Infographic Source: AllFacebook.com
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Obama Campaign Opens First Ever Tech Office in San Francisco
The days of door to door and tel-campaigning has evolved. In 2008, President Obama rose to success and won the presidential election with the help of social media and a great digital strategy. Now, with his San Francisco campaign team, Obama opens the first ever Technology Field Office in San Francisco. The office primary focus will be on creating online strategies that supports and enhances President Obama’s digital tools such as the official website BarackObama.com.
Deputy Press Secetary Katie Hogan spoke to the SanFrancisco Chronicle:
“We learned from 2008 that using the talents and skills of our supporters was a key to building the most effective organization. We’re taking the next step by providing tools and space for supporters in the technology community to help the campaign extend our current tools like BarackObama.com and our mobile applications.”
The office is still in development. There is still no word on location and no solid plan on what’s actually going to happen there. It currently employs one staffer, but is looking for techie volunteers to open them to new possibilities in the digital space.
Want to volunteer? Email techvolunteers@barackobama.com
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Increasing Fanpage Engagement
Made your Page, Gained Some Fans, Now What?
Facebook is a great location to create awareness and sales for your brand. A majority of businesses big and small are marketing thier product or service on fanpages to benefit from the free marketing and branding to Facebooks 800+ million users. Now that you have your page up and all your friends have liked the page, how do you keep them interested and engaged?
Engagement is key in a successful social media marketing plan. You want to encourage your fans to share, like, and comment on your post. Lower interaction rates decrease the chances of your post showing up on a fans newsfeed which makes your brand invisible to current and future fans. Here are some tips on how to increase engagement on your fan page.
Build a Custom Tab
Facebook has made it possible for brand pages to create custom tabs. Custom tabs are similar to the tabs already provided by Facebook such as wall, photos and info, but it is created by the page owner. Custom Tabs can provide many benefits and branding opportunities to increase consumer engagement. They can state a call to action such as “Like” the page, serve as a welcome banner or provide an area for entry and information on a sweepstakes, giveaways or events. Either way, your fan will be coming back for updates or share with thier friends.
Put a Question Mark on it
Since when has telling someone what your up to or what your going to do next become a conversation? By putting a question mark on a statement makes it a question that someone can answer and hence starts a dialouge with your fans. When your just “updating” on yourself, you’re blocking the ability to respond back and cultivate relationships. Use polls, posts, tabs, etc. to get feedback and possibly some research from your fans.
Post When your Audience is Listening
A recent study by Buddy Media determined that 86% of post are published Monday – Friday with user engagement on post peaking at the end of the week. Engagement rates are 18% higher on Thursday and Friday compared to any other day of the week. Friday - Sunday are also high engagement days, but most brands are not posting on these days. The time of the day is also important. Share content outside of regular business hours (10am to 4pm). Engagement peaks in the morning around 7am ET, after work and at night around 11pm ET. Take your industry into consideration when selecting days and times to post and test, test, test!
Post Pictures and Videos
Two recent studies from software provider Momentus Media and digital marketing agency, Web Liquid, concluded that photos and videos draw the most engagement on Facebook. Post a visual with a short description to entice sharing and create traction to your page.
Whatever you choose to post make sure that it is relevant and interesting to your audience. Always remember that content is king, experimentation is the key and stay consistant!
How Branding Works in the Age of Social Media
Social media has rapidly changed the way brands market to consumers and how consumers interact with those brands. Organizations are embracing and making great strides on social platforms such as Twitter, which now has 100 million active users every month with visitor growth up 60% this year and Facebook with over 800 million active users. Understanding how consumers are interacting with brands on social media is crucial when creating social media marketing plans.
Ask your Target Market (AYTM) conducted a market research study on 2000 U.S internet users on how U.S consumers are interacting with brands in the social media space. Check out the infographic created by AYTM to highlight their discoveries.
Source: AYTM Market Research
Shop with your Fingertips! Mobile Purchases are Changing the Retail Game
It’s that time of year again. The time when I dread going to the malls. Not only because of the constant holiday music or the fact that I know I am going to “over shop”, but also because of massive crowds flocking for the same items. Many of us beat these crowds by shopping at our favorite retailers online, but there may be times when you still find yourself standing in a long line trying to get the newest gadget or the hottest pair of boots that everyone wants. So, why shop at the counter when you can do it on your phone!?
Comscore just released data on U.S. Mobile retail usage stating that 38% of smartphone owners have used their phone for purchases at least once during device ownership. Among the top items purchased on smartphones in September 2011 were digital goods, clothing/accessories and tickets. Digital goods such as movies, music, ebooks and TV led smartphone mobile purchases with 47%. 37% of smartphone purchases were clothing and accessories directly from online retailers, while 35% of purchases were event tickets. 56% of smartphone purchases happened at home while 42% happened out of the home or at work.
Online retailers are really taking advantage of smartphone mobile purchases. According to a study by Paypal, Black Friday 2011 increased global mobile payments six-fold by 516% compared to Black Friday 2010. In addition, Paypal saw more than a four-fold (397%) increase in the number of customers shopping through PayPal Mobile on Cyber Monday 2011 compared to last year.
Promoting your Google+ Brand page
Google+ is growing daily and so are the amount of communities on the network. In order to create a following and engage with users, you must promote your page. Here are 3 ways you can promote your Google+ page.
1. Spread the word to your Google+ people
Start with your personal Google+ profile. If you don’t have one what are you waiting for? Since Google+’s launch, 40 million people have created profiles. Share the link of your page from your Google+ profile to people in your Google+ circles. You can also place the link on your email, personal blogs and other social outlets. Check out my Google+ profile and add me in your circle.
2. Add a Google+ Badge
By adding a Google+ Badge to your website you are expanding your Google+ audience. People will be able to recommend or +1 your site and add your site to thier circles without leaving it. Additionally, all the +1′s you recieve from anywhere on the web will be consilidated so you can keep track of all your followers.
3. Mark your spot
Place an author tag on your content. In efforts to help the search for great or specific content, Google displays author information. In order for your authorship information to appear in Google search results, you must first have a Google+ profile with a headshot. With an author tag, your authorized picture and name appears on search results for items created by you like your website, blog, video, content or photos.
Try these methods to help promote your Google+ profile or business page. What other steps have you taken to promote your page?
4 reasons to create a Google+ Brand Page
Earlier this month Google+ announced that they are opening up to businesses. Businesses are now allowed to create Google+ Brand pages, similar to Facebook Fan pages, to “create lasting bonds with the pages (and people) that matter most,” according to Google. Although Google+ brand pages are new there are huge opportunities in using this social space. Here are my top 4 reasons why you should create a page for your business or organization.
1. Engage with a specific target market
Google+ has over 40 million profiles created by users. Google+ Circles allow you to group followers of your page into smaller audiences. Once followers add your brand to their circle you can place them in a segmented circle to send tailored messages, conversations, promotions or exclusive content. Those followers can then send tailored messages from you to relevant people in their circles in essence, spreading the love. An added addition to the advantage of users being placed in circles is a featured called “Hangouts“. “Hangouts” are live audio/video chats where brands and users get the opportunity to directly engage in discussions. This is great for brands that can utilize video-conferencing to increase the user experience in more visual ways.
2. Grow your audience
Adding a Google+ badge to your website will help increase your audience. The badge will show more recommendations in Google Search and let people add your brand to their circles as well as +1 your page without directing the user to another site.
3. Increase your search engine results
Google is the #1 search engine on the web. If your presence is on the web a major goal is to increase your search rankings on Google. To aid in achievement, Google added a +1 button. The +1 button is similar to the Facebook “Like” button, allowing users to give content their “stamp of approval” or recommendation, and share with friends, contacts or the public. Google+ has added a +1 button to every link on Google and you can also link your website to your Google+ Brand Page by adding a Google+ badge or by code. When the +1 button is clicked by potential users and visitors from your site or content, it collects all those clicks together to appear as a single +1 total. You just increased your brand presence to 40 million Google+ users and everyone who comes to Google on a daily basis.
4. Gain more value from your Google Ad spend
Recommendations figure high in Google’s search algorithms so Google added the +1 button on display ads too. Since its launch on ads in March, the +1 button has yielded more than 4 billion impression a day. If a user sees an ad and they +1 it, he/she is virtually giving that ad a recommendation. That recommendation is shared on her Google+ profile page, in her circles and on Google itself. It will show up that the user +1’d it and if on thier Google+ profile on , their picture will be beside it. Friends in the user circle are more likely to see the ad since the user recommended it.
With Google + Brand pages, there is an opportunity for brands to engage consumers, drive lead generation and increase brand awareness. Brands should have clear positioning and effective engagement from the start in order to demonstrate leadership on Google+. Google is continuing to upgrade and add Google+ Brand page applications on a daily basis. I see great things to come. So… what are you waiting for? Start creating your page today!
New York Stock Exchange discuss social media with NYSE Social Media Day
The New York Stock Exchange has jumped on the social media bus. NYSE has partnered up with New Media Strategies, the largest social media marketing agency specializing in online intelligence and word of mouth marketing, to run a series of social media events. The events are aimed to bring corporations and consumers closer together using social media. On November 3rd, CEO and founder of NMS Peter Snyder will ring the bell to start off the event. November 4th is NYSE Social Media Day where NMS will host discussions on achieving success in social media marketing at the NYSE.
Topics for the event range from Wall Street to personal branding and how to use social media to gain success in these areas. In addition, there will be success stories of how companies gained trust and bonded with consumers using social media and emerging trends in corporate and political communications. Panelist include Patrick Taylor, VP of Communications at Meredith Corp., Roger J. Drake Senior VP of Marketing and Communications, Morton’s Restaurant Group, Christine A. Varney, former Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice and other notable social media experts.
Click here to view the agenda for the event
New Media Strategies and the New York Stock Exchange are using Facebook, Twitter and Youtube to bring NYSE Social Media Day to the public. For photos and video, log on to NYSE Euronext on Facebook and NYSE Euronext’s YouTube channel, nysetve1. Panel discussions will be available to view two days after the event. You can follow tweets of the event at hastag #NYSE, #OpeningBell, #NYSESMD and @NYSE_Euronext.
Taryn