Thursday 3 June 2010

LATEST SOCIAL MEDIA OFFERINGS TARGET BOTH ADVERTISERS AND CONSUMERS

It’s been said that advertisers today are competing for cultural impact, not just product sales.  To this end, today’s engagement goes well beyond convincing a person to buy something.  Advertisers are interested in finding ways to seamlessly weave a brand experience into the mix that consumers perceive as adding value. It's achieved when the consumer feels they have a relationship with the brand and steps forward to act on behalf of the brand or with the brand.  The latest wave of social offering’s attempt to provide new ways for brands to advertise online or consolidate existing social.  Some of the new kids on the block include:

WeReward - Couponing
You already use services such as Foursquare or Gowalla to share physical locations and Flickr to share photos. WeReward adds an incentive for users who participate in advertising-related activities.   WeReward converts social activities that consumers are already enjoying into ways for advertisers to get attention. For example, a company such as Domino's, which is a client, might offer rewards to users who post photos getting pizzas delivered. WeReward lets users check out lists of tasks from advertisers and claim points, discounts or small sums of money for completing them.

VideoGenie - Video User-Generated Content
VideoGenie harnesses users' passion for creating videos and posting them online by allowing brands to request videos on certain subjects.  The company's platform makes it easy for everyday people to produce usable content with prompts and timelines. The goal is to extend all the tools necessary to allow users to make a video without any need for editing. VideoGenie also offers rewards and/or discounts to users who complete videos or whose videos are selected.

GeoToko - Social Dashboard
GeoToko helps brands harness the dizzying array of social services through a single interface and works with the review site Yelp, the location-based services Foursquare and Gowalla, and the microblogging site Twitter. The platform allows marketers to offer prizes, discounts, and contests through all of these sites, increasing overall efficiency for advertisers.
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http://www.goodbuzz.ca

Wednesday 2 June 2010

Social Media and Transparency in Government



It seems in most of the democratized world today, political parties are deeply entrenched national entities trying desperately to remain relevant with younger constituents.   This story is not unique to Political Parties mind you, as many organizations also need to realign themselves periodically to stay relevant.

Want to know how to engage younger constituents? Find ways of taking your perceived weaknesses and turning them into strengths.  Extend participatory channels that lead to new and deeper relationships, increased relevance, support, and donations.  Most of all extend the auspices of transparency.  What that really means in today’s government, we’re certainly not qualified to comment on.  However, what we do know is your message must seem authentic, genuine, and honest. 

Leveraging Technology
Imagine a Political Party actually being constituent-driven?  Imagine the transformational, democratizing power of opening digital channels directly to constituents? Imagine you were valued stakeholders in making better and more relevant decisions (if you so chose).

Imagine if Parties freely invited all citizens into this discussion to extend a genuine sense of “connecting” and participatory engagement?  What if a Political Party made constituents feel like it’s their system and framework to mold (for their benefit). Maybe even invited discussion and allowed all stakeholders their say.  Imagine evolving the current “issue or leader”-centric assessment of our political landscape to one of long-term philosophical beliefs?   

Has the evolution of technology and socialization finally outgrown our current political framework?

We’d love to hear what you think.  Join the conversation at http://www.goodbuzz.ca

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ADVANCED SOCIAL MEDIA RESOURCES

1. Mashable: The Social Media Guide. Undoubtedly one of the most prolific blogs for reviews of new Websites and services. Mashable has great social media resources and guides!  Click Here to go to Mashable
2. ReadWriteWeb: This popular blog furnishes insightful analysis of web trends, and is full of all sorts of timely information about social media. Besides helping you stay on the cutting edge with social media marketing, this blog is a must-read for anybody with an ecommerce enterprise!  Click Here to go to ReadWriteWeb
3. PR 2.0: Technorati ranks it among the top 1.5% of all blogs on the Web. It’s also ranked among the leading voices in the Ad Age Power 150 list of blogs worldwide. A wealth of social media info here! Click Here to go to PR 2.0
4. Chris Brogan: A social marketing strategist who can be immensely helpful to anyone who wants to learn about social media marketing. Click Here to go to Chris Brogan
5. Social Media Examiner: A free online publication that will show you how to use Twitter and other social media sites. It also offers some truly fantastic info about how to generate sales and increase your brand awareness. Click Here to go to Social Media Examiner
6. 180/360/720: A source of good information about marketing in general and social media optimization, as well. Click Here to go to 180/360/720
7. Social Media Explorer: Basically, this blog boasts as its main contributor Jason Falls, another social media guru. It’s a jewel and a must for every social media marketer! Click Here to go to Social Media Explorer
8. Digital Buzz: This blog is a jumpin’ little place with all kinds of goodies for the entrepreneur, including juicy tidbits about social media marketing. Warning: Very interesting reading here for ecommerce folks, it’s easy to spend more time than you planned on this blog! Click Here to go to Digital Buzz
9. Neville Hobson: The Numero Uno PR blog in the UK, and fantastic reading for anyone, anywhere who is into ecommerce and social media! Click Here to go to Neville Hobson
10. The Future Buzz: Really great blog that will provide you with some useful tips and pointers on marketing, generating buzz about your business with social media, and more. Click Here to go to The Future Buzz
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