@BasilPuglisi

Content & Strategy, Powered by Factics & AI, Since 2009

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Google Plus (G+): Business Review

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After months of rumors, speculations, analysis and fear, Google finally unveiled its social media platform  Google +, now what has that meant for business?

They’ve decided to roll it out slowly, by invitation only, and the response was overwhelming. So much so that they had to issue an apology for taking so long to register new users. It seems that one request or recommendation to connect is not enough. To get invited to this new party you need invitations from different sources.

As the platform came out and was evaluated by business people, it became obvious that Google+ system has a few advantages for business: Dell CEO, for example, started talking about it becoming an alternative to the traditional customer service call. He posted the following question on his Google + page: “I am thinking about hangouts for business. Would you like to be able to connect with your Dell service and sale teams via video directly from Dell.com?

Other businesses saw the potential as well. Mashable.com, Ford, Sesame Street, Search Engine Land an others managed to get invited and immediately opened a brand page. Mashable.com, the technology site, had 103,000 followers by the time Google+ put a stop to businesses on their platform and removed all those pages.

At the end of June, after a few rocky weeks for brands on Google+, Google announced that business pages would be coming soon and asked brands to stop making new accounts. They eventually invited some businesses to apply to be part of a test program.

A few hours later, Mashable and Ford accounts were restored, but not completely.  After talking extensively with Google, Mashable founder Pete Cashmore agreed that he will personally take over the account, which had 100,000 followers already, and wind down his personal account which had only 40,000 followers.

Immediately Christian Oestlien from Google posted the following announcement:

“With so many qualified candidates expressing intense interest in business profiles, we’ve been thinking hard about how to handle this process. Your enthusiasm obligates us to do more to get businesses involved in Google+ in the right way, and we have to do it faster. As a result, we have refocused a few priorities and we expect to have an initial version of businesses profiles up and running for EVERYONE in the next few months. There may be a tiny handful business profiles that will remain in the meantime solely for the purpose of testing how businesses interact with consumers.

In the meantime, we ask you not to create a business profile using regular profiles on Google+. The platform at the moment is not built for the business use case, and we want to help you build long-term relationships with your customers. Doing it right is worth the wait. We will continue to disable business profiles using regular profiles. We recommend you find a real person who is willing to represent your organization on Google+ using a real profile as him-or-herself.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4oafKRykUg]

What is it about Google+ that prompted businesses to jump on the bandwagon so quickly?

It is the wave of the future, experts say, and it might signify a drastic shift in social activity on the internet. Connecting to people will no longer be faceless. It addresses one of the fundamental problems of why social interactions through the internet are so risky. The one writing messages as a 17 year old girl, could turn out to be a 40 year old man looking for easy pray. No more. Now you will be able to connect and see the face behind the post.

It lifts the veil of anonymity. People can see and hear the people they interact with, can hear their tone of voice and see their demeanor. Business will become personal again?

Businesses can use circles to target their ‘tier one’ costumers with specials deals. They can provide personal attention by seeing the customer who can see them as well.  When a number of customers have the same question, one conversation with a whole group will save time on customer service.

It might also encourage personal interactions between people who see each other, who can lend a helping hand.

Companies will need to consider the intimacy of a given relationship. The first wave of social media forced businesses to become a little more transparent and compelling online, this wave of relationship relevancy will push them to take their customers more personally.

The biggest advantages Google + has against Facebook?

Google is a big company. It can offer an immediate search. It has connections to Google’s other platforms off the bat.

As of July 4 Google’s contract with Twitter expired and they did not renew it. Expert speculate that Google+ will incorporate some form of tweet possibility. If they do that, businesses will have one more reason to join them rather than the competition. It will make their life simpler.

Google has apps for business productivity as well as an apps market for third party apps.

Google can provide companies a web presence integrated with social networking. There will be very little reason for people to leave the Google platform at all.

Google has already the Checkout system and its Products search is connected to all sorts of online merchants. Google can tie those and enable e commerce through the company’s page – when those pages will become available – enabling payment service and database of products without sending shoppers off to another site. Facebook does it with the help of a third part tools which cost  anywhere from about $20 to a few thousands a month.

Google’s model of advertising and analytics is well established and most often used. AdSense and AdWords have been around since 2000. Google Analytics has a head start on traffic and advertisement performance tools, and is one most often used to check results on campaigns.

Google can, and probably will, tie-in the business pages of Google+ to Google maps and Google Places.

Google’s mobile integration includes mobile payment option, which allows users to transmit data by tapping two phone together or to a scanner. 

Facebook rushed to supply an answer to Google+ strength and announced immediately a connection with Skype to do the same. Their new video calling works by clicking on the Video Call button, being rolled out to users. It requires a plug-in to be able to use it. They are working on other means to come closer to the new things Google+ has to offer. Indeed this week Facebook unveiled a new step by step guide aimed at helping small businesses use their site. Facebook’s new business page does not come with any new features, it just puts a lot of information in one place, and serves as a reminder that Facebook encourages companies to use their services, while they can’t use Google+ yet.

Some statistics at a glance:

  • Number of users of Google+ – 20 million
  • Time it took to get those numbers – 3 weeks
  • Number of users from the US – 5 million


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Digital Brand Experience: Google shares it’s thoughts on Brand

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Digital Brand Marketing is about taking traditional concepts and rethinking how those practices can be streamlined and transformed into digital practices. I have repeatedly published on how so many businesses have taken the extreme approach to digital and social marketing. This has resulted in lost opportunities and negative impact on their brand.  

If you do not claim your brand, someone else will!

Social Media is but a tool or advancement in what people have done throughout all time, if your product is wonderful people talk, if your product is terrible people talk. The big change is how they talk, and how many people they can reach.

In traditional marketing it was found that November, December, July and August are the big word of mouth months. These are the times of year that people congregated the most for Holidays and/or Vacations. This is when word of mouth could really be capitalized on. Did you see what I bought, where we went, the quality of work the installer did, the product I would never buy again.

As Erik Qualman pointed out, “word of mouth”  is now “world of mouth”. Social Media is about having the ability to interact at any given moment and beyond the limitations of physical presence. Social Media thoughts, comments, reviews, posts, blogs, etc are almost all sustainable. The comment does not go away like a traditional conversation, the review, thought or post continues on to reach others, shared and searchable forever!

This has created three major issues in modern marketing.

  1. The Company is not participating or facilitating their “brand”. Others are welcome to lay claim to it and control the information about it.
  2. The Company rushed to execute and participate and did not consider the “brand” experience. How they facilitate and deliver a consistent experience across the different digital medias was lost. The worst continue to rush along making half measures to recover sections or parts of campaigns and services instead of rethinking the “brand” experience.
  3. The Company has not learned how to use free resources to respond to the market. By not participating in Social Media the company cannot address issues and opportunities in real time. Surveys, Customer Complaint numbers are traditional, websites are 1.0, social media is engaging and seeking out the customers in their space. If you don’t seize information for your benefit, perhaps your competitor will!

An Anonymous Case Study for point 2:

A company decides that they wish to use twitter, they know its popular for news and marketing. The company creates accounts for 800 locations. The first mistake is made when they leave a default image in the service. A few months later they start to fill the profile image with the company logo. As a young marketing assistant learns about the personal interaction that twitter thrives from, the company starts to take “brand” accounts @GeoCompany and tie the individual name and a personal photo to the profile image. At this point the @GeoCompany John Doe has a picture of just a head shot with news updating from the company site. The profile area talks about the company and links to the company’s local site.

At each stage the half measure reviews have cost the company brand awareness. Something as simple as taking the time to think out the strategy would have saved the company’s social image as their claim to be social has struggled from day one. To date this company still has personal photos without proper branding on them. If the company takes the time to rethink the brand experience, they might decide to use something like this. @MorichesNews John Doe, with a Picture of John Doe accompanied by the Moriches News Logo in the corner or part of the frame, perhaps the background of the headshot. Provide a profile statement that looked like “John Doe is a reporter for Moriches News, a local source for issues and events. MorichesNews.com. An additional option, they could go one step further and develop a brand background to upload to the twitter accounts so that each twitter account looks consistent.

If you avoid your digital brand, or don’t invest quality time into the digital brand then you’re hindering your success. If you’re not listening to digital media you will not be able to learn about product opportunities in real time.

Here are two important videos from Google that talk about brand.

 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q71uXKEBXrw&feature=player_embedded]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJuAvrHd3DU]

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Is Google Plus (G+) the key in the transition to Web 3.0

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A Google account has become the most powerful tool that any entrepreneur or small business owner could ever hope for. While Google’s general public brand has been tied to Search, Google has been building a monopoly that can and will change the shape of business, politics, and education forever. In fact, Google is Web 3.0!

Google has many, many tools and products in its offering, most of which are free! If you have not taken the time to look around I suggest you spend a few minutes and start to familiarize yourself with them, they will save or make you A LOT OF MONEY!!!

Google recently made a few updates, but the top bar has been around for longer than most realize, it is in this bar that Google is writing the book on Web 3.0.

What is it that makes Google such a force? Why is Google Plus or G+ such a big deal?

As seen above, Google has captured the “cloud” era ahead of schedule. Without even looking at the advanced features or Google Apps, one can create and store documents on their google account, set appointments organize and share a calendar, find new information and search for products, solutions, books, or even watch a movie or a how to video.

Social Media has changed the way that people interact and use the web, in fact web 2.0 was all about social media. Websites, software and plug-in updates that allowed people to interact with one another and turned a one directional internet into a multi directional web. In web 2.0 not only can you talk back to the media or information source, you could share it or pass it around. The individual web user could claim the brand of a company for better or worse. Dell had individuals that were not related or employed by the company providing customer support in the forums, and Milton’s Scrabble lost thousands, arguably millions in its brand because two other developers claimed the brand in Facebook.

Web 3.0 has been branded the “cloud” era where information, both public and personal is stored on the world wide web and accessed via data plans, Wifi or traditional cable and dial up. This includes massive files for things like high definition media, entire company databases, etc. This is really not something that is new, just look at how startups like Patch Media use google to simulate a traditional IT infostructure or Saleforce.com to organize track and distribute leads, sales and work. With only one main hub in NYC, Patch Media delivers people and content without traditional overhead in over 800 communities around the United States.

Google Plus bridges the gap between Web 2.0 and Web 3.0

In Google Hangout people interact in a real time public space. Others now have to rethink how they look, speak and the body language or facial features that they use. (The innovative marketers and advertisers will need to think how to get a coke can on the desk during that hangout, how to get a new movie poster on the wall behind that person on the hangout etc.)

Google Hangouts has a game changing advantage for those that know how to present, speak and are truly genuine in public. Users should be aware that this new social tool is a lot like “Larry King Live” and you better be prepared for questions that you may not want to answer.

Google Plus has an A symmetrical sharing system, which means that we can send to others but not get a share in return. G+ from its creation allows users to separate professional and personal lives and even organize beyond the largest separation issue that has plagues social users. This interface along with many other features makes Google Plus the most advanced social media site/tool/software that has ever been created, but all that pales in comparison to why Google is so powerful in web 3.0.

If you are in a space where you are using social in a way that allows you to network and share both your personal life and professional life, what could be better than the Google suite of products? You can share and update documents in real time, video conference, make appointments, develop leads, search out information, shop and buy products, services and so on…

A small business now has an IT Dept. in one place. They can seek out support, generate leads, share reports, organize their schedule, promote their business with video, learn from other videos, advertise in Search, not to mention capture the power of social or viral activity. The digital business can now provide face to face support in a familiar environment something that many still crave.

A teacher or tutor can instruct a class or group from half way around the world, share documents, collect home work in real time. A educator or small college can now reach millions and take online learning into a space that captures the best of brick and mortar with distance learning once only done through text based posts.

A politician can capture and organize moral entrepreneurs, organizations and supporters from an account that brands who they are, what they are doing and interact with them with little or no technical experience or knowledge.

The shift in the world economy has come from millions of individuals competing with large corporations and brands that once held a monopoly on professional marketing, networking and talent. Thanks to a Google account you can now work with the best talent, develop a impressive network and generate a brand that is professional, technologically competitive and organized.

 

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Google Plus: A short Intro to G+

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Vic Gundotra of Google explained that, connection is a “basic human need”. The current online choices in social media did not have enough diversity inside each individual social tool.

Who should be worried about Google+:

  • GoToMeeting
  • Flikr
  • Skype
  • Facebook
  • Microsoft
  • EVERYONE!

Bradley Horowitz, VP Products helped build Google+ explained in an interview for Twit:

Google+ allows individuals to create social networks inside a single social tool to share as you want where you want, when you want. It allows you to not only share via a news feed, but puts you face to face with people via video chat or in “Google Hangouts”.

In the real world people interrupt conversations and the technology in Google Hangouts was developed to recognize that and move the camera, its designed to develop the natural communication we see in real life.

Another innovation in Google Plus is Spark. Spark uses google news and google search to integrated with content that you interested in, it will provide a personal filter for content that is fresh and new to generate conversation. It keeps the discovery and sharing within your circles.

Another Great feature of Google Plus is the instant upload feature for Android. It allows users to automatically upload pictures as you take them on your mobile phone, then when you use G+ its loaded and ready to share if you choose.

Huddles is the mobile version of the platform that allows you to interact in small groups, I hope they add video to this, it would make the mobile video a real userfriendly social option.

Changing Social Interaction on the Web:

In Google Hangout people have to interact in a real time public space, something that others will now have to rethinking. Success will now include how they look, speak and the body language or facial features that they use. Google Hangouts has a game changing advantage for those that do know how to present and speak in public and are truly genuine. Users should be aware that this new social tool is a lot like “Larry King Live” and you better be prepared for questions that you may not want to answer.

Stay Tuned for “What does Google+ Really Mean for Google?”

This is a great video look at Google+ and really starts to get to the culture of Google+ at 44 minutes.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3evAu7WN4Q]

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New Facebook Features

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Facebook seems to be well intent on stepping up their game in the world of social networking. Whether a knee-jerk reaction to Google +, or a long planned idea, following a recent press conference at their headquarters, Facebook launched their newest options for their users.

Skype

One of the newest features includes Skype powered video chat, for single or group chat connections. Many users have already lauded the ease in which a user can initiate first a solo chat, and then simply initiate another to create an instant video conference call.

From an unbiased point of view this does offer awesome capabilities to those who would not have been able to communicate this easily before. Soldiers and others abroad can quickly strike up a video chat with Mom and their spouse when time is short and connections are vital. Students traveling countries away from their homes can do much the same.

This is what the internet is about and it does feel good to know the great connections that can be made here now with not much hassle, but just as with anything else, this already leaves a hole open for those who abuse such things to begin doing so. If you have an incredibly huge network on Facebook, you may find yourself the recipient of unwanted phone calls. This could quickly become another source of frustration for those who use Facebook who may not be entirely fond of their privacy policies.

Group Chat

Although the new group chat is certainly more user-friendly, aesthetically pleasing, and in general, so far, less buggy and annoying, it does seem to offer then unwanted possibility of Skype calling as well. However, though there may be a few annoying folks who may choose you to test the new capabilities on, drawing you into chats you may never enter willingly, the novelty of this too will wear off soon, just as it has on many other chat or instant messaging network.

The new features will be integrated into the usage of Facebook fans in over 70 different languages in the coming weeks, no small feat regardless of the digital wizard behind the curtain. This entire work over is what Facebook developers say was a part of the plan since the $240 million dollar investment that Microsoft made in them back in 2007.

Currently, these options are only available in the Windows platform. When asked about other operating system options in the future, Zuckerberg would only respond with, “We’ll see.”

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Twitter Tools You May Not Be Able to Live Without

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There are so many options these days when it comes to Twitter tools that users on Windows systems can implement to help them schedule tweets, manage followers, or aggregate relevant content. However, as with many things, options for Mac OS X may not be as easily found. This tool supplies users with a simple, clean interface that has easy-to-use features. Although Twitterific can be used for free, without paying for premium services, ads are displayed once per hour.

Look and Feel of Twitterific

Twitterifics screen is entirely resizable and can be used in full screen mode. Its white on black appearance may not be the most favored choice for many users but it works great for the formats it is used on. Since replies and direct messages are shown in different colors, this helps to distinguish quickly and exactly what a user may be focusing on.

Users can also configure a few of these options such as the ability to show Twitter errors as highlighted as to be easily recognized regardless of the size of device they are being viewed on. Across all devices, once a Tweet has been read, it will be dimmed.

Twitterific Coverage and Common Commands

Twitterific is available for Mac, iPod, iPad and iPhone. All of Twitterifics options are available through the click of a mouse on your desktop or the tap of a screen on other devices. Command Mac commands such as the command-W combo to close your screen also work on Twitterific.

Who Uses Twitterific?

Twitterific is currently ranked #209,891 globally and it is currently ranked as a desktop application. Twitterific users are commonly men under the age of forty-five who are highly educated.

The TweetedTimes

The TweetedTimes can generate a newspaper from your Twitter account. This can certainly help any Twitter enthusiast to aggregate the most important messages to them, which their Twitter account has picked up during a busy day. Delivering these messages in an easy to read format allows them to be viewable on many mobile devices.

Who Uses TweetedTimes?

Currently, TweetedTimes has a three-month global ranking of #50,787. Most of its users tend to be women with postgraduate educations who commonly browse from work.

The Tweeted Times features sophisticated filtering and ranking algorithms that can help to allocate the most important information, and cut out the outright spam. Users can create a newspaper from any search term and TweetedTimes newspapers are updated hourly. This real-time personalized newspaper can cut your Twitter time in half and provide you with the most important tidbits you would have happily searched for.

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LinkedIn: Updates on Ads & LinkedIn Today

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LinkedIn is a free, business and social network which was built on the idea that personal recommendations in today’s global village is was people really need. Hence, they created a way for people to connect on a professional level, and create a circle of acquaintances, or Connections as they are called. Somewhere, in the people you invite to connect with you, there is a connection to another circle and group of people you might know as well or want to connect with. That is called 2nd degree connections, and from here on, it can grow exponentially.

From this network people can receive personal recommendations, look for employees and search for jobs. LinkedIn has a privacy policy wherein all the connections have to be mutually agreed, so no unwanted connections will be formed.

With over 100 million users, from 200 countries around the world, available in many languages, LinkedIn is a force to be reckoned with.

There are a numerous programs that have been added throughout the years, to make LinkedIn more social and more interactive:

  • Paid Accounts offers more possibilities and tools to find people.
  • LinkedIn Answers allows users to post business related questions that anyone else can view.
  • LinkedIn Ads – LinkedIn has a paid service of ads called LinkedIn Ads, where users can create a small ad to be shown on the side of the prominent pages on the site, in a similar way to Google’s Adwords. The ad directs people to the website of the advertiser. The advertiser specifies which LinkedIn members will be able to view the ad by selecting a target audience. The payment for the ads is done in a CPC (Pay per Click) method or CPM (pay per 1,000 impressions). There is a bid and a maximum price that the advertiser is willing to pay for each click is set. LinkedIn is now testing social recommendation based ads; they are trying to target advertising based on the keywords in a profile and conversations.
  • LinkedIn Today – In March 2011 LinkedIn added another service called, LinkedIn Today. It is a social news product for business people. The news is aggregated from different established sources like The Wall Street Journal, CNN, NPR, Bloomberg, Huffington Post etc. and is customized to match the industries you and your connections work in. The articles in each industry are organized by how popular the story is and how many times it has been shared on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Most of the success stories with LinkedIn Ads come from job seekers and professional services. B2B is also represented in their ads and businesses claim to have success with creating new connections and receiving orders.

Back in January 2011 LinkedIn filed for an IPO, offering the first glimpse into its finances. In the first 9 month of 2010, LinkedIn turned in a profit of 10.1 million on revenue of $161 million. “We do not expect to be profitable on a GAAP basis in 2011” the company said in its filling.

Four months later, in May 2011, LinkedIn became a public traded company. Its shares went for $45 a pop.  That means the company is estimated to be worth $4.3 billion. Reid Hoffman, the co-founder and former CEO of LinkedIn retained 21.7% of the stock which is worth more than $1.6 billion. (Hoffman is one of the founders of Pay-Pal). The shares soared out of the gate to $87.05, and have reached over $100 for a short period before settling in the high 90’s.

Goldman Sachs, an investor, sold all its shares and quadrupled its investment in 3 years.

Read our article when we did a first look at LinkedIn in Nov 2010 and also our article on the LinkedIn IPO.

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Klout Influence in the Music Industry with Spotify

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Spotify, an award winning online music service that stormed Europe is now available to users in the United States. Partnering with Klout, a form of social media influence measurement, Spotify has offered limited invitations to their new US services.

Although the Spotify invites are rare, they are being extended to Klout users who have shown the most social media passion about music, entertainment, and relating technologies. Since these are the exact viewers that Spotify wanted to reach, this has certainly proved itself to be another great partnership for Klout, the Klout Perks program, and its users.

Users who receive a Spotify invite can expect to receive, based on interest and Klout ratings, access to free trials of the music service itself, as well as a free month of Spotify’s most premium service if the members of their own communities sign up for Spotify.

Get Signed Up

If you want to have any shot at all of getting hooked up to this great new service, visiting the Spotify/Klout sign up is the first important move. Signing up is as easy as integrating your Twitter or Facebook accounts with one click on the sign up page. From there, if your account is rated as influential in industries relating to music, a free trial version of the music service may be offered. However, if new to any of the services, or if you have not previously made a habit of tweeting or sharing your passion in music, you may have to build your influence in those areas before you can expect an invite to be forthcoming.

Keep Trying

Spotify invites were so in demand in the first few hours after the release that Klout had to put a hold on passing out more invites for a while to be sure they did not cause their service, and servers, to be overwhelmed. In fact, Klout has actually had crash issues due to an overwhelming volume of users vying for this new Klout Perk. Spotify and Klout plan to continue handing out invites over the next few days.

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Three Easy Ways to Turn Twitter Blurbs into Cash

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You don’t have to be Shaquille O’Neal or Kim Kardashian to make money on Twitter. You may need their celebrity status to make $10k per Tweet, but turning your Twitter account into its own minor source of funding is quite possible for even the most obscure Tweeters around.

SponsoredTweets

On SponsoredTweets users can sign up easily using Twitter account integration and they will not have to worry about their account being used, or unsolicited Tweets being sent out through their accounts. Simply wait for opportunities to come your way via email, and you are free to accept and create, or reject them as you please. SponsoredTweets is one of the few sites that try to avoid making anyone’s Twitter account look like an annoying spammer.  So unless you are mass posting, you shouldn’t have to worry about a large loss of followers.

Once your user score is determined, users are shown how much worth each potential Tweet may hold for them. Don’t underestimate yourself here, but be careful. Having a Twitter account that provides nothing but paid advertisements is likely to cause followers to drop in droves. It is possible to provide a good balance of organic input as well as some automated entries and still retain your credibility on Twitter. SponsoredTweets does go out of their way to be sure any paid tweets are not sent out back-to-back.

TwittAd

TwittAds work similar to SponsoredTweets. TwittAds users are given the opportunity to promote only the content they choose to. Signing up and getting started is once again as easy as using the Twitter integration option. Once opting into a campaign, users are notified via email once there Twitter activity is monitored, if they are accepted for it. The offered opportunity then becomes the choice of the user to accept or reject.

Organic Reviews, Advertising, & Marketing

There can be no doubt that taking the organic path will reap you more valued results. Although these methods may be hit-and-miss, they are also likely to preserve the integrity of your Twitter account more than the previous options.

A great restaurant experience, a perfect vacation get-away, or even new features on your favorite software are calls for legitimate tweeting. So do so. Better yet, grab a web 2.0 site and post a link to your full review of another’s website, products, or opportunities. Businesses that are active in social media marketing know when you do tweet about them, and many business connections have been made in exactly this manner. Your free review could result in future paid reviews from that company or others who enjoy your work.

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Twitter: Business & Brands Now Trending

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Twitter is becoming part of our lives whether we are active users or not. Twitter has found itself as the exclusive information tool, scooping Osama Bin Laden Death and now the latest in business and brands. There are so many uses to this short burst of 140 characters, and new ones are being discovered every day. We cannot ignore its existence because it touches many aspects of our lives.

One aspect of today’s world brought about by Twitter is that secrets are something much harder to keep these days. Tweets by innocent bystanders about a clandestine operation can foil a mission. Tweets of conduct unbecoming elected official find themselves, with one mistaken click of a button, broadcasted to the whole world. A claim of hacking did not hold water in Anthony Weiner’s case and another claim of hacking, this time on FoxNewsPolitics, are being investigated by the security services. On July 4, 2011, six tweets appeared from that source announcing the premature death of President Obama, who was presumably assassinated in a Diner. Jokes aside (“The rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated” Mark Twain said so succinctly), it poses a great risk to the validity of news sources.

Theoretically, to prevent foul play, Twitter has a service called Verified Tweets, which has been in existence since 2009. Twitter is using it to prevent confusion by verifying the person behind the account. It has been done with important and famous people and with Twitter’s advertisers and partners. The verification process was open to the public for a short time in beta testing, but it is now closed. “In the meantime, we’re still verifying some trusted sources, such as our advertisers and partners. If you’re one of our partners or advertisers, please follow up with your account manager for details.” It says on their blog. Obviously Fox news is a verified tweeter, so what about trusting the news?

And there’s the aspect of commerce using Twitter. “Promoted tweets” are ones that are paid for by the advertiser. Twitter handles 50 million tweets a day and Promoted Tweets are twitter advertising platform. In Apr. 2010 Twitter.com rolled out a system where ads can appear at the top of some Twitter.com search results pages. They are labeled as “Promoted “and retain all the other functions of a tweet. Twitter.com has expand it to Promoted Accounts, in which people and brands are buying their way onto your “who to follow” list.

It seems that while some larger companies are still trying to figure out social media, there are those who already have. Here are some, that experts agree, who excel in using Twitter.

  • Starbucks – 1.5 million followers and is the most socially engaged. It ranks on top of fast customer interaction. It’s about the relationships with the customer, they say, not marketing. Which is a good marketing slogan in itself. Starbucks hosts polls, contests and shares photos and videos.

  • Southwest Airlines – Tries to replicating the casual atmosphere on their flights into their tweets. The only company that knows how to make someone LUV the company (LUV is the Love Field in Dallas, the headquarters of the company).
  • New York Times – This news organization broadcasts the news in 140 characters. It has subchannels for specific interests and reaches 2.4 million readers.
  • JetBlue – After their nightmare in 2007 (“a day on the tarmac”) JetBlue is keeping constant communication with its followers (1.6 million). It uses tweets to broadcast special deals to their 50,000 most loyal customers. They have 14 people tweeting for the account; assisting, apologizing and solving problems.
  • Zappos – The online retailer keeps in touch with its customers, encouraging anybody, from the CEO to the newest employee to join the party.
  • Cisco Systems – The company shows how well business to business can do on twitter. They ask and answer questions.
  • Bergdorf Goodman – They tweet about New York, fashion and style, engaging their customers in conversations and showing them things the followers would be interested in.
  • Whole Foods Market – They use Twitter to go deep in their customers’ needs and test new concepts. They extend the discussion to the philosophy behind their business.
  • Dell – Getting their inventory and older equipment out the door fast, Dell is using Twitter. It is a fast grapevine that broadcasts the news. The sales are $3 million a year using this method.
  • Home depot – It goes beyond product and store questions to help in many home improvement projects.

A great example of how I have seen twitter impact communication and win business can be seen in these two previous articles:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzyD-cTRoAA]

 

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