Facebook Timeline for brand pages is coming, and there’s not a thing you can do to stop it.

This transition to Timeline will create numerous hassles for all involved. We’ll all need new artwork, new strategies and a new history.  Yes, I said new history.  I’ll get to that later.

Facebook Timeline provides more room for visual displays.  The super-sized Timeline cover photo is only the most obvious example. Facebook will NOT allow those pictures to be used for advertising purposes. (I can’t wait to see how they are going to police that!) Photos will be displayed in larger formats … Continue Reading

As consumers, we’re constantly asking, “So, what’s in it for me? What’s the trade off?” Basically: Why should I be spending my money on that?

Consumers make it a lot more complicated for advertisers because they can be a lot more discerning in this day and age. Often, there isn’t even a need to see a product in person. In this hi-techy time, any consumer has the ability to become a “savvy shopper.” When we use a smartphone, we have valuable information just. like. that!

And the numbers … Continue Reading

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network, with over 120 million members and growing rapidly. LinkedIn connects you to your trusted contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals.

In other words, LinkedIn is Facebook for business people.

Like its cool cousin Facebook, LinkedIn is growing at an astounding rate:

• LinkedIn counts executives from all 2011 Fortune 500 companies as members
• Its corporate hiring solutions are used by 75 of the Fortune 100 companies.
• More than 2 million companies have LinkedIn Company … Continue Reading
  
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I believe some of my blogs have become a mix of confessionals and interesting advertising tidbits. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I’m here to confess again. And with this one, I’m more abashed to admit.

Here it is…I take part in geosocial networking!

Alright, it’s not all that horrible. But as someone who firmly opposed all of that trendy geosocial mumbo-jumbo, it saddens me to own up to it because, gosh darn it, I was proudly geo anti-social!

You see, once upon a time, I did not own what I call a “fancy phone” or … Continue Reading

Any good account manager understands that you need to be on the same page as your client. If you’re going in one direction and your client has something completely different in mind, well, in the words of Michelle Tanner, “You’re in big trouble, mister!”

To make sure you and your client see eye to eye, the solution is fairly simple: use checklists. However, the maintenance of those checklists is the real kicker.

Since things are ever-changing, establish your client’s goals and expectations on a monthly basis. When you … Continue Reading

Contrary to many people’s beliefs, there is more substance to the world of online videos than the following:

Online videos also have the ability to educate and inform consumers, and more importantly, they can motivate these consumers to work with your company.

People spend a considerable amount of time watching videos, probably more than they’d like to admit. According to Arbitron and Edison Research, the weekly audience for online video has tripled in the past five years. Research also showed that the typical respondent spends 3 hours … Continue Reading

Facebook marketers were thrown into a tizzy last week by the suggestion that using 3rd party apps can be detrimental to your post’s EdgeRank.  If that sounds indecipherable, you are not alone.  There’s a lot to know when it comes to making your brand voice heard on Facebook.

Let’s look into the brouhaha more deeply.

Last week, EdgeRank Checker released a study outlining the influence of 3rd party application programming interfaces (“APIs”, more commonly referred to as “3rd Party Apps”) on Facebook engagement.  These apps are commonly used to schedule … Continue Reading

Mashable reports that the Nielsen Co. will soon offer ratings service for Facebook campaigns. Nielsen will be able to assess the impact of Facebook marketing campaigns in the same way it has gauged the audience reach for television advertising.

Nielsen’s system will use “gross rating points” (GRPs) to assess the reach of an ad by means of the frequency that the audience sees it. Unlike traditional online metrics like click-through rates and impressions, gross ratings points will let marketers buy online ads in the same way that they buy ads for … Continue Reading

Bing announces “Liked Results” shortly after Google’s increased social emphasis

Microsoft’s Bing has followed Google’s example by changing their search results to emphasize social results.

Bing, who recently partnered with Facebook, has created “Liked Results” which will show links that friends have shared or liked on Facebook.

Both Bing and Google are placing more emphasis on social for similar reasons. Social aspects of the internet enhance the user experience and users will want this social data available … Continue Reading

Google search integrates elements from Twitter, Flickr, and Quora

Back in 2009 Google launched Social Search which utilized an individual’s Google account to integrate search results from friends.

Recent changes have been made to Google’s Social Search to make the social experience more prominent.

The social results will now been seen throughout the page rather than only at the bottom of the search page. Twitter, Flickr, and Quora are now also a large part of the social experience on Google search; … Continue Reading