Social media platforms Immediate Future

Social media platforms

We regularly hear about how sharing information online can make us vulnerable to online identity theft among other crimes. With an estimated one-seventh of the world’s population on Facebook, we are continuously sharing our personal details online and making ourselves more susceptible to criminals. According to this article by Jane Susskind in…

Missing out on new opportunities or opting for more effective channels? There are two ways to read into the latest data collated by eCircle looking at the adoption of sophisticated targeted email communications. Stand out statistics read that: 21% of the top 50 retailers…

It seems like everyone is at it nowadays – Facebook advertising is more or less a standard element of many brands’ social media activity. But how often are marketers taking a step back to ponder WHY exactly they are running advertising campaigns? What do they hope to achieve? Over the…

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…

Social media networks, in particular Twitter, have been under the limelight in the past week due to an outbreak of pictures claiming to identify the two killers of James Bulger, who was murdered 20 years ago. UK police have ordered social network users to stop outing the…

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…

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…

Have you ever tweeted about wanting a new bag, or the latest bit of gadgetry, or pined over a pretty bit of jewellery? Well now if you tweet about it you may very well be able to own it with Twitter’s new partnership with American Express. Twitter has made a…

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,…

Yesterday saw an excellent example of when a brand’s social media goes very, very wrong. An HMV employee, who had access to the company Twitter account, began to Tweet about the mass sackings that were going on that day in wake of HMVs bankruptcy: HMV clearly had not thought…

There is very little doubt that social media is increasingly becoming more prominent in our lives. Whether it’s following a brand or communicating with friends and family, our lives are progressively being displayed on screen more. However with so much of our personal content being shared on-line it is becoming…

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…

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…

Last week after much anticipation, the new and improved version of Myspace was rolled out to the general public. The launch coincided with the release of singer (and major Myspace investor) Justin Timberlake’s new single. Although the launch may have been overshadowed by Facebook’s announcement of graph search, the site…

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…

Last year Instagram was the new up-and-comer on the social media landscape, exploding onto the scene and earning a $1 billion pay check from Facebook. With 58 photos being uploaded per second and well over a billion photos uploaded to the site as of May 2012, Instagram was clearly the…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Pinterest, the pinboard-style sharing platform offers exciting opportunities for brands to connect with their customers in an innovative, emotional way by tapping into their passions. For some, such as fashion retail brands, it couldn’t be easier – customers will lap up rich, visual content (especially when it’s a designer handbag!) However, Pinterest’s…

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…

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…

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…

Engagement is of paramount importance when it comes to getting it right in social media. Your contributions on social networks form the outward representation of your brand or company online and define how you are viewed by others. Which is why effective and compelling engagement requires scrupulous planning and calls…

Shortly after my last post on Pinterest this insightful infographic circulated giving further evidence that the platform could really become a big player in 2012 – check out “is Pinterest the next social commerce game changer“ After making such a huge splash in the US…

Pinterest was the surprise social network of last year in the US achieving over 31 million visits and rising to number 7 in the Hitwise top 10 social networks of 2011. Whilst the network only represents 0.68% share of visits (Facebook represents a staggering 63.31%) – Pinterest is set to…

Still relatively unheard of amongst the masses, RFID or radio frequency identification technology has recently made the headlines as it is potentially going to be adopted for use at summer festivals in the UK. Glastonbury organiser, Michael Eavis has confirmed that he is looking into using the technology – read more…