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The 36 Rules of Social Media

#33. Your Fans OWN your brand

#33. Your Fans OWN your brand

Here is a compilation of the 36 Rules of Social Media from key social media gurus and marketers from all industries. It was put together by Fast Company and it illustrates some of the best practices to going about your social media strategy and execution. Even though some of these are not meant to be written in stone and you can break a few, we hope you find them as interesting as we did.

The 36 Rules of Social Media

    1. If all you do is respond to complaints, that’s all people will send you.
    2. Stop and Ask: Would and actual person talk that way?
    3. Everyone says they don’t want to be marketed to. Really, they just don’t want to be talked down to.
    4. The consumer is out for himself. Not for you.
Have a Social Media Crisis Plan

Have a Social Media Crisis Plan

    1. As monetization attempts to go up, consumer experience goes down.
    2. Don’t try to be clever. BE clever.
    3. Social is 24/7, not a one time stunt. (And it really IS 24/7)
    4. Always WRITE BACK. (This one is a must – but there are exceptions: See Applebee’s social media blunder)
    5. Have an ROI. Have an ROI. Have an ROI.
    6. People would rather talk to “Comcast Melissa” than “Comcast.” (So true!!! Had the pleasure of dealing with Comcast Melissa myself!! and she’s fantastic!))
    7. Solve problems for people who talk about you, even if they don’t address you. (Listen to the conversation and engage)
    8. Not everything will work and that’s fine.
    9. Embrace negative content about your brand.
    10. EVERYONE’S an influencer.
    11. If fans distribute your content without your permission, OFFER TO HELP. (Love this one!)
    12. It’s okay to drive people to your site instead of FACEBOOK’s.
    13. Update your page, or delete it.
    14. Don’t make people do x, y and z. Stick with X.
    15. Last year: Pump out content. This year: Optimize content. (May I add, or die.)
Everyone says they don’t want to be marketed to. Really, they just don’t want to be talked down to.

Everyone says they don’t want to be marketed to. Really, they just don’t want to be talked down to.

  1. Become BFFs with your Facebook Reps.
  2. Social Media doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Make traditional media and social media work together. (Please, integrate strategies!)
  3. Desktop is conquered territory. Mobile is the battlefield. (Don’t forget tablets!)
  4. If you don’t see financial results. You wasted your money. (Unless you want results overnight, then you need to check with a shrink as you may be delusional. I have never seen financial results of a marketing strategy happen overnight, unless it’s some kind of scheme.)
  5. People fight for their privacy.
  6. The only way to scale word of mouth: Paid Advertising.
  7. Have a crisis plan. (Please, do!!!)
  8. Don’t use ads to prop up boring content. Use ads to accelerate successful content.
  9. Forget individuals. You’re creating content that encourages groups to form.
  10. People don’t want to shop where they socialize.
  11. Contests and sweepstakes are fine, if you want to encourage short relationships.
  12. People care what you had for breakfast- if you are a food brand.
  13. Pinterest WORKS.
  14. Your fans OWN your brand.
  15. If you’re bored by social media, it’s because you’re trying to get more value than you create.
  16. Think past vanity metrics like followers.
  17. It’s an organism not a process.

Maybe it bears repeating: Pinterest WORKS 😉

as i always say in 3 months this will be peanuts

as i always say in 3 months this will be peanuts

Next Quote? funny inspirational quotes on every post! | Andy Warhol Famous Campbell’s Soup Cans

What is Social Media?

What is Social Media?

One of the key factors in Social Media Marketing is the measurement of its success or impact. In order to measure, you have to monitor engagement and sentiment.

Make sure your online media monitoring solutions are able to bring relevant results and analyze sentiment with a machine learning algorithm platform or you will find yourself immersed in a sea of non-relevant results.

Remember that in Social Media, people comment on your brand in the language of their choice and that over 53% of the U.S. population growth between January 2010 and December 2015 will be driven by Hispanics.

Therefore, try to include these comments not with a mere translating tool but a platform that comprehends idioms and cultural expression of the countries of origin and even Spanglish!

Video Source: Marta Kagan

Why SMX Echo is the Leading Multicultural Social Media Monitoring Tool

I had the great pleasure of meeting Claudia Havi Goffan about a year ago. I quickly realized that Havi was an incredibly talented and driven person. She has been in the marketing space for more than 25 years — specializing in strategic planning. Havi has been recognized as an expert in Latino Marketing by CNN and more importantly she has been named one of the top 48 Public Relations Professionals by American Express.

Form relationships with other local businesses that cater to your customers. Ask them to offer a discount to their customers if they mention coming from their store when they purchase from you. Feel free to reciprocate. — Havi Goffan

When Havi is not busy with the Board for Latin Success or with the Argentine American Chamber of Commerce — she is busy running her company — Target Latino. As CEO, Havi has feverishly promoted the importance of the U.S. Hispanic market to American companies. She has worked with many top brands ranging from AT&T to XEROX. One of the most exciting partnerships that Havi and her team are working on is with SocialMetrix — developers of SMX Echo.

Read more of Ramon Nuez‘s article at the Huffington Post

Claudia Havi Goffan is the CEO of Target Latino and she specializes in generating Word-of-Mouth via Grassroots strategies online and off-line always with outstanding results.

Gen Y or Millennials: Marketing Tips

by Claudia “Havi” Goffan

Most of us, marketers, are trying to engage the Millennials or Gen Y. Also, most marketers are still leery of Gen Y marketing techniques. Therefore, we need to keep understanding who they are, what they do, what they like and what they dislike.

Gen Y or Millennials: Marketing Tips: brief overview of the Millennials or Gen Y

  • Listen to them online 24/7 using Multicultural Market Intelligence Tools

    Listen to them online 24/7 using Multicultural Market Intelligence Tools

    Gen Y believes in the power of WE and is all-inclusive.

  • Gen Y is multicultural and 34% of Millennials are Hispanics.
  • Gen Y believes that customized options help define personal style.
  • Gen Y is hyper-connected.
  • Gen Y is married to mass media and goes online more than any other generation.
  • Gen Y uses cellphones as an extension of their own body.
  • The average Gen Y’er spends an average of 33 hours on social networks, 31 hours on email, and sends over 700 texts, every month.
  • Their status updates or messages to friends reach hundreds, and because of its instant repetition, they reach greater audiences almost instantly.
  • Gen Y loves communication tools – especially instant messages.
  • Gen Y is interested in social popularity or social status and most of them have not met many of their friends in person – ever.
  • Gen Y is the first generation that can actually measure its popularity.

Gen Y or Millennials: Marketing Tips – What can brands do?

  • Gen Y is hyper-connected

    Gen Y is hyper-connected

    Use their willingness to collaborate and include them in your efforts to build your brand. Once they are a part of it, they will help you share your message.

  • Talk to the Millennials that work for your company and include them on your advertising and PR efforts – they will help you deliver your message for free using their extensive networks.
  • Be mindful of their likes and dislikes when it comes to your brand because they can also share negative messages about it.
  • Remember that online video offers them immediacy, emotion, and interaction.
  • Listen to them online and engage them online 24/7 using Multicultural Market Intelligence Tools.
  • Use these insights to create great products.
  • Market to communities, but emphasize individuality.
  • Generate Word of Mouth: Let them discover your brand.
  • Be real and authentic to your audience in everything you do.

Now, the question becomes, are you truly listening to the Gen Y?

Fortune 500 companies getting into Twitter

The Fortune 500’s use of blogs, online video, and podcasts continues to increase, but Twitter was the social media channel of choice in 2009, according to a study by the Society for New Communications Research (SNCR) and Financial Insite.

The study, “The Fortune 500 and Social Media: A Longitudinal Study of Blogging and Twitter Usage by America’s Largest Companies,” was conducted by Dr. Nora Ganim Barnes, Ph.D., Senior Fellow and Research Chair of the Society for New Communications Research and Chancellor Professor of Marketing at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Eric Mattson, CEO of Financial Insite Inc., a Seattle-based research firm.

Large number of Fortune 500 companies got into Twitter, report says

Large number of Fortune 500 companies got into Twitter, report says

The new report is the outcome of a statistically sound study of the Fortune 500. The study examined the 2009 Fortune 500 in an attempt to quantify their adoption of social media tools and technologies. This is the second year that Barnes and Mattson have tracked social media adoption among the Fortune 500, and theirs is the only statistically sound longitudinal study of its kind.

The 2009 study’s key findings include:

  • 22% (108) of the primary corporations listed in the 2009 Fortune 500 have a public-facing corporate blog. This represents a six percent increase over the 2008 study.
  • 86% of these blogs (93) link directly to a corporate twitter account, a 300% increase over the 2008 study. (Note: More Fortune 500 corporations have Twitter accounts, but do not link directly from their blogs.)
  • 35% (173) of the Fortune 500 have active Twitter accounts (a post within the past thirty days); and nearly 50% of the top 100 companies (47) have a Twitter account.
  • 80% — four of the top five corporations – Wal-Mart, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and General Electric – consistently post on their Twitter accounts. The number one ranked company, Exxon Mobil, does not have a Twitter account.
  • The insurance industry has the most Twitter accounts (13).
  • 19% of the 2009 Fortune 500 is podcasting, a three percent increase over the 2008 study
  • 31% are incorporating online video into their blog sites, a 10% increase over 2008

“The continued steady adoption of blogs and the explosive growth of Twitter among Fortune 500 companies demonstrate the growing importance of social media in the business world,” stated Barnes. “These large and leading companies drive the American economy, and to a large extent, the world economy. Surely a willingness to interact more transparently via these new technologies with their stakeholders is a positive step. Where this leads will be fascinating to watch!”

“As social media become more integrated with a variety of business functions both internally and externally at companies, we continue to see a steadily growing adoption of blogs, Twitter, online video, podcasts and other new communications channels,” added Mattson.

About this study

A full copy of the 17-page research report, “The Fortune 500 and Social Media: A Longitudinal Study of Blogging and Twitter Usage by America’s Largest Companies,” can be downloaded at the link below.

Additionally, Barnes and Mattson will publish a paper based on the findings in an upcoming issue of the Society for New Communications Research’s Journal of New Communications Research and will present the findings via a web-based briefing and at the Society for New Communications Research’s annual research symposium.

About the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

To facilitate the economic development of the region by providing an affordable, high-quality economic alternative to meeting business needs for research, training, and consulting in any and all aspects of Marketing. The Center for Marketing Research is associated with and maintains a close relationship with the Chambers of Commerce within southeastern Massachusetts. This unique relationship provides the Center with an effective business networking capability. For more information, visit http://www.umassd.edu/cmr/.

About the Society for New Communications Research (SNCR)

The Society for New Communications Research is a global nonprofit 501(c)(3) research and education foundation and think tank focused on the advanced study of the latest developments in new media and communications, and their effect on traditional media and business models, communications, culture and society. For more information, visit http://sncr.org.