2013 Immediate Future

Archive: 2022

Social media monitoring is essential for business. When “81% of Twitter users expect a same day response to questions and complaints” you can’t afford not to pay attention. Customers are certainly leading the way and it’s our job to keep up. Our very own Katy Howell [follow her @katyhowell] points…

David Cameron is set to announce today that internet providers will block pornography for every household in the UK – unless they actively opt-in to receive it. The Prime Minister will state that access to pornography is “corroding childhood” and further steps must be taken to stop…

Despite the negative opinions held by some with regards to the so-called detrimental effects social media is having on humanity (my grandma for one!), I view it as an enabler, which can be harnessed to add further depth and to better human interactions and relationships. With that in mind, I…

With the sunny weather dominating London’s climate for the last couple of weeks, the social media world has somewhat quietened. For many people this is a time of holidays, parks, ice cream, beaches, festivals, BBQs and generally taking a rest from the constant flow of data that surrounds our culture.

I recently wrote a blog post about how social media not only helps businesses on an external level, for brand awareness and product promotion, but also for internal purposes too. The blog gave a brief overview into some of the tools/platforms that can be used internally, however, let’s look…

Marketing for B2B companies on LinkedIn just got more interesting. At the end of this month, LinkedIn is introducing ‘Sponsored Updates’, which gives users the ability to promote updates on LinkedIn beyond their own followers or connections. In a similar style to ‘Promoted Posts’ on Facebook, LinkedIn…

With the world becoming more and more digitally dependent we have seen the way in which we market our brands change and evolve. The digital era allows companies to interact with existing and potential customers in exciting creative ways via multiple channels. You may think that this development of technology…

This week London played host to a two-day conference run by Our Social Times, discussing building customer relationships through social media. With real insights and case studies from big brands, including Nokia, Sony, EE, NowTV and eBay, attendees had the opportunity to explore new ideas…

Content is being created…quickly and in quantity! There is a vast amount of content being created in today’s world. Content makes the internet work and every second of every day ‘we’ are creating more content. Now in 2013, 9 out of 10 marketers are using content marketing, according to the…

Following on from my time spent driving the social media programme for the IBM Smarter Commerce Global Summit held in Monaco this June, I’ve been pondering the importance and real value of using social media effectively for events. This week, I stumbled across an infographic, titled ‘4…

Waze, the crowd sourced traffic-mapping and navigation company, was recently acquired for $1.3bn by Google after a supposed bidding war with Facebook. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has actually begun investigating this acquisition after demands from consumer groups concerned that Google’s takeover of the company could…

Back in January this year, Facebook launched a new search engine feature called ‘Graph Search’, the tool allowed users to let you search your Facebook network for people, places, photos and interests. Graph Search was only accessible to a selected few, in a very limited beta program.

As Paris Fashion Week struts to a close two vastly different brands will be congratulating themselves on a successful week. Chanel may be a fashion week regular, but this year saw a new contender take to the stage (or should that be catwalk?) as H&M produced its first ever Paris…

The battle between Vine and Instagram for video sharing supremacy is heating up with Vine upping the ante with brand new updates. Yesterday, Twitter’s mobile video service announced that it had gained several new features designed to make the user experience smoother. The update is the biggest in the app’s…

It’s 2009. A new location-based social networking website for mobile devices has been launched. Four years later, and the platform has an estimated 35 million users worldwide. But what happened to that social network, and did it ever achieve its full potential? I am of course talking about Foursquare, the…

Videos are now becoming much more of a focus for brands within their digital strategy. And with good reason too! A study in 2012 found that social engagement in videos increased by 28% to 70% compared to 2011! It also showed that social media users are twice…

With the success of the Olympics and Superbowl (a game like rugby except they have to wear padding so they don’t hurt themselves) it is undeniable, that social plays a key role in Live Sporting Events. The content that can be generated around these events helps to paint a true…

If you have anything to do with social media, then you know that you are always innovating. If it isn’t the constant evolution of the platforms, the new tools sprouting like weeds across the internet, or the ever-changing trends of users – you need to stay on your toes in…

Following on from Adam’s blog ‘From Monaco With Love’, and whilst I’m still buzzing from the excitement of managing the social media conversations around the IBM #SmarterCommerce Global Summit last week, I’d like to share some of the key learnings and insights the team garnered…

It has been more than a month since Google+ announced its new design, so I thought it is a good moment to reflect on how the changes have affected the way I use the platform. If I am being honest, they really haven’t. Despite the way G+…

The team have just returned from a week of handling the social media for our client IBM and their #SmarterCommerce conference. We worked hard, partied harder and didn’t sleep much. What else would you expect when in Monaco? It was long nights and social media collaboration heaven!…

For new businesses social media can appear a very daunting task but to be fair most companies give it a go, to a certain degree. Some have a better idea of what to do and others write content with no business purpose. My last two blogs have…

Corporate communication is undergoing rapid change. As a rule of thumb, the challenge for large businesses is to maintain a genuinely personal approach to the customer, despite the sheer volume of enquiries, whilst keeping in line with the overall marketing strategy. Web solutions, intertwined with thought-through social elements provide a…

The hashtag-obsessed world that we live in has just claimed another victim. After seeing the success of the use of the # on Twitter, Facebook has now unveiled clickable hashtags on their platform. The aim of hashtags on Facebook is to make it easier for users and advertisers to find…

I am delighted to publish a guest blog from one of the most brilliant data geeks I know, Jacqui Taylor Founder and CEO at FlyingBinary. For those that have yet to meet Jacqui, she is a super clever lady: a web scientist in fact. After implementing a…

Social media is constantly evolving. Every day there are reports of a brand new feature update or a new tool to try out, but how do you stay on top of all of the developments? Other than following @iftweeter and reading our…

Any business plan aiming for success must include proposals for getting the brand out to the market and in order to start to make money as quickly as possible. Investors will always be on your back wanting the business to generate cash from sales quickly and for a new business…

What is social media to you? How can you keep track of what’s going on? And how can you keep a tight lead on your own activity? Social media is evolving all the time and creating new and wonderful technologies and opportunities; it’s no wonder that every now and then…

The world has gone visual. 10% of photos taken in the history of the world were taken in the last year, as online and social media continues to embrace the power of visual content. The statistics speak for themselves: 250 million photos are uploaded to Facebook each…

Having established that adoption of social innovation leads to new and fruitful revenues, I said in my last post that mostly start-ups are reaping the rewards. So I investigated which brands were truly innovating for social. I didn’t consider those that had…

We read many articles advising us on how to use social media for business, but this is normally on an external level, to help with customer service, brand awareness and web traffic. However, have you thought about how social media can help your business internally? As we know, social media…

Let’s cut to the chase shall we. B2B marketers want leads. In fact 70% say it is the top priority. In social media we have the opportunity. Our buyers are there.

Content marketing has received a lot of attention of late – it’s really coming to the fore for marketers, who are increasingly paying attention to its true value. I want to share with you this lovely infographic from Demand Metric, which…

Starting your own company comes with high risks but, if done correctly, offers high rewards. A great business plan is essential but any business plan that ignores social media is, today, a business plan that is incomplete. When used wisely, social media can assist start-ups in many ways. You can…

It was revealed last week that Google+ has overtaken Twitter in the US as the second biggest social network. Whilst the prominence of Google+ is growing it is becoming more apparent that companies can no longer afford to neglect the platform from their social media marketing strategy. Brands should look…

Social media marketing is increasingly ubiquitous for most brands, and if not, it is on the radar. We are on our way to mass adoption among businesses. Early adopter brands are now focused on social business. I am certainly talking to a lot of companies about how they can bring…

The ‘Social Relationship’ tool within GA is not a particularly new tool, however, are brands using it enough? Brands are very familiar with using the traffic referral reports and setting up goals to identify where direct conversions are coming from, but the ‘relationship’ between social interaction and conversions drives a…

LinkedIn have recently rolled out the new layout, and there is a noticeable buzz within the social media world around it! The new design has already seen a couple of phases, and each time it happens, you see people talking about it! As Em Donnely mentions, the notification toolbar has…

Google Maps has been re-released with a completely new look – and I have to say it looks amazing. The new Google Maps seamlessly incorporates Google Earth and Street View – allowing users to take a peek at anything from how Earth looks in space to clouds moving in real…

Who doesn’t love a retweet? It’s quick and simple and it can save you the hassle of creating an update. But it’s worthwhile taking the time to think through a retweet because sometimes they can get you into a sticky situation… Help raise awareness about the risks when it comes…

Following in the footsteps of Twitter, Pinterest and Google+, Facebook announced yesterday that it would be launching verified accounts for an elite group of prominent brands and public figures. Social Media accounts are rife with duplicate accounts and Facebook has notoriously had…

With the popularity of LinkedIn Groups growing alongside the other conversation platforms, such as LinkedIn Today and company pages, it has become a considerable challenge to identify the most relevant groups to join. Let’s say you are an IT professional looking to network with your peers……

Last week Twitter announced a brand new addition to its suite of Twitter Cards – one designed solely to help brands capture leads and drive purchase. The Lead Generation Card will now enable brands to push incentives and offers directly to consumers, who by expanding the tweet will see their…

In the sixth post of this Live Brand Social blog series we discovered that Facebook is the preferred network for sharing content, by 61% of consumers surveyed. There is more to be learned from this fact, however. The raw data also showed that 31% want…

Although creating a tweet or a Facebook status update is quick and easy, brands need to realise that social can offer a lot more in the long-term. The effort that you put into managing your social presence is meant for a lot more than one sale; you are building an…

The retweet is a popular feature of Twitter. Research shows that, as a result of combining live event marketing with social, 54% will post to Twitter, however, the creation of original content is far outweighted on Twitter, by the ease of sharing via retweets. 36% will share a tweet and…

When social media and the law collide it can often be a dangerous mix. And with growing numbers of employees Facebook-ing, Tweeting, Pinning, LinkedIn-ing, YouTube-ing and blogging during (and even outside of) working hours it can present a tricky situation for employers to manage As our recent…

After a number of high-profile hackings of some of its accounts, Twitter has launched a new strike in the war on hackers with a new weapon: two-stage authentication. From the hacking of the Associated Press’ Twitter account, where a tweet was posted suggesting an attack on the…

Already we have discovered that consumers are most likely to share on social media if the experience was unusual (71%), entertaining (69%) and relevant (65%). However, knowing which specific social platforms they are using tells you where you need to focus your attention. It can…

With such a large number of analytical tools for social media, it is understandable that you may feel overwhelmed with all of the data that is available. However, with some simple steps, you’ll be analysing the success of your social media campaigns in no time: There are so…

Word of mouth is a coveted form of marketing. There is nothing like your customers talking positively about your brand, product and services. Google suggests that the value is on the Zero Moment of Truth where consumers jump online to check out a brand before…

Although Vine is still a relatively new app, it has shown that it has clout with brands and advertisers in a short period of time. Vine is a mobile app that lets you shoot six-second videos, or Vines, to share on social networking sites. With brands continuing to utilise the…

Already we’ve explored the recent research on Live Brand Social to look at how people’s behaviours can inform your planning. You’ve seen the best ways you can use a combination of live events and social media; how you can target your audience and interact with…

Google has developed yet another mind-blowing research tool. Despite the rather unimaginative name, “The Customer Journey to Online Purchase”, it nevertheless provides extremely valuable data to boost the imagination of online marketers, providing even further evidence to treat social media as an integral part of any serious marketing strategy. So…

It is one of the big players in the world of social media, with over 300 million active users and a place at the social media top table. Not content with being the world’s second largest social network and being used by 25 per cent of…

In the last Live Brand Social post we touched on how, together, live experiences and social create a 48% more successful event. Being active on social before, during and after a live event gives you the greatest opportunity to extend the relationship:…

I’ll admit it. In the early days of my first PR job I flung my press releases far and wide, hammering as many contacts as possible in the hope that somewhere, somehow, the story would stick. Did it work? No. Did I receive seething emails from journalists informing me that…

When it comes to social media, one key to success is to focus on the activities that give you the widest reach, as efficiently as possible. You need to know that your message is being heard and more importantly that it is being heard by the right people. It…

There is strength in numbers, and integrating live brand experiences with your social media activities is a prime example of this. Together they become Live Brand Social, and together they generate amazing figures. 53% of consumers said they will purchase a branded product as a result of this…

Did you skim stones at the beach when you were younger? It’s a favourite summer pastime for plenty of kids but it isn’t so far from the marketing mix that many adults find themselves swimming through these days. How so? Skimming stones has a short lifespan when it comes…

There’s a reason that people like chilli and chocolate and it’s really simple: opposites attract. Alone, these ingredients are delicious but in very different ways. Combined (despite the initial reaction that you’re preparing a culinary disaster) the result is surprisingly satisfying. It’s not so different in brand marketing. You…

Rumours are plentiful that Facebook will begin to roll out a video advertising offering this summer. This would have Facebook users finding video ads popping up in their Newsfeeds, as soon as July this year. The video ads would begin playing in silent mode, until the Facebook user opts…

Let’s face it, there is a little piece of us that lights up inside when we get a comment, like or retweet on our latest post. The knowledge that what we have to say is being heard, or read, is satisfying and it encourages us to share more. But is…

With social media being a hub for news stories and updates brands and companies are ever increasingly jumping on popular stories to engage with wider audiences. This is known as newsjacking. When done correctly newsjacking can be an amazing asset for a brand, however, if done badly the backlash can…

Social media continues to revolutionise corporate culture. It opens up new avenues of communication, breaks down barriers between employers, employees and the public, and provides new opportunities for brands to put a human face to their image. CEOs are no exception to this quiet revolution. Customers want to see that…

LinkedIn has a reputation as a place where professionals go to find a job. With an array of new features like LinkedIn Today for breaking news, LinkedIn Groups for discussions and LinkedIn Company Pages introducing a Facebook-esque feel to proceedings, some might argue that its reputation has subsided over time.

immediate future had the same question. Unfortunately there is no button on your keyboard that can give you the answer to all your legal questions. But, after researching how UK businesses approach their use of social media we were able to create a best practice guide to…

US Attorney General, Eric Holder, made headlines this week as he is investigating whether employers have the right to ask for Facebook passwords during job interviews, or whether this goes against federal law in America. While imitation may well be the sincerest form of flattery, if you…

Six weeks ago The Tribeca Film Festival challenged budding film makers to push Twitter’s Vine app to the limit and create a six-second looping film. Tips to budding Vine makers included telling a story with a beginning, middle, and end whilst embracing Vine’s features such…

The disclosure of confidential information is widely considered to be the biggest risk of using social media. In fact, our research into social media and the law detailed how 3 out of 5 companies are not confident that sensitive or confidential information is protected on social platforms. But UK…

Have you ever wondered how to merge the physical and digital worlds together? Mega-brewer Budweiser has figured it out and is doing just that. Budweiser Brazil is testing a new and innovative beer glass referred to as the “Buddy Cup”, which is integrated with Facebook via a microchip embedded…

Whilst there may be a lot of talk in the social media world about Facebook losing its way and users proliferating to other platforms, it is still the big juggernaut – generating unrivaled engagement and reach for brands across the globe. The winners have recently been announced for the Facebook Studio…

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Since the creation of the smartphone and the advent applications, social media has been an integral part of the mobile phone experience. With that in mind talks of a Facebook mobile phone seemed to be a natural progress. Instead, Facebook made the bold decision to create Facebook Home; an innovative…

Instagram has become increasingly popular over the last year, with many sports teams such as the New York Rangers really using the social photo sharing network to promote and connect with fans during the NHL playoffs. It’s now the New York Knicks’ turn…

Copying and sharing information online has never been easier but a simple retweet can gain you a lot more attention than you bargained for, and not necessarily of the good variety. Copyright regulations have evolved to keep up with advances in technology and the use of the Internet. For…

Since its launch back in 2011 Snapchat has been particularly popular with the younger demographic, but is it now possible to integrate Snapchat into a brand’s marketing strategy? For those who are not familiar with the app, it allows users to take pictures or short videos and…

The Twitterverse has witnessed yet another case of Twitter hack. This time the victim is the Associated Press, with hackers tweeting about an attack to the White House and Barack Obama being injured! It took 5 minutes for the post to be retweeted over 4,000 times and favourited…

Incorporating social media into your marketing mix may seem like the norm nowadays, but so much activity has led to increased attention when it comes to legal credentials. High profile cases like that of Lord Alistair McAlpine have left 3 pertinent concerns with marketers. Who takes responsibility?…

In its bid to constantly evolve and improve the mobile experience for its billion-strong user base, Facebook has introduced a brand new feature for their Android and iOS users. Chat Heads have recently debuted on Facebook’s mobile apps, allowing users to keep a list of conversations going on without having…

Have you noticed how blue the colour scheme on most social media platforms is? Apparently it is a very trustworthy colour, subconsciously symbolising intelligence, wisdom and stability. Users can also be quite colourful, not only the content that they are sharing but the shades that their complexion goes through when…

Facebook wants to know what you’re doing This week we have taken a look at the new changes Facebook is rolling out! Facebook is about to launch a brand new update which will affect our Facebook status updates. They are soon to become much more interactive due to a…

Social media is a fast-moving, ever-evolving beast – for all marketers it’s a constant challenge to stay one step ahead of the game. We can’t be 100% sure of the future of social, but we can certainly have a jolly good inkling… The results of B2B Marketing’s Social Media Benchmarking…

Hashtags have become the standard way to label social media posts, not only on Twitter but also on Google+ and increasingly on LinkedIn. Monitoring hashtags is an easy way to spot a social media trend and to respond accordingly. However, it is rather unclear what kind of hashtags tend to…

YouTube launched annotated videos in 2010; this function allows you to link to other videos within your own video. This lets you create highly engaging videos for fans. Producing an innovative and creative video campaign can result in millions of views and great brand awareness; however, despite being launched 3…

New research has shown that whilst Facebook and YouTube are still important for many teens their popularity has been falling steadily amongst this demographic over the last year. So are teens being driven away by Facebook’s new updates or are they leaving in favour of other, newer,…

Facebook status updates have just got more interactive due to a set of new changes where users will soon be able to express what they are watching, eating or listening to on the site. In a move that will surely bring joy to those users who love to broadcast their…

A content inventory is a bit like a labyrinth. You could find yourself deviating down many paths with little sight of the exit. And even if you are lucky enough to find the exit before being savaged by a Minotaur, there’s always a chance that you might…

LinkedIn has become one of the most popular global social networks for business professionals, with over 150 million people using the site to network, job hunt and connect with industry peers and colleagues. With over 500 recruitment companies also using LinkedIn as a source of new talent, is there any…

It’s no secret that since the music industry has become heavily altered by the digital age, the internet has in some ways been a blessing and a curse for the business. For example social media outlets have allowed music labels and artists to connect and reach audiences in an era…

We’re living in times of integrated marketing. The distinction between social, e-mail, SEO and PPC does still exist, but it has become essential that different channels work in conjunction, not competition, towards the same goal. As a consequence, brand websites should reflect this integrated approach. There is a great opportunity…

With 200 million registered users and over 11 million in the UK, LinkedIn must focus on helping its user base expand their networks and engage with the platform on a deeper level. In the same way Facebook has introduced Graph Search to help it’s users to discover more within the…

LinkedIn has been making a sea of changes recently to its service, and a new feature unveiled this week promises to be very exciting indeed. LinkedIn announced that their 200 million users will soon be able to mention connections and companies in conversations on the site, which has the potential…

Health services in South West London are in the process of being reconfigured. Which means the A&E department and maternity ward at my local hospital could soon close. Residents have been told not to worry as it will only take 13 minutes to travel to the reallocated wards in Tooting.

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending Social Media Measurement & Monitoring 2013 where our lovely CEO Katy Howell (@katyhowell) was imparting her knowledge on tracking leads through Facebook. It was a great session with lots of interesting talks and juicy debates – I’d like to…

Brands are constantly trying to find a personal connection with their customers. Social media is a platform where they are able to talk to them more directly. With more and more companies speaking to their customers in conversational tones, and using humour to engage with their fan base, April Fools…

LinkedIn has become the corporate equivalent of Facebook. It is difficult to find a major brand that still has not activated its presence on the platform. And yet, being on LinkedIn is not the same as using it to its full potential. Everything Everywhere ticked at least 3 boxes…

After casting my eye on the infographic below there was one particular statement that caught my attention… Google+ pages appear in search results for 30% of brand terms searches for brands with G+ pages (up 5% from Feb 2012) In a bid to do some quick and dirty bit of…

Since the introduction of social media, resolving disputes through face to face interaction seems to have become a thing of the past. There appears to be a popular trend in taking to various social platforms to vent frustration towards the situations or people we encounter in everyday life. From that…