Thursday, March 17, 2011

Are Social Media Messages Telling Too Much?

When someone uses location based social media, I always get a thought that it could be putting my personal security at risk. It could be as innocent as a check-in at the local eatery or maybe while on vacation. The Internet for most people is a fantastic tool, but for some it is a way to break the law or hurt people. The attached article will open your eyes.


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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

The Shocking Numbers Behind Cellphone Usage [Infographic]

I love Infographics because they can take complicated, numerical services or products and simplify the data so everyone can see their impact. The numbers that are associated with cellular phone useage and products speak for themselves.

One statistic that is staggering is the number of text messages that are received everyday in just the United States...200 trillion. Also Apple is responsible for 99.4% of App downloads. This is very informative and worth checking out.

The Shocking Numbers Behind Cellphone Usage [Infographic]

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Why do you like Twitter?



I first heard about Twitter in early 2008. I was aware of what it was and the basic mechanism of how it worked. The only people using this microblogging tool were some reporters at the newspaper I worked. It was not until early 2009 did I finally wake up, sign up and embrace the power of Twitter.


A report from emarketer talks about the huge increase of unique monthly visitors, its integration and adoption by the business and the wider audience in 2009. It also examines some of the challenges that Twitter has ahead. The most important challenge will be changing its focus from audience building to revenue generation. Twitter will be on target to attract 32 million unique visitors per month in 2011. Ben Parr of Mashable posted a story today of how Twitter has reached a market value of $4 billion.


I like Twitter because it is fast, easy to use and it is anything you want it to be. Any topic that you can think of can be searched. The true power of Twitter is how it is used for breaking news events. During the G20 meetings in Toronto last year, rioting broke out in the city. I was watching it on television [CP24] and following it on Twitter. In most cases, Twitter is on the scene before the police or first responders. It is truly a powerful tool for individuals, brands and companies.

Why do you use Twitter?...

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Mobile Commerce Getting Ready for Blast Off!


Last year on The New Media Mix, I wrote about how M-Commerce would be one of the success stories for 2011. Fasten your seatbelts and get ready to go for a ride. Several companies have introduced smart phone apps that can be used to purchase coffee, taxi rides, and even pay for lunch.

Jolie O'Dell of Mashable published a story in December that Google was aquiring a mobile payment company called Zetawire. This technology would enable smart phones to complete transactions anywhere at anytime. With Google is aquiring the braintrust and structure to introduce software or an application that makes financial transactions simple for mobile phones, you can be sure that other players will be entering the market.

I will be keeping an eye on M-Commerce and new start-ups that will be entering the market in 2011. One that stands out for me is Venmo. I believe that having a great idea and the drive to move forward can provide great opportunities.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Facebook, Amazon.com versus Google - Social Media Brands Get Ready To Rumble

Late last week all over the net there were news stories of how Facebook and Amazon.com were partnering for a showdown that has been brewing for sometime now. This showdown is with Google. These giant social media brands have been playing a fantastically complicated game of chess to see who will survive or get left behind.

Caroline McCarthy, of CNET.com put it this way,"Facebook dominates the social web, and Google dominates everything else. Google wants to wrest a bit of control of social media from Facebook." In the high stakes of social media, staying in control of your niche is crucial to you being top of mind. If you lose that edge and your brand awareness you lose everything. It doesn't get any more serious than this.

Google has been trying to grab a piece of the social networking space for many years, but last week they were arming themselves for a showdown. Google has released information about the acquisition of Slide. This company was started by PayPal veteran Max Levchin. What is so interesting about this is Max Levchin was responsible for designing some of the earliest breakout hits on the Facebook platform. This in its self would lead me to think that Google is getting ready to succeed this time with its movement into social networks. Their failures before have allowed them to learn and observe the strengths and weaknesses of Facebook.

At Facebook, it was reported by venturebeat.com , that Chief Executive, Mark Zuckerberg was in "Lockdown" preparing for battle with Google.



I personally, believe that products and industries change, modify and develop into new things. In social media and web 2.0, we have reached a point where the very large brands are changing and moving forward. This push by Google might be exactly what Facebook needs to become even better. Be careful what you wish for Google. You might not like what happens.

What do you think will happen next? Will Google succeed or Facebook?

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Big Brands and Social Media - Ford Explorer Facebook Reveal

2011 Ford Explorer exclusively on Facebook. This is really the first big ticket item that has been revealed on a social media site. Ford has taken a proactive approach to creating interest and a buzz among new customers.

If you head to the Ford website the first thing you notice is the usage of social media within the traditional two dimensional website. They have incorporated streaming video from You Tube connections to Facebook. The new Ford strategy seems to be "embrace the new and don't be afraid to take new approaches to marketing your products."

The mind behind the usage of social media marketing in an integrated marketing strategy is Ford's Scott Monty. Scott is the Global Digital & Multimedia Communications Manager for Ford. Scott and his team of social marketing specialists are like college students in second year chemistry. They understand what social media elements can do, but can't tell you what the outcome will be if you mix them together. Yet.

Given enough time to experiment with ways to brand digitally, companies such as Ford will undoubtedly emerge to the forefront of digital branding and social media marketing.



Scott Monty and the Ford Motor Company are a fantastic example of the pioneering spirit. Trying new marketing strategies on big ticket products will allow companies the chance to see that the new digital media can have a very powerful influence on branding and sales of products.

Like any large company finding its way into the new world of digital and social media marketing, Ford made sure it integrated the marketing strategy to include the traditional print, radio and television along with the digital. I believe this will allow Ford to contact both return clients and attract a new and younger clientele.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Social Media sucesses with B2B Marketing

Recently social media has seen some success in being utilized in B2B Marketing. This is a distinct area within social media marketing. Unlike the consumer oriented social media marketing, business to business is different. It really comes down to the economics of social marketing. Did the campaign generate new and improved revenue streams, or increased return on investments? It success or failure really comes down to the numbers.

As social media marketing evolves and expands, so will the tools, the strategies and tactics involved. I believe that marketers will be successful in finding fantastic ways of generating new leads, increasing profits, branding and find a balance in ROI.

Social media marketing for B2B is still quite new and CEOs are still a little leary in investing their precious marketing dollars into something still developing. This area in the next year or so will move ahead and will slowly be adopted as a reliable method of doing business.

Why Social Media Makes Sense for B2B Marketers