Allen Stern wrote a very interesting post recently about how people such as Robert Scoble use Facebook and Twitter as more of a publicity network than a social network to brand themselves and expose their videos, posts. Currently Scoble has 6,892 followers on Twitter and 4,892 friends on Facebook. He has been complaining about the fact that Facebook limits him to only 5,000 friends.

When looking at Mashable’s account on Twitter, we also see Pete Cashmore twittering only new posts on Mashable and nothing else. As Allen points out:

“A social networking tool becomes a publicity tool when “I speak, you speak, I reply, you reply” becomes “I speak, you listen”.

In all honesty, while at first I used Twitter for social purposes, now I find myself twittering mostly about my latest blog posts and using Facebook mainly for my social interactions with people. For me Twitter has become quite a difficult platform to interact with friends as random thoughts and links are being continously thrown on my screen. Facebook on the other hand allows me to interact with my friends in so many different and interesting ways that I hardly need an additional platform to do that. With all due respect, Twitter has merely become for me one of the many applications that I use on Facebook.

It is true that many bloggers and site owners use both platforms (and others) to expose their posts/messages to the world. As Allen writes:

“Are these new publicity networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) the new press release? Think about it for a second, a press release is sent out to x journalists, news providers, etc. These new publicity networks do the same thing except in a quicker, more efficient way. In fact, Marshall over at RWW says these publicity networks are paying his rent. Naturally I am not suggesting that everyone uses these networks in a publicity-oriented manner, but it seems many of the smart marketers are doing so. As long as the people attached to your account (personal or business) understand that’s the use, then it’s a perfect marketing opportunity. In fact, these publicity networks may just overtake RSS in the long-term. And if you are working with a social media consultant who isn’t leveraging these new publicity networks where appropriate, you need to find a new consultant.”

I agree with Allen. All these social networks are vital tools for any marketer today. However, marketers must remember that conversation is a crucial part of the marketing process today. You must offer friends relevant and interesting content in order to catch their attention. Therefore whatever way you use your networks, make sure to continuously offer them content that interests them and serves their needs as well as yours. Choosing your friends based on common interests (such as Web 2.0 for example) is one way of ensuring that you are delivering news that will probably interest them and serve their purposes as well.

Here are some tips I wanted to share with you on how to ehance your blog and create more exposure to it.

1) Write about stuff that interests you

If you write about topics that really interest you, it will show in your writing. The more you relate to the topic, the better your post will be.

2) Be consistent and update daily

I try to write one post each day. We are all busy people and have a lot to do, but if you don’t maintain your blog on a daily basis, your readership will decline. As Om Malik says: “There are no Sundays in blogging”.

3) Say Something Meaningful

Don’t just write about the latest software and how to use it, but say what you think about it. What do you think is missing? What do you think could be improved? Give your opinion.

4) Always respond to comments

If your readers took the time to comment on your post, the least you could do is show them that you care. Always respond back. Never be rude to anyone. Even if someone disagrees with your views, they may have a point. Turn the discussion into a positive debate.

5) Talk TO your readers - not AT them

Engage your audience in conversation. Never preach to them or lecture them. Ask for your readers’ opinions, suggestions, and feedback.

6) Display your RSS Feed at the top of your blog

Make it easy for people to subscribe to your feed. This way, they won’t need to remember to go back to your site.

Not all people use RSS though. Some people will prefer to receive your posts to their email address. Offer them this option as well.

7) Get involved in various social networks and add widgets and rich media to your site

This will show people that you not only blog, but that you’re active and social on other platforms as well.  Display your activity on the different networks with widgets. This will enhance your blog immensely and show people what you’re interested in besides blogging. Adding rich media such as your Flickr pictures will also improve your blog. Visuals are always effective - as the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. This is why I always add pics to my posts.

8 ) Promote your posts

I usually update my Twitter with my latest posts. Obviously the more contacts you have, the more exposure you’ll get. If you’re really proud of a post you’ve written, then you can submit it to Digg or Delicious. However, do this sparingly. Remember! You are not a member of these communities just to promote yourself. It is always most satisfying of course when you find out that other people found your writing insightful enough to promote it themselves. 

9) Communicate with your readers 

One way to interact with your readers is by adding all those faces you see on your MyBlogLog widget as contacts. This will allow you to build long lasting relationships with them.

10) Interact with other bloggers

If you’re reading other people’s blogs, leave comments on the posts that interest you. This is another great way to build relationships.

I really believe that blogging is a skill that you learn as you go along. Like anything else in life, the longer you blog, the more you’ll know how effectively interact with your audience and increase exposure to your site. I would love to hear from you guys if you have any of your own helpful tips to add.
 

With the growing power that social networks are gaining, we’re seeing a lot of companies and figures leverage the popularity of these networks to gain exposure for their brands. Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, and John Edwards have all been vigorously spreading their campaign messages on Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Friendster and Second Life. Many companies such as: Apple, Joost, Nike, Adidas, Nikon, Nintendo, just to name a few, have also been using the different social networks to speak to and understand their customers.

Yet many marketers just don’t realize how to use the enormous potential of these social tools correctly. Twitter, MySpace, etc. all constitute channels that marketers can use to communicate with, and better understand their customers’ needs. Yet instead, many marketers view these platforms not as a way to better understand their customers by interacting with them, but as a means of reaching their target audience and spamming them to death with dull content. Whether you are a public figure or a company, here are a few tips on how to market and build your brand correctly using social tools:

1) Create a profile

It’s important to have a profile on a few of the most popular social networks out there. Profiles allow you to share information about your brand, with the rest of the world. Remember to be genuine and open. The more genuine your profile, the more it will appeal to people. Also, the more customizable the profile, the better. Customization allows you to add backgrounds and color schemes that match your brand.

2) Network

Become an active member of the community. Connect with other members. Go through different profiles and see who interests you. Add them as contacts, send them messages, and leave comments on their content. You should also start/join groups, participate in forums and chats that relate to your brand. This will show everyone that you’re really a part of the community, and not just there to promote your brand. Remember to engage in conversation with the people in your community and not “sell” to them. Talk TO them, not AT them. Make sure you read comments that have been left on your profile and react to them. Never be rude to someone even if that person disagrees with your views. Turn debates into something positive.

3) Keep it fresh

In order to get users to remember your brand, you’ll need to actively update your profile, upload pictures, videos, blog posts. Be creative! This will spark a continued interest in your brand and keep people coming back for more. Keep your profile interesting and fresh.

4) Widgets

If you create an exportable widget with content related to your brand, you are encouraging people to place the widget on their profiles or sites, allowing them to expand the recognition of your brand. It’s always better to have a widget which will add some value to those who place it on their own pages, like the MyBlogLog widget for example.

5) Promotion

Promote your various profiles on your main site and offer RSS feeds for them

Simply placing your profiles on every social network isn’t enough. You have to do some PR for them through strategic tagging, linking, and having others point to them, in order to spark the viral potential of your brand.

In conclusion, social networks provide a powerful tool for you to engage with the world. We are living in an age that marketers could only dream of. Never has there been a better time to spread your message to the public. Make sure you do it right.

Thanks to Mandy for the pic.

Technorati tags: branding, social tools, social networks, community, barack obama, hilary clinton, john edwards, twitter, myspace, youtube, friendster, second life, apple, joost, nike, adidas, nikon, nintendo, videos, blog, widget, mybloglog, promotion, rss, tagging

Peter Himler wrote a very interesting post about how marketing campaigns can reach a saturation point where they begin working against the business goal,rather than advancing it. He used the iPhone campaign as an example:

“…we’re left with the iPhone’s pre-release paid TV spots that permeate “The Daily Show,” and elsewhere….With all the free, gushing attention, why continue to run the ads? In my opinion, the ongoing paid campaign could produce a public backlash. I mean who on this planet has not reached an iPhone saturation point?”

This is so true. It made me think of all those Mc Donalds and Coca Cola commercials I am so sick of watching. After watching those ads so many times, I don’t have the desire to run out and get a hamburger and coke when I see them, but rather to change the channel. For marketers, it is as important to know how to run an effective, aggressive promotional campaign, as it is to know when to scale back a little on advertising.

Another interesting post I read is Jason Linkins’ article which talks about how non-traditional news sources stood out in their iPhone coverage.

He writes:

” One remarkable example was Justine, from Justin.tv, who hit the Mall of America armed with a camera on her hat and a pursebound Sony VAIO. She was bringing on-the-scene reports via blogging and vlogging, uploading photos to Flickr, and connecting with Twitter users for comments and assistance. That’s one person, fully mobile, operating across four platforms in near instantaneous fashion, and connecting to and with the people on the scene in a way the mainstream news cannot.”

Its amazing to see how news is covered on the internet these days in real time, in a way that was never possible before. I’ve previously written a related post regarding the coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings by students and staff.

Speaking of web 2.0 coverage, I’d like to thank Steve Rhodes for the above pic which he took in front of the San Francisco Apple store the night before the iPhone launch. Steve has a lot of amazing pics from that day on his flickr.

Technorati tags: publicity, promotion, peter himler, saturation, marketing, iphone, advertising, mcdonalds, coca cola, jason linkins, web 2.0, justin.tv, blogging, vlogging, flickr, twitter, steve rhodes

In the last few months we’ve seen more and more politicians embrace the world of online social media and use it to engage with their voters and gain visibility for themselves. Barack Obama can be found on Twitter and Friendster, while John Edwards is also twittering and on Second Life. Hilary Clinton, who can also be found on many social networks, has followed in the footsteps of Tony Blair and turned to the YouTube community to help her choose her campaign song.

Fox Interactive Media (FIM) recently released a series of research findings from the first comprehensive study examining both the growth and marketing power of online social networks. The study was conducted in partnership with Isobar and Carat USA. It incorporated feedback from approximately 3,000 U.S. Internet users, as well as MySpace clients for in-depth case studies. Results from the study, show the following:

• Social networks have caused a fundamental shift in the way people interact with each other and with media. 70%+ of Americans 15-34 are actively using social networks
• Brands such as adidas and Electronic Arts attributed more than 70% of their marketing ROI to the “Momentum Effect” a new metric coined by Marketing Evolution, quantifying the “pass along” power consumer-to-consumer communication.
• 40%+ of social networkers said they use social networking sites to learn more about brands or products that they like
• 28% said at some point a friend has recommended a brand or product to them.
• U.S. social networkers chose interacting on sites such as MySpace as their favorite activity online or offline, ahead of television viewing and on par with cell phone usage.
• Social networkers spend on average more than seven hours per week on social networking sites. More than 31% of online social networkers claim they spend more time on the Web in general after starting to use a social network. They were also more inclined to engage in other entertainment media and activities including listening to music, playing games and talking on the cell phone.
• Social networkers use the sites not just to improve their online lives, but also to make their offline lives richer and more exciting. 48% said they are having more fun in life in general and 45% said their lives are more exciting as a result of spending time networking online.

So there you have it. The marketing power of social media is growing at an extremely fast rate. Many brands have already figured it out and are using these social channels to talk to and understand their customers. See these examples:

What about your brand? Have you figured it out yet? If you haven’t yet started using these tools to interact with and expose your brand to the world, you’ll soon be left out in the cold. This is an amazing time for marketers to spread their word out there in an original and creative manner. Embrace these new tools and use them. Remember though that each of these channels constitutes a community. Do not just try to “sell” your product. Be unique, offer something different, and listen to what those in the community have to say.

Technorati tags: social media, social network, barack obama, john edwards, hilary clinton, twitter, tony blair, youtube, fim, isobar, carat, myspace, adidas, ea, marketing evolution, brand, web, nintendo, nike, wrike

There are many different ways a company can increase traffic to its site. In today’s digitalized world online promotion possibilities are endless. Successful online marketing depends largely on your ability to identify those channels that provide the best opportunity to reach your target audience. Online social networks, forums, blogging, SEO are just some of the ways that you can increase your site’s traffic.
Here’s a list of 10 Remarkably Effective Strategies for Driving Traffic to your site.

Social Media Marketing is a great way to let people know about your site. Promoting your site on Digg or Delicious can increase your site’s traffic by a few thousand visitors per day but be careful. These sites are community oriented and if you only get on the site to promote your business and don’t contribute anything meaningful back to the community, the community will turn against you.
I am a big believer in the power of all these new online marketing strategies. I definitely feel that companies that will not take advantage of these new marketing strategies, will be at a great disadvantage to those that will.