ve seen the rise of Twitter and Facebook as social communication tools. This year, those modes of real-time communication will find their way deeper into the enterprise. Salesforce.com is set to launch Chatter, its real-time stream of enterprise data which interfaces with Twitter and Facebook and turn them into business tools. Startups like Yammer and Bantam Live are also making business more social.

As recently as last March, Jeremiah Owyang was blogging on The Future of Twitter: Social CRM. In that blog, Jeremiah inferred the various directions Twitter could go: create their own brand management system that they can resell to the world’s companies to monitor, alert, track, prioritize, triage, assign, follow-up, and report on the interactions with brands.

However, there is still one huge quandary – can CRM be ‘automated’ – that is, respond fast enough (daily, by the hour, by the minute) while still providing a personal touch to help and assist customers, continue to build relations and trust?

Again, Jeremiah Owyang presents and interesting blog on Matrix: The Four Social Support Strategies wherein he discusses the various ways in which to interact with customers – specifically the fourth strategy (automated social support) – companies will have the ability to quickly scale by responding to customers faster, and more accurately, using automated responses.

Bottom-line – whatever your social media strategies are for 2010, you’ll need to watch closely the rapidly changing landscape of Social CRM.

Best

Denice MacDonald

Sources:

10 Technologies That Will Rock 2010 by Erick Schonfeld, January, 2010

The Future of Twitter: Social CRM by Jeremiah Owyang, March, 2009

Matrix: The Four Social Support Strategies by Jeremiah Owyang, November, 2009

Gifting during the holidays is always a conundrum for businesses - who should we gift, what should it be and how much should it cost? Businesses are fearful of gifts that look too self-promoting and others are concerned about it being too personal. Here are a few tips that may help you decide what is appropriate for your business. 

Non-profits need gifting 

A recent examination of charitable giving during recession years in America shows that a slowing economy definitely affects donations to non-profit organizations. This is the perfect year to make donations on behalf of your clients AND employees. Making donations to charities will be a win-win for all types of clients - at all levels. Use either a very simple postcard to communicate the gifting or manage the gifting online. Follow-up in January with the results of your giving - a great way to reconnect post holiday.  

Limited budget 

Nearly everyone loves receiving edible gifts and they work nicely for individuals and groups. Give food gifts such as chocolate or fruit baskets, special cookies, and even wines. Most products might have a limited shelf life and need to be distributed quickly - so use your sales staff to make a face-to-face - no sales talk, just holiday well wishes. 

Getting creative 

Consider partnering with a major retailer on gift giving. Starbucks, for example, will work with corporate companies on designing a custom gift card. This way the gift AND card are combined (most holiday cards with company imprint can run up to $5 a piece).

Likewise, if you have out of town customers, consider a gift certificate from Dale and Thomas Popcorn - they also do customization. 

Resources: Corporate gifting etiquette   

What Happens to Giving During a Recession?                            

The Giving Institute and Giving USA Corporate Gift Giving Tips: Corporate Customer Gift & Business Gifts

Non-profits

Global Giving  

Recommended food gift sites

Figi's

Starbucks

Dale and Thomas Popcorn 

Exclusive, high-end gift giving

Simon Pearce

Best,

Denice MacDonald

[Image Credit: http://thefabulousgiver.com/]

We all have seen the surge in the use of social networks like Facebook and MySpace allowing us to connect in unprecedented ways. The acceptance of social networks has allowed niche networks to flourish - offering topics and resources to specific targeted markets. 

Marketing through social sites 

While these sites' traffic may pale in comparison to the big networks, there's a good opportunity to connect and market to a dedicated audience who might be more open to learning a little more about your product, services or offerings. If you provide real value to members, they will be much more willing to engage your brand. 

Finding that 'niche' social network 

Try spending a some time investigating your industry - chances are there's a network out there where you can promote and/or brand your business to a specific target audience. Begin with associations or affiliations that are tied to your industry segment. Then, research specific topics or issues that resonate with your customers. Yes, your competitors will be right alongside you, but consumers will be there too. And they will be looking for an expert in the field.  

Lastly, if you can’t find a specialized community for your industry, you could always create one.   

Get started: Learning from the best 

How to Identify & Target the Right Niche Social Media Sites  by Chris Winfield

Fastest Growing Niche Social Media Sites and Networks by Jessica Merritt

Nine Ways to Build Your Own Social Network by Mark Hendrickson

Best,

Denice MacDonald

When you mix Jeremiah Owyang, Charlene Li and Forbes – you know for sure that the dialogue on social media and social media marketing has definitely elevated to a fever-pitch.  

In a recent article posted at Forbes, Owyang was able to provide readers a summation of the Forbes CMO Summit recently held in Palm Beach.     

Basically, Owyang contends, the dialogue on social marketing has elevated:  

1. CMOs are on a holding pattern for growth
2. CMOs admitted they were losing power to the empowered consumer
3. Social media was on the lips of nearly everyone
4. Social media is difficult to measure--yet marketers know
   they must be there
5. Beyond monitoring, insight from the social sphere is untapped 

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: 

Behind Closed Doors: What's On The Mind Of Chief Marketing Officers?   

New to Forbes.com? Become a member for free! 

[Article and Photo Credit: Jeremiah Owyang, a Web strategist, is partner, Customer Strategy, at Altimeter Group]

Best

Denice MacDonald

MacDonald Consulting is gearing up for a fairly large e-commerce project. During the due diligence process (discovery), one of the questions I asked is: what would your customers prefer: Click to Call or Live Chat? 

Solemn reply: I don’t know – do customers need it, do we have the staff to support it and is it costly? My come back: you can’t afford not to use it! Internet Retailer points out that 10 to 15 percent of e-commerce browsers will buy, if they engage in online chat, versus 2 percent who do not use chat.

Where to start -- catering to your audience:

Click to Call, for example, is suited for a younger, more advanced user who routinely uses ‘self help’ technology.  

Live Chat, on the other hand, would be more advisable for non-technical users (luddites), baby boomers or an older market that prefer immediate ‘voice help’. 

When to use both:

There may be an instance when using both technologies will work for your online e-commerce strategy – especially if you are seasonal, have peaks or limited staff. 

Now is the time to get with the program:

Whether it’s to browse, shop or buy or simply completing an online form – customers may require some help along the way. Why not build in safety nets so that conversion can be enhanced and abandonment diminished?   

To learn more about Click to Call and Live Chat – check out these great resources: 

Liveperson.com (Small, Medium Businesses)

eStara by ATG (Enterprise)

Live Help – Power of Click to Call and Click to Chat (White Paper by ATG)

Best

Denice MacDonald

Company executives always say they believe customer loyalty
is the key to business success. 

However, customer care solutions, CRM systems, and discount programs are not enough and companies are losing customers at a staggering rate. Fostering true customer loyalty and engagement starts at the basic level. 

That being said, the following is a great white paper offering the simplest tactics to get customers engaged to provide you quantifiable feedback on your relationship with them. 

Allegiance_TechPaper_9ideas.pdf (891.88 kb)

Also, the vendor does a great job of presenting the business case for their product here: www.allegiance.com/engage  

I highly recommend that you take a look at this vendor, read the white paper and begin a lasting business relationship with your clients, employees and stakeholders. 

Best

Denice MacDonald

RazorFish just released their latest report "Social Influence Marketing" - a 'must-read' for all brand marketers looking to forge Social Influence Marketing within their businesses.  

The essence of this 54-page report (clickable image at the right) can be summed up simply: 

"Being an active brand means accepting the fact that the days of formulating one big idea with multiple executions are behind us.  Being an active brand means that each day you interact with your consumers based on how they interact with you and with each other." 

To learn more about RazorFish, go to their web site or download their fact sheet. 

Best

Denice MacDonald

Facebook is allowing members to reserve vanity URLs - that is, customized Web addresses that Facebook followers can easily identify and connect to your profile. The feature went live at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Saturday June 13, 2009. The question is - did yours yet? 

What is a Facebook username?

You can personalize your Facebook URL (web address) by selecting a unique username. It will appear in the location bar of your browser after "http://www.facebook.com/" when you view your profile.

What does this mean for your profile?

Facebook usernames are an attempt to make Facebook profiles and pages easily shareable. Basically, usernames affect your profile’s URL. Currently, a URL Facebook profile may be Facebook.com/people/Joe-Smith/496824. Not exactly the easiest URL to recognize or share. After reserving the new URL, the Facebook URL would be Facebook.com/JoeSmith. 

This is a much easier URL to remember and share with others. It encourages sharing, friending, and increased activity on Facebook. Most importantly, it follows in the footsteps of Twitter and MySpace, both of which offer the vanity URL. 

Where can you claim a username?

Starting at 12:01 a.m. (EDT) on Saturday, June 13, 2009, you will be able to select a username at http://www.facebook.com/username. You can select a username that Facebook suggests or create your own. Select "Check availability" to check for available usernames. If the desired username is available, click "Confirm" in order to confirm your choice. 

Can you edit your username, or transfer it to another account?

Once you have claimed a username by clicking the "Confirm" button after checking for a username's availability, it is not possible to edit it, or to transfer your username to a different account on Facebook. Additionally, when an account is removed from the site, its username will not be made available. Facebook does this for security reasons.  

Great Resources: 

A users' guide to personalizing your Facebook URL  

Your Facebook business name: Already reserved?

Best

Denice MacDonald

Ahh…Social Media Today has done it again!  They, along with help from .Biz, have conducted research and created a new whitepaper with formidable insights and advice on how the fast moving world of Social Media is about to change... again. 

Specifically, they have documented some important marketing trends and shifts in the future use of social media by businesses. 

Excerpt: Social media is currently most often used as a general communications tool in public relations and marketing, but there is a major shift underway. In this research, they found that companies are now viewing social media as a primary tool of customer engagement, enabling lead generation, immediate customer contact, and customer interaction. 

Get the downloadable white paper through .Biz web site HERE. The site also allows visitors to share the white paper via twitter - so please pass along.

This study is the first to measure a coming shift in how companies will use social media. The report describes the factors driving this change, and provides valuable information that your business can use to get in front of the trend. 

Social Media Today is available on the business social network LinkedIn and I highly recommend joining the group – these guys are amazing! 

Best

Denice MacDonald

In a recent article, Michael Wolf of Forbes sounds off on the momentum of social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace and the potential for these networks to become full-fledged businesses.

His contention is that the daily interactions of social networks’ vast memberships -- and their users' willingness to share their interests, tastes, relationships and intentions, and the massive amounts of data around users' behavior -- will eventually lead to substantial revenues and profits.¹

He further surmised that revenues will come from other avenues - not just from the web advertising standards of banners and contextual search links. No one's figured out the monetization answer yet, but it's likely to be one that takes advantage of the unique network effect and virtual interactions from the tens (and hundreds) of millions of members.

We’d be remiss as e-marketing professionals if we did not keep a close eye on the progress of social networks and the future impact they may have on our long-term online strategies.

To read the full article, click here.

¹ Direct Quote: Michael Wolf, "Will Social Networks on the Web Ever Make Money" -  Forbes February, 2009

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RELATED ARTICLES

Monetizing Social Networks: The Good, Bad and Ugly - by Barak Rabinowitz

Hitwise: Facebook Driving Traffic to Web Sites - by Helen Leggatt

Which is Best for Business: Facebook or Twitter - by Helen Leggatt

Best

Denice MacDonald

In a recent presentation, Jeremiah Owyang, Senior Analyst, Forrester shared key learning for businesses interested in leveraging and enacting a social media business strategy.

Basically, companies have historically viewed social media as strictly technology – not a business or marketing strategy. He suggests that businesses should start with their target audience and determine what kind of relationship they want to have with them.

During the presentation, Jeremy provided the six levels of participation – a segmentation of target audience by behavior known as Social Technographics^TM. In general, brands, web sites, and any other companies pursuing social technologies should analyze their customers' Social Technographics^TM first and then create a social strategy based on this profile¹.

Six Social Technographics^TM

Creators – these are individuals that are the true advocates of creating blogs, uploading video or music. Creators are individuals that want to share something they are passionate about.

Critics – these individuals provide reviews, feedback and participate in forums.

Collectors – these individuals organize and tag content, subscribe to RSS feeds and enjoy accessing polling information or other comparable data.

Joiners – these individuals are social network hounds. They enjoy belonging and participating in all types of social networks from MySpace, Facebook and others.

Spectators – these individuals are voyeurs of social media. They typically read, watch and listen.

Inactives – these individuals do not participate on any level with social media. In fact, they are the fastest growing untapped behavior.

Profile your customers' social behaviors by using this tool: Social Technology Tool.

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¹Citation/Credit

Data from Forrester Research Technographics^® surveys, 2008. For further details on the Social Technographics profile, see groundswell.forrester.com. 

Best

Denice MacDonald

Like most individuals who have invested in a weekly blog, signed on to numerous consumer and business social networking sites, I’m curious if ‘buzz’ from my product reviews or my marketing ideas are making it virally to the web through social buzz.

If you want to gauge how your ideas are spreading, you can take a look at a couple of sites that track several social media sites. Take a look at surchur.com, which returns results including photos, videos, products, blog posts, and news about what is happening right now online.

The next site to check out is serph.com, which says that it will, "track buzz in real time." Type in your keywords into either of these sites and find out who's talking about your product or idea.

For example, after typing in my URL, I found that serph.com recognized my blog topic on Amazon’s e-book “Kindle” – a product that is getting quite a bit of buzz these days. Discussing “Kindle” and sharing it with my network has elevated my blog and consequently, my business.

Best,

Denice MacDonald

According to a recent e-Marketer report, more than six out of 10 CMOs and senior marketing professionals surveyed in the US said that digital tactics (including mobile, video, e-mail etc.) accounted for more than one-quarter of their agency marketing, according to a July 2008 study by Zoomerang for Sapient.  

Respondents also said digital marketing was growing in importance. Nearly one-half (45%) of those polled had either switched agencies or planned to switch during the next 12 months to gain access to more digital expertise. Almost eight out of 10 said that agencies' interactive and digital aptitude was important or very important.  

What is digital marketing and what does it mean for marketers? 

According to Wikipedia, digital marketing is defined as the practice of promoting products and services using digital distribution channels to reach consumers in a timely, relevant, personal and cost-effective manner. By doing so, marketers realize the following benefits: 

Brand-advantage – typically in the past, marketing and any digital initiatives were handled separately or were non-existent. With the use of digital technology, marketing professionals have an opportunity to enhance messaging and bring cohesiveness to their brand. 

Larger reach – digital initiatives allow marketers to expand their campaigns beyond one single effort leveraging several channels to optimize budget dollars and reach. 

Personalization – with digital initiatives, messages are highly targeted and specific allowing marketers to not only track how many people saw their message but also specific information about each user. 

As marketers, digital tactics allow for many opportunities that can be tracked measured and refined. To learn more about digital marketing and tactics, consider accessing the following resources: 

• The McKinsey Quarterly – Digital Marketing
• NetImperative – Digital Marketing News and Events
• MarketingProfs Digital Marketing Mixer

Best

Denice MacDonald

Communities are about delivering game-changing results - from increasing customer revenue, to introducing product and solutions, communities aid in increasing overall brand effectiveness while decreasing costs. 

How do we know this? Well, recently, Beeline Labs, Deloitte and the Society of New Communications Research have produced a compelling study: "The 2008 Tribalization of Business study" which focuses on the early experiences of more than 140 organizations on how they’re managing communities, measuring success, and reaping business benefits. 

Great Take-away - Lessons Learned 

When asked for the most important advice they had for others starting communities, survey respondents had many good tips to share. Two of the eight "Best Practices" that emerged from the research: 

Keep it simple and intuitive: “Focus on the least common denominator first. Keep it easy to navigate with simple tools to use.” People are busy; they need information in brief, easy-to-scan bits s they can quickly choose what is interesting to them and go right to it.  

Keep it fresh and active: “Keep activity levels up, constantly add new content.” “ Think of how to create ‘events’ – what can you do to excite people and get them to share in the community.” “Update regularly, find topics for discussion’ “Content is king” 

To access the results of the study through an interactive slideshare, go here.  

More Great Resources:

The Long-tail Effectiveness of Business Communities  

Understanding the power of communities - even when you do not have a critical mass of users

Best

Denice MacDonald