Can social media help me find healthier food on the run?

I am currently working to shed a few extra pounds since I had to stop running. Finding healthy food stops when you are a virtual worker looking for WIFI hotspots can be an issue. Coffee shops just don't help those that are dieting and want to eat gluten free. As mobile apps develop and restaurants and fast food tap into this technology, I can envision a time where I could do a search on my smart phone for the nearest food place with a gluten free menu and calorie information on each dish. Now, add the map and GPS feature and I am on my way to a healthy lunch.



Here in Wisconsin I can picture local companies like Cousins Subs and Culvers considering this technology. Both companies are developing presences on social media sites such as Twitter @CousinsSubs & @Culvers and both have Facebook pages. I recently interviewed Justin McCoy Marketing Director at Cousins Subs on their social media strategy. They are moving thoughtfully and deliberately into this space. I will have to watch them to see if they also consider mobile.

Amplify’d from www.flex-news-food.com

Mobile Technology and Social Media to Increasingly Influence Consumer Food Purchasing

10 August 2010 - Public relations firm Porter Novelli, in a recent report obtained by FLEXNEWS, argues that mobile technology and the social media will continue to change the consumer's relationship with food and will play a key role in their food purchases.

Keith Taylor, who is the director of Porter Novelli's UK office in London, gave an overview of the current status of the food and mobile technology relationship.

"People are using their phones to look up recipes as they grocery shop. Perhaps one of the most interesting apps is StickyBits. Users can annotate information (notes, video, photographs) to a bar code. It shouldn’t be long before a user scans a label on a tub of ice cream and receives the manufacturer’s recommendation for optimal toppings. The opportunities for consumer-to-consumer and retailer- or manufacturer-to-consumer dialogue are boundless", adds Taylor.

According to Porter Novelli, food manufacturers and retailers will have to ensure that they become part of the "conversation", and, ultimately, part of the purchasing decision.

"If you have a major food brand and you don’t have a community manager, hire one now", says Taylor. Read more at www.flex-news-food.com

 

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Wisconsin Company with vision takes on direct marketing

Earlier this year I had the chance to meet with Brian and hear about this new product. Having been on the mailing side of direct mail effort for engineering consulting firm and its newsletter, I could appreciate the costs this online service could save both small and large list holders. DIY type services like this are going to keep direct mail in the marketing mix for many B2C and B2B companies.

Amplify’d from host.madison.com

Internet company sees future in snail mail

Even in these days of e-mail and the Internet, direct mail marketing — like it or not — remains one of the most effective ways to reach a targeted audience. Whether from a political candidate seeking a vote, a charity seeking a donation or a business looking for customers, “snail mail” does get noticed.

Brian Euclide is president of Sun Prairie startup company TEC Mailing Solutions, which has launched a unique web-based product that lets direct mail users update their own mailing lists to eliminate old or duplicate addresses.

Sure. A lot of junk mail ends up in the recycling can.

But a 2007 survey from the U.S. Postal Service shows that 48 percent of recipients actually read unsolicited advertising mail and another 33 percent at least glance at it. Those are pretty good numbers.

A major drawback, however, is the amount of direct mail that goes to the wrong address or fails to reach a customer who has moved. If a charity group, for example, is spending $1 per piece on printing and mailing — and 10 percent of the addresses are out of date — the wasted money can add up quickly on a mailing of 10,000.

Now, a Sun Prairie startup company has launched a unique web-based product that lets direct mail users update their own mailing lists to eliminate old or duplicate addresses. TEC Mailing Solutions in April rolled out “MailListCleaner.com,” a do-it-yourself address checking service available over the Internet. Read more at host.madison.com

 

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What has your social media consultant taught you recently?

Axel Schultze is someone who challenges the status quo. His perspective on social media is not about the tools but social relationships. His understanding of Enterprise and SMB business recognizes that organizations are looking for methodology, frameworks and models that are repeatable for social media strategy to be cross departmental and adopted. I took a chance on some training with the Social Media Academy over a year ago when they were a new entity with a different approach to the understanding of social media in our business relationships. I made such a good choice as they are now recognized as the leading educational entity in the social media space.



The process and methodology delivered by Social Media Academy has provided me with the ability to work across several industries in my assessment work and create strategic and actionable plans.

Amplify’d from www.socialmedia-academy.com

Crossing the chasm

Taking Geoffrey Moor’s model of “Crossing the chasm” probably illustrates best where social media is going. Early adopters like Cisco, Comcast, Dell, Pepsi, Virgin, WholeFoods, Zappos and many others set the stage. The next generation social business development is no longer based on experiments but on clear understanding how social media can help businesses thrive. In order to cross the Social Media Chasm, consultants need to be able to make full fledged social media assessments, and develop a strategy based on proven models and frameworks. Social Media Consultants need to demonstrate that their methods, models and frameworks are transparent and repeatable. Cross functional social media engagements require robust social media organization models in order to create, develop and sustain an executable strategy. The ability to embed KPIs into a strategy, calculate an ROI for the engagement and introduce a long term business reporting model is no longer an option. Eyeballs and number of fans are no longer the meter for success but measurable customer advocacy which is represented by customer recommendations and has a direct correlation to incremental revenue. Read more at www.socialmedia-academy.com

 

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I like my phone, text and email in one place.

With the recent addition of Google Voice on my phone, I actually think I can be more responsive via phone than before I installed it. Now, if someone calls and I can't take the call, it goes to text, email and voicemail. I can respond to the text by clicking it and it goes right to a call. This saves me alot of thumb board time and I don't have to look up a number. As a "older" technology user, I can't agree that social media is killing my phone calls. Social media helps me make more calls when calls are appropriate. In fact a tool like xeesm.com makes it easier to develop fast and efficient social touchpoints when those are appropriate.

Amplify’d from www.zdnet.com

Phone calls: An endangered species, killed off by s

Phone calls: An endangered species, killed off by social media?

Wired’s Clive Thompson argued the case that “cultural transition” was killing off the traditional phone call, replaced with with text messages, instant messaging and social networks.

I have suspected this for a while frankly, with many of my peers, student colleagues and friends though being connected to multiple networks, applications and even devices at any one point, struggle to perform a simple task like picking up a call when their phone starts to ring.

See more at www.zdnet.com

 

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Manufacturing Revolution Key to Economic Turnaround

If you have watched the Socionomics video on Social Media Revolution, this video on manufacturing will hit home especially for those of you working in the Business to Business and technology markets.

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

They say manufacturing is dead in America... Read more at www.youtube.com

 

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/9tBsas