MediaPost | Social Media Insider

If Yahoo Bought Tumblr, What, If Anything, Would Be Achieved?

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:40:03 -0400

If you're asking why I'm asking, it's because the rumor mill over at AllThingsD claims that the two have talked, so buzz about the potential of this old guard/new guard marriage has certain members of the social-media-erati buzzing, along with columnists who need something to write about.

'Animal House' Nailed Social Media

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:04:00 -0400

Shed those followers that aren't providing value. Trim the content our audiences don't want. Drop the platforms where we can't find audiences. Volume does not beget volume.

Why Didn't We Think Of Vine Sooner? Of Course It's Growing Like Kudzu!

Sat, 11 May 2013 14:58:11 -0400

For all of the smart people running around the Internet biz, it is sometimes amazing to contemplate how absolutely stupid we all are. That's quite a way to start a column, huh?

Long-Payment Terms Bad For Social Media

Tue, 07 May 2013 13:15:36 -0400

Procter & Gamble is looking to move its payment terms from 45 days to 75 days, according to the Wall Street Journal. GE pays its bills on a standard net 120 -- this one I know from personal experience. And, while there are work-arounds that are easier for larger agencies to take advantage of (like bridge payments from banks), these work-arounds are harder for smaller and newer agencies. That's not good for social media marketing.

When The World Already Has Facebook, Does It Need NextDoor?

Fri, 03 May 2013 17:18:10 -0400

As regular readers of this column are painfully aware, I'm a student of how, and whether, social networks are being used by the normal people who make up my non-work life. So I was curious when a guy who lives a few blocks away asked me in late March to join NextDoor, a social networking start-up that pledges to unite people online based on their geography, in private online communities.

Are Certain Categories Just Better At Twitter?

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:11:00 -0400

As you're getting organized for next week, remember this if you're in charge of your company's Twitter account(s): fire up that special tweet for Wednesday at 4 p.m. Central Time, and you may just be on your way to engagement most brands can only dream about.

Take Your Social Media And Unplug It

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:11:51 -0400

Most people aren't like us. They don't check social feeds every five minutes and they don't know what real-time marketing is. So, this Social Media Insider is short: In honor of Earth Day, unplug and live life the way most people do.

To Catch A Bomber: The Pros and Cons Of Social Media Sleuthing

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:21:00 -0400

One week you're musing about Twitter's new music service (it launched yesterday, by the way); the next week you're wondering if social media can help catch a terrorist. If that doesn't tell you how all-encompassing social media is, I suppose nothing will.

A Tale Of Two Surveys

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:36:00 -0400

I love the opportunity to compare social media platforms. Personal or pet projects are great ways to test theories or flesh out the changing psychological profiles of different platforms' users. Wanting to see how my contacts on Facebook and LinkedIn differed in their responses, I created two identical surveys and sent a different one to each audience.

Why Care About Bitcoin, When Twitter Is (Supposedly) Launching a Music App?

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:11:11 -0400

the only social media headline that truly interested me this week is one that I saw this morning. The only problem is that it's so highly speculative that I probably shouldn't center a column around it. But I am anyway, so there.

Facebook Home -- Or, The Return Of Skins ('Memba Them?)

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:18:22 -0400

So, I'm a little bummed that I bought a Droid Razr, because it may be a long time before I can go Home -- Facebook Home, that is. As was announced yesterday, the-Facebook-phone-that-isn't, called Facebook Home, will run on the Android platform, but, in the near term, will only run on a selection of phones from HTC and Samsung, and soon, some other hardware makers overseas. I really want to try it out, because I couldn't tell, from the demos, whether I was looking at a nice little alteration to the Facebook mobile experience, or a game-changer in the making.

Has Everybody Been Underestimating Flipboard?

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 15:15:54 -0400

True, really geeky, confession: I think I've underestimated Flipboard -- and this sad fact of my online life occurred to me even before this week's news that the popular app, which curates one's various and sundry feeds from Twitter, Facebook, and the gang into a glossy, virtual magazine, was now going to let its users publish their own magazines.

The Social Media Command Center: Fad Or Future?

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:45:42 -0400

The social media command center (SMCC) entered the spotlight in 2010 when Gatorade and Dell launched their centers. Since then, many brands have jumped on the bandwagon, but for the pace at which the social media industry moves, widescale adoption has been slow to take off.

#TVLovesTwitter: Here's #WhatYouDidn'tKnowAboutThat

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 12:31:46 -0400

You could file what I'm about to say under "Things I Already Knew," but bear with me. The news earlier this week that there's a strong correlation between Twitter discussion about a certain program, and TV ratings, isn't just about the kneejerk knowledge we all have that the tweetstream goes nutzoid during big TV events in a way that the big F - Facebook - does not. What I like about this study - conducted by SocialGuide and Nielsen - was the statistical meat on the bones.

Newsflash: Facebook Listens

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 22:51:26 -0400

Since I didn't go to SXSW, and have not become acquainted with the marvel that is Grumpy Cat, I spent the week - as was foreshadowed in last week's column - hitting the refresh button on Facebook looking for my new Newsfeed.

Read All About It! What The Insider Thinks Of Facebook's New Newsfeed

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:21:00 -0500

If it hadn't been a day full of disruptions -- school delays, rescheduled meetings, and a cat that can't decide whether to stay in or go out -- I might have spent much of it refreshing Facebook to see if the new Newsfeed, announced yesterday, has presented itself to me. So far, it hasn't. Because that's the case, what follows is wildly speculative, but, hey -- everything else that's been written about Facebook's new Newsfeed is wildly speculative, anyway. So here I go with a few thoughts on what the Newsfeed could mean for advertisers and media companies.

The Football Event Bigger Than Super Bowl

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 17:02:00 -0500

As marketers, we spend a lot of time talking about the Super Bowl. It makes sense. According to Nielsen, an estimated 108 million people watched this year's Super Bowl. That's about one in every three U.S. residents. But there is a football event bigger than that - and WAY more social than the Super Bowl. It begins in five months, so start planning now, because fantasy football is not that far away.

Do You Use Twitter For The Ads?

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:38:12 -0500

Ask around, and the answer is a resounding "No!" pretty much 100% of the time. People use social networks to talk to their friends, discover great content, and participate in real-time events -- not to be interrupted by ads. Still Twitter, in its most revenue-oriented move yet, just released an API for its advertising products. And, surprise -- a lot of people are nervous about it. Why? They think it might sabotage the Twitter user experience or enslave Twitter to its brand partners. But I for one am excited. Twitter's announcement points to an optimistic future for the relationship between users, social platforms, and the marketers that tend to foot the bill.

#OscarRTM Redux: An Untimely Column On Real-Time Marketing

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 15:00:27 -0500

Forgive me. If I were posting this column in real time, I would have had it up on the site before Seth McFarlane's first utterance of the word "boobs" on Sunday night. But every now and then, the Social Media Insider likes to let things sit and stew. So, after watching #OscarRTM unfold on Sunday night, like some meme gone horribly wrong, and then pondering it on and off all week, here's my considered opinion: the industry's ability to ride a bandwagon, without thought or reason, surprised even me. It's amazing the whole thing didn't break down under the weight of its own wobbly wagon wheels.

How To Set Up A Brand Myspace Page

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:21:50 -0500

A few weeks ago, I wrote about who should be scared of Myspace. Since then, I've found myself on the site more and more -- getting addicted to its design, usability and, of course, music. Here are a few tips to help you get your brand up and running quickly.

Five Tips For Coping When (Not If) Your Social Media Accounts Are Hacked

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:00:10 -0500

The way this week has been going, it may not end up being just The Week of the Hacker but the Year of the Hacker. First there was Burger King's Twitter account, which suddenly started to proclaim that it was, essentially, the Home of the McRib, followed by a hack of Jeep's Twitter account to make it look like the brand had been bought by Cadillac. Even Donald Trump got thrown (tee-hee) in to the Twitter hack-a-thon. For one brilliant moment he was tweeting like Lil Wayne.

Four Services That Make Social Media Easier

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 13:00:08 -0500

We have a lot to do in social media: post, respond, upload, monitor, maintain, reply, comment, link, etc. etc. etc. So, anything we can do to make ourselves more efficient and more productive = more better. Here are four services I've come across recently that I believe are going to save me time and energy.

Seven Facts You Didn't Know About Social Media

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 17:16:02 -0500

As I write this, I'm flying home enjoying the JetBlue experience after three days at MediaPost's sixth Social Media Insider Summit in Florida, where the quest for knowledge about how to market in social media often yielded this: how much we still have to learn.

Everyone's Dunking The Wrong Oreo

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 12:45:03 -0500

OK, that's it. I'm tired of hearing people talk about Oreo's Super Bowl tweet. Not because Oreo's response wasn't great. It was. But people are talking about the wrong things. Yes, kudos to the company's team for responding quickly and for writing engaging copy. After all, they created a graphic and had it posted in less than 15 minutes after the power outage. The question we aren't asking: Who actually made the tweet successful?

Like Oreo, You Can Dunk in the Dark -- Just Not That Often

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:42:11 -0500

It goes to show you how breakthrough Oreo's "You Can Still Dunk in the Dark" ad is: When you Google "Oreo ad," the brand's actual big-production Super Bowl commercial places 11th in the results. Results one through seven are all for the spur-of-the-moment Twitter ad that, well, gamely took advantage of the Super Bowl's blackout to exploit the power of real-time advertising.

The New Myspace: Who Should Be Scared

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:42:25 -0500

As brand marketers, there are a (sometimes overwhelming) number of social media platforms we need to be versed, if not fluent, in. You'd better know Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest. For some businesses, LinkedIn. It'd be good to have some knowledge of Instagram, Branch and Vine, too. Add another to the mix: Myspace. Yeah, I know. I'm shocked to be writing it, too. But, here's the thing: the new Myspace is really good. Like REALLY good.

Facebook Jumps Over The Candlestick

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 17:29:35 -0500

"Facebook be nimble; Facebook be quick./Facebook not (necessarily) growing like a hockey stick." But don't take that cute distillation of Facebook's fourth-quarter and year-end 2012 earnings, announced Wednesday, quite the way it may sound. Actually, what Facebook made public then was impressive, since in the space of a few quarters, it took a nascent ad platform - mobile -- and moved it from a negligible part of ad revenue to 13% in the third quarter and 24% in the fourth quarter.

An Oreo Cookie Shake Or A Sweet Potato?

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 14:10:17 -0500

This is a parable, turned into an analogy, involving a consumed Oreo Cookie Shake and an unconsumed sweet potato.

Help! Intuit, Stride-Rite And Trupanion Won't Stop Stalking Me!

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:45:09 -0500

Lately I feel like I'm being stalked. Not by anyone truly harmful, but by a troika of behaviorally targeted ads that miss the mark. It's not because I haven't recently visited the sites for the products that now follow me on the Web. I have. But if behavioral targeting is supposed to be some sort of silver bullet -- on Facebook and elsewhere -- I'm amazed at how it routinely fails to recognize whether I'm still in the purchase funnel, or was ever there in the first place.

Why LinkedIn Is Less Conquerable Than Facebook

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 12:03:29 -0500

There's a single, fundamental reason it would be harder for an upstart new website to beat LinkedIn than for one to beat Facebook: There is more risk associated with losing your network on LinkedIn.