Social Media Immediate Future

I was quite surprised by our recent social media and the law report that showed 19% of companies didn’t have a social media policy. I did think that wasn’t too bad. But last week, we conducted a Mock…

For companies using social media, Facebook is no longer the “in” platform. LinkedIn has stolen Facebook’s crown and run away with it. According to research from the University of Massachusetts, more than 8 in 10 companies have a presence on LinkedIn (up from 73% in 2011). The…

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” Kennedy’s inauguration speech was as relevant to the American people in 1961 as it is to the content marketer in 2013. Why? Substitute the word ‘country’ with ‘audience’…

Listening to the recent Webinar: How to effectively manage a social media crisis it struck me how readily the term “crisis” is applied to just about anything that can negatively impact a brand on social media. From Twitter hackings to disgruntled employees hijacking a company Twitter, everything…

There are currently an estimated 30 million Facebook accounts that belong to people who have passed away, raising the unnerving question: what happens to those abandoned profiles after death? For many people, grieving through social media can be a very comforting experience – allowing them to connect with friends and…

Social media is becoming an ever growing part of culture, because it’s an instant way of viewing news and public opinion. Data miners are constantly looking at ways to use this information to turn social networks into digital crystal balls. So can trends predict things such as awards for example…

Despite being 156 years old, Burberry is proving to be a very progressive brand with its use of innovative social media platforms. It is currently the leading British fashion brand on Pinterest, the image-sharing social network that has gained huge traction around the world since it launched in 2010. Pinterest,…

Whether you’ll admit it or not, many of us enjoy snuggling up on the sofa at the end of the day for a daily dose of our favourite soap opera. Nowadays, thanks to the ‘two screening’ phenomenon, this delight is now reflected online, with many of us engaging on social…

Slideshare is a great and often overlooked platform. Claiming 60 million monthly visitors, it allows users to upload visual presentations and easily share them. Over time Slideshare has evolved into a thriving social media site in itself. Users are keen to ‘like’, download and share presentations and, similarly to YouTube,…

After reading an interesting article from The Real Time Report last week I was inspired to share some of the metrics I know most companies won’t be tracking in the B2B space… The report above, which looked purely at website analytics as a way of determining referral traffic and…

Are you one of the 200 million people around the world who maintain a LinkedIn profile with at least 50 connections? If you are, you’re probably among the “elite” who received a message of congratulations this week! The congratulatory messages vary slightly in terms of content from person to person…

The most romantic week of the year is upon us once again. The cards are stocked, the roses reduced and the restaurants ready for their annual influx of covers. But what can the world of social tell us about Valentine’s Day in 2013. Is this a year of carefree romance…

According to our research on social media law, 81% of UK businesses have a social media policy in place. In my experience though, it isn’t enough to just have a policy. You need to lift the details off…

For most digital marketers nowadays, running and managing social media campaigns is an everyday task. In general, there’s less nervousness around kicking off social media promotions, simply because we’re used to it. Nonchalance, however, is a dangerous state to fall into when it comes to social. This is why I…

Social media crises are not as rare as you think. And, as with HMV and Tesco, it’s often the biggest brands that struggle to mitigate the risk. Mistakes are easy to make: you only have to look at Tesco during the middle of the horse burger scandal…

Busy week? No stress. Here’s a short, sweet digest so you can round-off the week feeling up to speed. 5 things you need to know from the last week: Instagram launches online profiles Instagram have made some changes, announcing that users can now view their full…

A recent study shows that Google Plus is now the second largest social network in the world. According to GWI, there are now 343m people using the platform, and it is hardly surprising. Google is integrating the existing user base of Gmail into G+ and continues to…

Legal cases involving social media are on the rise. Companies need to be prepared more than ever. Today we launch our benchmark study on social media and the law. Looking at how prepared UK companies are for social media litigation. You can use the data to evaluate your own knowledge…

For those of you who don’t care for American Football you would be forgiven for thinking “what is all of the fuss about?”. Simple answer – Social TV and advertising, it is certainly worth taking note! Real-time conversations are shaping brands all of the time in social, some brands are…

A new Wall Street Journal Online survey sheds light on the challenges facing small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) with social media. I say that with two hats on. As an MD of an SMD, I can relate to these business challenges. On the other hand our clients are global brands,…

Socialbakers recently released its Q4 results for the best and worst performing brands on social media, defined by a brand’s level of attentiveness to its community. I was immediately struck by giffgaff’s position at number four in the worst offenders list. This is a…

I’m sure you’ve probably heard murmurings about Vine, Twitter’s new video-sharing app, which arrived on the social media scene at the end of last week. There has already been lots of excitement around the new app, which is being dubbed the Instagram of video. Twitter’s 500 milllion…

The recent demise of even more well known High Street retailers such as HMV, Jessops and Blockbuster should serve as a strong reminder that the world has changed! 80% of shoppers were reported to have researched online before making a purchase this past Christmas and the average shopper…

It is January, and London has gone through its yearly season of snow. Unlike countries where snow stays around for a couple of months, here it was gone within a matter of days. And unlike places where it really disrupts the day to day living, in London…

Facebook unveiled Graph Search last week amid a flurry of hype: offering the possibility to discover new information, people, and places that relate to your interests. Many saw Facebook’s move into social search as an attempt to steal some of Google’s thunder and attempt to…

An app says a lot about a branded Facebook page. It can tell us whether a brand has a data and/or member acquisition strategy, while providing insight into the consistency of branding and coherency of content strategy. It can reveal the true extent of on-page geo-targeting, amalgamating localised campaigns and…

What can social media tell us about the sad demise of high street retailers such as Woolworth’s, Comet, Blockbusters and Jessops? Some quick and dirty research shows these high-street failures were also social media fails. There could be many reasons for their failure, not least the products they sell, their…

In the past, for many organisations, the struggle to successfully incorporate social media was due to a lack of understanding and often a downright fear from higher management. A report by Weber and Shandwick in 2010 highlighted this by revealing that 64% of CEOs from the largest companies did not…

As the space of social media continues to grow, so does the general confusion regarding the best ways to proceed with appropriate content marketing strategy. Where do you start? PCMag have published an infographic that provides a useful overview of popular social media platforms. The figures are thought-provoking and help…

The big announcement from Facebook has dropped and it is all about DISCOVERY. The new graph search tool enables users to discover people and content based on their association with others in their ‘social graph’. This latest development is undoubtedly a play to steal some of Google’s search thunder and create…

Content marketing is on the lips of most Marketing Managers as we head into 2013. The growth of platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram are proof of the way that people are consuming content – shifting to rich engaging visual content. Our own client analysis shows that 4x more engagement…

I won’t be the first social media marketer whose eyes made a bee-line for ‘Return on Involvement’ in Mashable’s 2013 buzzword bible. Return on involvement – A brand that “gets involved with their community will garner better return on their investment by getting involved hosting fundraisers, partnering with schools and…

Accumulating connections on Google+ isn’t a problem for some brands – take Cadbury UK with nearly 3 million! But for others, growing the size of the community remains a big challenge when using Google+ Business. The art (and little bit of science) of growing the follower and fan-base for business…

LinkedIn have reached a milestone 200 million users this week. An impressive stat for any social media site. Perhaps not quite in the same league as Facebook who have 1 billion active monthly users, but definitely catching up with Twitter who have around 500 million registered…

The New Year comes with new resolutions that the vast majority of us fail to keep. As the infographic below shows, losing weight is at the top of the list of the goals for 2013. Unsurprisingly only 8% of us actually manage to keep up our resolutions successfully. People are…

I love to talk about social customer service. I think it’s fascinating and incredibly pertinent in our digital world. It also still amazes me how brands and retailers are still missing a trick! I’ve experienced this slow uptake for myself recently; waiting nearly 2 months for a replacement washing machine…

Facebook has become the ultimate B2C social media marketing platform. It enables businesses to target their audience and create a community of brand ambassadors. But exactly how should brands go about marketing on Facebook? Jon Loomer has come up with a useful checklist for Facebook marketing in 2013. Here’s…

For brands using social media, engagement is what it’s all about. Great engagement not only ensures that your content is being seen by your fans and followers, it creates a dedicated community that will lead to more brand advocates who are happy to tell everyone how great you…

With a brand new year stretching ahead of us now is the time to take all those bad digital habits of 2012 out in a big black sack along with the wilted tinsel and scrunched wrapping paper. And User Experience or UX is the perfect place to start. In 2012…

2012 has been a thrilling year in the world of social media, and we’ve been busy keeping up with the rapidity of changes as and when they happen. As the year draws to a close we’ve chosen the top 5 blog posts of 2012. 1. Afraid of…

With Christmas just a few days away we are sure that you have been compiling your Christmas wish lists to share with your friends and family. But in this day and age, the best way to get to the bottom of what people really want for Christmas is through social…

This week has seen a huge backlash against Instagram’s new terms and conditions regarding photo rights. The new terms and conditions appeared to claim that unless users deleted their profiles by the 16th January then all content published on the site becomes fair…

As yesterday’s blog post shows, social media continues to radically transform the ways traditional journalism operates across the world. We learnt that some of year’s biggest stories broke via Twitter, not printed press. And traditional journalism will either transform, or die. An unanswered question remains though…

In 2012, social media became a major source for breaking news. Before newspapers and other traditional methods of reporting had even heard of a story, everyday citizens were updating their Twitter and Facebook accounts to spread the word. Social media’s immediacy meant that it could always be…

As the year draws to a close and we all reflect on the vast and rapid developments that have occurred in social media in 2012, it is clear that one of the most prominent progressions has been the growing importance of smartphones to access social networking sites.

Social customer service is no longer an innovative concept; for most, particularly the big names, it is now an integral part of customer service operations. The question being asked is no longer ‘Does your business handle customer complaints via social media?’ – it is “How well are you performing? What…

Employers have tightened up rules over the use of social media in the workplace, in fear of employees spending their days glued to Facebook or Twitter and ignoring their daily work. Whilst this is commonplace, could using social media at work soon be illegal? According to Stephanie Green and Christine…

As the year draws to a close the inevitable lists of the best and worst moments begin to appear. But what about social media’s biggest successes this year? Econsultancy have published what they think are the 10 greatest social media campaigns from 2012. Looking back at what…

Ever asked yourself why content marketing is like a tube of Pringles? Because once you pop, you just can’t stop. Sites, mobile optimised sites, social platforms, blogs, all craving fresh content and stagnating in static copy until the next fix arrives. But what does that next fix of content look…

With 2013 just on the horizon, now is the time when social media predictions for next year start to surface. In anticipation of this, I’d like to share this interesting infographic from the editors of the Socially Aware Blog, who have looked at how our social media…

Social media is helping drive renewed interest in marketing attribution. A recent survey from Adobe shows that 43% of marketers say social is a driver for marketing attribution. This is welcome news. The benefits of attribution are clear: It helps demonstrate the value of marketing, allowing for more informed decisions…

Ever since Facebook introduced photo tagging all those years ago, it’s been an integral part of our social media experience. Whether it’s photos from a night out, a day trip, or posing in front of a mirror, 300 million of them are uploaded to Facebook every day. And now it’s…

One of the biggest trends in social media this year has been its integration with television. Not only are broadcasters using social media to encourage viewers to discuss their programmes but brands are increasingly getting in on the action. The fact that many people now watch television with 2 screens…

There were some really interesting insights from IBM’s 2012 global CEO study which were released this week… When CEOs were asked for their predictions for the next 3-5 years they foresee a 61% decrease in traditional media being used as a customer interaction method, whilst collectively predicting a 256% increase…

As we’re nearing the end of 2012, it is vital to review the year behind us before we can start planning ahead. What have been the most significant trends, brands and developments in social media and content marketing? Here’s a few highlights from the best of the best – enjoy!…

Alan Turing came up with a test for assessing the intelligence of a computer back in the 1950s. A human being and a computer are engaged in natural dialogue and asked the same questions by another human judge. If that judge is unable to distinguish the computer apart from the…

There’s often a lot of buzz around the latest, greatest Facebook creative campaigns. However, little noise is made about brands or companies who get Facebook content right on a day to day basis. Those who are strategic in their content creation of every post; referring back to the principles of Facebook Edgerank,…

Most companies seek ROI when running a big social media campaign. But can charities do the same? This year it seems, Movember is proving that not only can a charity movement have a wide social reach but it can actually convert those Facebook ‘likes’ into real charitable action. The Movember…

John Lewis have pulled out all the stops with their Christmas advert this year. Presumably trying to top last year’s heart warming offering. They have extended their campaign across social media platforms. The advert was first unveiled on Facebook before its prime time spot later that day…

Social media is a dynamic universe. Seemingly insignificant platforms become market leaders in a matter of months, and web giants that appear indestructible fall in no time. Such a rapidly changing market requires attentive monitoring, and access to accurate statistics is essential. People at DreamGrow have published…

Specific Media and Justin Timberlake are desperately trying to breathe life back into the social media platform. The new owners have massive plans for the site as a 29-page investment pitch for MySpace’s parent company, Interactive Media Holdings revealed. The leaked document shows that the company’s plan is to reincarnate MySpace…

I’ve been doing a lot of recruiting over the last nine months. For those of you in the same boat, you will know it’s a time consuming and challenging task. Finding people with deep digital experience rather than just a veneer is tough. I spend a lot of time writing…

Earlier this year Econsultancy surveyed e-commerce and e-business professionals to understand if and how they were using mobile as part of their multichannel experience. The survey revealed that 74% of companies had developed a mobile optimised website, 29% had developed a tablet-optimised website; and nearly half were…

Given that 66% of UK professionals are now on LinkedIn, the platform offers considerable B2B marketing opportunities to companies. There are numerous ways firms can benefit from LinkedIn, one of which is participation in group discussions. Good questions provoke lively exchange of views and promote the public…

The joyful season is nearing and brands are definitely trying to get us into the Christmas mood. They are doing all they can to boost sales through creative marketing and the use of interesting social media campaigns. Fashion outlet ASOS has launched an interactive campaign. Users will be able to…

We were delighted to read the news this morning that David Cameron and his team at number 10 are trialing an application which will pull real-time data from social media and other sources to aid with decision making. The application will give the PM an at-a-glance view of how the…

Over the last 2 years there has been a noticeable shift in our client base at immediate future. No longer are we just working alongside PR or marketing folk – something that is nicely expressed in the infographic below. Social isn’t simply an extension of a marketing campaign. It’s become integral…

The US presidential race will be decided on Tuesday 6th of November 2012 when either Mitt Romney or Barack Obama will be handed the keys to the White House for the next four years. At present, the race is too close to call and opinion polls have them neck and…

Last week Hurricane Sandy left much of the east coast of America in tatters. Whilst the hurricane swept across New York and other states, social media was to be one of the most powerful platforms in which aid was offered. Social media served as a useful tool for family and…

Twitter provides great opportunities for businesses to establish effective and engaging communication with their customers. But how should companies go about doing it? Here are some useful principles to follow. 1. Problem acknowledgement and quick apology Customers value honest communication. The quicker you apologise and acknowledge the problem, the better.

This survey of 740 respondents from the LinkedIn B2B Technology Marketing community looks at the trends in content marketing for 2012. Here are some key tweetable pull outs from the report… 84% of marketers say that content production is going to rise in the next 12 months!…

When the clock strikes midnight and the un-dead stir from their graves, it won’t be Freddie Krueger, or Pennywise the clown putting the frights into social media marketeers this Halloween. Something far worse. Something far scarier. A social media metric that isn’t being measured. As Social Media Examiner reports, the…

Are you listening to what’s being said about your brand or business online? Regardless as to whether or not your company has a presence on social media, monitoring the main networks is something that you really should be doing. Stop right there. Don’t roll your eyes and think ‘I don’t…

Images are becoming more and more essential for both search and social media marketing. A recent study by ROI Research shows that as more people are using smartphones to engage in social media as it is now easier to take pictures on the go with a high-resolution smartphone is as…

For an industry built on innovation and forward-thinking, social media sure has its fair share of metaphors and clichés. Don’t get me wrong, they perform a purpose; they help us metaphorically visualise the virtual. Clicking on a Like button doesn’t necessarily mean anything until you consider that the action demonstrates the user’s…

YouTube has recently announced it is putting more emphasis on measuring the time people spend watching videos rather than just how many people watch them. They are tweaking the algorithm that suggests new videos that YouTube users might to like to watch. Clearly, they want to reward…

Soft Drink companies seem to be the ones that are engaging with their fans in more elaborate and innovative ways. This week’s social media brand chart shows that Red Bull and Coca Cola are dominating social media chatter. This is unsurprising given the enormity of both stunts, particularly Red Bull.

Social media is a great tool for engagement; it enables the target audience to set the agenda and puts the customer in the driving seat of communication. It is both an opportunity and a challenge to any organisation, including political parties. In fact, one may even recognise core democratic elements…

It’s no secret that the last few months for Facebook have been trying. With stock continuing to slump Facebook has been turning to e-commerce as a way to combat this. In the last fortnight the social media giant has launched Facebook gifts; which allows you to buy friends redeemable gifts…

It’s been over a year since Google released their challenger to Facebook’s rule on top of the social media pyramid, in the form of Google Plus. Launched in June 2011, the search giant hoped that Google Plus could strike a huge blow to Facebook’s dominance of the social media…

According to American Express’ 2012 Global Customer Service Barometer, one third of US consumers think businesses are paying less attention to providing good customer service in 2012. * Surprising no? Especially, as companies are more exposed than ever with consumers able to…

For sale: baby shoes, never worn. Hemingway only needed six words to tell a story. But can – and should – a brand really capture its narrative, values and essence in just 28 characters? Yes, content should be sharp, clear and concise. Yes, passive verbs and filter words aren’t…

Ever wondered how many of your brand’s Google+ circles are repinning away on Pinterest? Or how many of your LinkedIn connections also use Twitter? And just how many global users does Facebook have this week? Wonder no more! Global Web Index has shed some light on engagement patterns across social…

Could a revamp give MySpace the competitive edge needed to survive the fierce digital market of today? The new MySpace design which was launched by their new owners Joseph Mark (backed by Justin Timberlake) gives Myspace users a unique opportunity to enter a social network that caters to a…

It was only a matter of time before Facebook started to look for new ways to make money out of its businesses. We have had premium ads and now the Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg has suggested businesses can expect premium services as well. Let’s be honest, Facebook has to keep…

Google+ has been rifled with issues and skepticism since it began. The social platform has been criticised for its lack of activity and for being too small to be taken as a viable social media platform for brand use. Moreover brands have not always been sure about best practice marketing…

Findings from BT’s study earlier this year may have pointed towards females being the social media obsessives; but the latest data from Global Web Index into social platforms indicates it’s more of a man’s game. Almost every platform skews male, with the highest male ratio on LinkedIn…

The B2Bs in the Social Marketing Universe Using social media for business is no longer a new or strange concept. Although some businesses have been slow to grasp the full value of social media for B2B marketing. Last week Facebook announced it was awarding 12 of the…

SMB’s are taking over Social Media New research shows that 90% of small business owners have some sort of presence on social media, and that they are beginning to increase their involvement. In studies done by 5starControl, results show that small businesses are “keener on…

It seems the social landscape is shifting yet again for B2B companies… 20% of top level executives are spending more time reading Tweets than online news publications. It represents a slow shift which IBM says in the next 5 years will see social media become a primary interaction tool with…

News Round-Up Coca-Cola Reaches 50 Million Coca-Cola has always had a good grasp of how to market itself and communicate well with its fans. On social media it engages well with its fans in a direct and ‘authentic’ manner. In doing so, it’s…

This year more than ever, the issue of social customer service is front and centre in the minds of customer service leaders. Many major companies are left with more questions than answers on how to implement, strategise and budget. It’s a common question, but why should a company bother with…

Good News for Facebook Despite its fiscal status in a state of constant flux, Facebook had a good week. The platform passed the final hurdle in its bid to acquire Instagram after the California Department of Corporations ruled that the transaction appeared ‘just, fair, and equitable’. With all…

Olympic sponsors: the social winners Whilst athletes were vying for medals during the dubbed ‘Socialympics’, the official sponsors were hard at work battling for social media dominance. Social Media Influence have released the sponsor leaderboard. Visa and P&G come in joint 3rd position. Visa saw…

After 16 days of sporting excellence, London bid farewell to the Olympic Games last night. Touted as the ‘world’s first social games’, London 2012 lived up to the hype around social media with networks extending their reach far and wide, as well as acting as a supplement to traditional media.

I’d like to share this informative infographic from bluewolf consultancy, which provides a fantastic overview of social media as the new service channel. Perfectly summed up in the header – “It is no longer about how fast a business can respond to a customer BUT HOW WELL.” I couldn’t agree…

Stay tuned for our Monday round-ups of the latest social media news. We will be providing short, sweet snippets that will help you stay ahead of the ever-changing social media game. Here’s the first in the series… Enjoy. Last week saw the shock revelation that 8.7% or 83 million Facebook…

You may have seen the recent news about Facebook testing ‘Offers’ for Ecommerce sites. Brands will be able to push digital offers through the timeline to their communities and these will be redeemable for the first time on the retailer’s website at checkout. At present this functionality…