Relocating budget to social media and online marketing

I can't tell you how many people I meet and talk to who when I ask about budgets for social media, they look at me like deer caught in the headlights. No one it seems except for the very large businesses are relocating any portion of budget for making inroads with social media.



Did they looked at how the HR department found possible candidates (using Craigslist, LinkedIn, and posting in groups); or note that through an event that the Sales team added to a Facebook and LinkedIn Calendar, they got a better turnout; or see that a few complaints found on Twitter were resolved? One could relocate funds from each department budget towards a social media combined effort. Average spending by small business towards online visibility was $2200!



What's in your budget?

Amplify’d from www.constant-content.com

As the last year has rounded out, statistics are now out, and the evidence is clear: if you aren’t spending money on your website and online marketing campaign you are letting your competitors take advantage of double digit growth opportunities found in the online sphere.  In the first quarter of 2010 the average spending by small businesses on their online visibility was $2200, up over Q4 of 2009, and 111% up over Q4 2008.  This means that if you aren’t planning on spending 10k this year on buying content, optimizing your website, link building or brand placement, you are falling behind the trending of the economic sphere you need to be most competitive in right now.  With online marketing experiencing the highest growth of any other marketing spheres, small businesses should be seriously considering moving away from traditional advertising methods and into the future.Read more at www.constant-content.com

 

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Some dos and don'ts on FourSquare from Social Media Marketing Institute

After our recent Foursquare presentation at Social Media Breakfast Madison - things like this catch my eye.

Amplify’d from www.smminstitute.com

DO be careful who you friend on the network.  DON’T accept every friend request. DO see who else has checked in to the venue you are at.  It’s a great way to meet local people. DON’T auto-feed every check-in to Twitter if you are a power user, you will alienate your network. DO add context! Include a message, especially if your posts feed to Twitter or Facebook.  Share something interesting about the venue or add another message so your followers know why this is important! DON’T violate your customer/clients privacy by checking in when you shouldn’t. DO be cautious of your personal safety. DON’T check in at the same time and place every day if you are concerned about personal safety. Be aware that frequent check ins can indicate a pattern of your physical whereabouts. DO add tips for other users in your network. DON’T check-in if you are supposed to be somewhere else (like at work!) and most importantly…DO use common sense.

Here are my simple do’s and don’t for location based services like Foursquare, Gowalla & YelpRead more at www.smminstitute.com

 

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3M making social media work for its Post-It product

Image via Wikipedia

This is a valuable case study in use of Youtube for getting a viral component to a consumer campaign.

Amplify’d from www.nytimes.com

Turning 30, an Office Product Works at Home By ANDREW ADAM NEWMAN IN a new commercial for Super Sticky Notes by Post-it, the 3M brand, scheduled to begin next Monday, a Jack Russell terrier eyes an orange note with a drawing of a bone that is affixed several feet above on a kitchen wall. After a few jumps, he sinks his teeth into the note, then hangs suspended by it. Read more at www.nytimes.com

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• Green Post-it Notes from 3M (go-green.ae)
• Get Stuck on Post-it Note Art (wired.com)

Are Geeks the Epicenter of Social /Technology Innovation?

I never thought of myself as a geek even though I was an engineering student. I tried never to wear a pocket protector...

Amplify’d from www.adweek.com

Consumers Embrace Geekdom 'Geeks' are at the epicenter of social/technological innovation July 27, 2010 - Mark Dolliver It's a geek world these days, and non-geeks just live in it. With new technology and the flow of information taking on unprecedented importance for consumers en masse, people once derided as geeks now find themselves at the vanguard of sweeping social change. And the number of people who've internalized at least some geek characteristics has grown to make them a majority of the online population, according to a study from Geeknet, which owns and operates such online geek venues as SourceForge and Slashdot. Its report gives a detailed look at this cohort, which is embracing its geekiness as never before. Read more at www.adweek.com

 

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New Date for Disney Institute - Disney's Approach to Quality Service

In looking at companies that continue to deliver a quality product in today's economy you have to look at the customer experience consistently delivered by Disney. They give organizations a peak behind the curtains through Disney Institute. I will be interviewing several people that attended the program last year to hear what they took away and applied within their organization after attending.

New Date for Disney Institute - Disney's Approach to Quality Service

View more presentations from Wendy Soucie Consulting LLC.

Beyond Farmville: Teens Should Use Social Media to Promote Ag Agri-View: Capitol News

Beyond Farmville: Teens Should Use Social Media to Promote Ag Agri-View: Capitol News: "Beyond Farmville: Teens Should Use Social Media to Promote Ag

By Casey Langan, Director of Public Relations, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation
Thursday, March 25, 2010 4:51 PM CDT


At first blush, being asked to deliver a speech to a group of teenagers about advocating for agriculture via social media was a little daunting.

It wasn’t so long ago that someone told me I was “too old” for the social networking phenomenon known as Facebook. The internet site first started as a place exclusively for college students to swap messages and photos. Clearly that has changed though."

Wendy's note: This popped up on a search today after I created and posted a video of the Lodi Agricultural Fair which just concluded this weekend. At the time I was thinking about sharing this video of the local fair experience with a few friends and family members on Facebook that couldn't be here to actually attend the event. My extension is to talk more directly with the Fair Board on better use of the channel for next year's fair. I love showing how excited the kids are, and then to move to the adults who volunteer so much time, and lastly the company sponsors who give money, to ensure the event is successful.



This post highlights how social media can be used to help fairs and farms as well as the downside. In marketing we always say that you always have a Brand. If you don't control your Brand, you may not like the view of the Brand that your customers or detractors have. Social media in my belief can play a major role in affecting the position of your Brand.

Agriculture is a business just like a plastics plant or paper mill. We need to have open and transparent communications with our audience. And we need to strategically think about social media. Ask yourself these questions:

What are my business goals?
Why would I use social media?
How will social media help me achieve these goals?
Where does my audience spend their time?
What problems and issues does my audience have?
What are the needs of my audience?

If you are in marketing, you normally need to answer these questions before you create a website, advertising campaign or begin a sales effort. Social Media is no different. The big difference is that since the entry point is so low, everyone just jumps in without a sustainable strategy, content development plan, engagement or escalation approach.

Disney Institute

Disney Institute: "Service Quality,
Disney Style

by Scott Madison Paton at Quality Digest



Can Mickey Mouse teach corporate

America new quality lessons? Quality Digest takes a look behind
the scenes at Walt Disney World.


It's hard to imagine a place more magical than Walt Disney World. The central Florida theme park continues to thrill, delight and exceed its guests' expectations more than 25 years after its opening."


Wendy's Note: My experience with Disney started on Sunday evenings as a kid to watch the TV show. It was the only thing good about the weekend coming to an end. The empire that Disney has created is supported by one of the best service organizations in the world. If one were to pick an organizations that really engages with customers, this would be it.

The success of Disney programs is now being taken outside the organization through the Disney Institute and their Approach Series of Business Excellence Programs. Over the next few weeks I will have some interviews posted of people who have participated in the training. Their thoughts on what they brought back to each business will be shared.

When I had the chance to host and support the Disney Institute coming to Madison WI, I jumped at the chance. Stay tuned to more information on Disney's Approach to Quality Service program on August 12, 2010 at the Monona Terrace Convention Center.

Madison WI : Disneys Approach to Quality Service

Madison WI : Disneys Approach to Quality Service: "Disney Institute is bringing their professional development program Disney s Approach to Quality Service to Madison WI on 8/12/2010. Use discount code WSCPCWL to get $50 off the registration"