437,356 groupies.

Um, no. This is not Martin...

Oops, I mean followers.

Yep, my friend Martin Zwilling has 437,356 followers on Twitter.

So you must be thinking, wow, this guy Eric is friends with movie stars or something. He must be chillin’ with celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Charlie Sheen and Martin Zwilling.

Wait a minute.  Hold the phone.  Have you ever heard of Martin Zwilling before?

Didn’t think so.

But that’s the cool thing:  Martin is an average, normal business guy just like you and I.

So if he can get over 400,000 followers on Twitter, why can’t we? Well, that’s just what I wanted to find out from Martin.  So I hooked up with him, hoping he’d pull back the curtain to reveal some of his secrets… and he did.

So, without further delay, here’s my chat with the wild Twitter man; Martin…

1st Secret Revealed:  437,356 and Counting.  How?

So Martin, how in the world did you get so many followers on Twitter? What is your secret? What strategy did you use to build your following?

“First, I proactively follow as many new people as I can every day – anyone whose profile looks like my target customer, or who talks about targeted subjects in their tweets.  This can be done manually with Twitter, but I have also tested other tools, such as TweetAttacks.  There are hundreds of tools out there, but the point is to find what works for you and do it on a daily basis.”

Second, I provide something of “value” to my followers on a daily basis. I provide up to six tweets daily, with pointers to the “best of the best” articles for entrepreneurs, which are my target customers. The idea is my follower can read my tweet stream and link to a useful, pre-filtered channel of information every day.  If your channel is empty for even a few days, people stop following.

To help me do this, I use the service SocialOomph:  It automatically sends a welcome message to new followers, and it spreads the tweets out across the day — so they don’t all come in a big clump”.

2nd Secret Revealed:  Following 384,554.  How?

And wow, you follow a whole bunch of people yourself. What is your secret on managing so many followers?  How do you handle engagement on that level?

“The secret here is to extract from the stream only those messages addressed directly to me, or talking about me or my business: Startup Professionals.

I use TweetDeck to do this.  In fact, I only get a few business messages per day requiring a response, and of course, I respond to every one.  Overall, I’ve allotted no more than an hour a day for all Twitter and other social media activities, usually early morning or late evening.  Not a high price for the value and learning I get from it.”

3rd Secret Revealed:  Impact on Business

So, how has having 437,356 followers impacted your business? In other words, what are the real world results you’ve seen?

“Twitter has clearly helped me build my brand.  It brings me real leads; both directly through Twitter and indirectly by Twitter users talking to their friends.  Because of the many followers; people give me great credibility, speaking invitations, and book sales.

For example, my large following entices great book authors to send me a review copy of their latest book, which I might mention to my followers.  In turn, these books keep me up to date and expand my expertise.  And that helps me close even more business as a consultant.”

Great stuff Martin.  Thanks so much for sharing.  And actually, you’re pretty smart.  Not a madman at all.

So there you go folks.  3 Secrets from a Twitter Sane-man who has over 400,000 followers.

Tell me, are you gonna be next to reach 400k and what are your secrets for getting there?

About the Guest Author: Eric T. Wagner is a husband, father and life-long entrepreneur. After starting multiple businesses, he is now focused on helping entrepreneurs nail it too.  Uncover Eric today at: Mighty Wise Media.

Read More

• The Marketing Secret About Twitter That Most People Don’t Know
• The Explosive Power of the Retweet Revealed by Twitter
• How To Get Targeted Twitter Followers
• 8 Great Twitter Tools that will Get You Tweeting like Pro
• How to Write a Mind Blowing Headline for Twitter

Do you ever feel a strong urge to update or check Facebook?

Is the desire to Tweet overwhelming and you have this compulsion to “Tweet” for no particular reason?

Are you starting to wonder if you have a social media addiction?

Well joining the self help group “social media addicts anonymous” may not be far away as a recent study by Chicago University has revealed that social media is in fact more addictive than sex, alcohol and cigarettes!

Pinterest the New Addiction

Pinterest is the new addiction in town that has everyone blogging, tweeting and sharing the news on Facebook and it is the new “hot” social network on the block.

It is a social media network that cannot be ignored.

According to Shareaholic’s recent report that used findings from more than 200,000 publishers and 260 million monthly unique visitors, it is driving more referral traffic than Google plus, LinkedIn and YouTube combined.

It is interesting to note the power of Pinterest to refer traffic despite it only having 4.9 million users compared to Google plus with more than 90 million users and LinkedIn with over 130 million members.

I have been using Pinterest for only a couple of months but my traffic stats show that in the last 3 days it is driving more traffic than Google Plus and LinkedIn for the Jeffbullas.com blog.

Forrester claims it is over-hyped but if it is assisting your business to increase engagement, drive traffic and raise your online visibility then I am happy to use an over hyped social network.

What Makes it so Addictive ?

I don’t know if you have noticed or not but Facebook has redesigned its user interface with its new Timeline which allows much larger and engaging images.

Google plus was launched with a design that provides a larger canvas to display high definition images and photos in all their glory.

2011 has seen the rise of the new “Visual” social networks.

Visual engagement addiction has never been more obvious than what has been revealed by Pinterest.

People find photos compelling and will share them much more virally on social networks than a link or text post. Photos are the most shared media on Facebook (250 million a day).

Pinterest has tapped into this and created a visual online pinboard that inspires with images and photos that invite to be shared and repinned.

Some have called it an “Inspiration Network”

Use the Power of Addiction

There is something I have learned over the last few years is that even if it is over-hyped but has addictive qualities, then it is a powerful distribution network and should be considered in your business marketing plans, especially if your business has a highly visual component such as fashion, food or photography.

Even if you don’t think your business has strong visual  elements, then take a cue from General Electric which uses Pinterest to post images of “Badass Machines“.

How do I use Pinterest?

You would think that social media marketing wouldn’t be a very visual topic that would use the Pinterest platform very effectively. In fact there is almost a visual element to anything and you may have noticed the “Infographics” trend that has rapidly grown over the last 12 months which has surprised me.

What I am trialling on Pinterest is pinning “Infographics” that are relevant to my target audience and currently with 60 pins and over 550 followers it is highly apparent that it taps into this visual touch point.

So I would encourage you to have some fun with Pinterest and tap into your creative side and find visual elements of your brand that will inspire and drive some sharing.

How are you using Pinterest?

Read More

Twitter is often seen as one of Cinderella’s ugly sisters when it is compared to the multimedia beauty and the wealth of numbers that the 800 million plus engaged users that the Facebook social network offers.

Facebook is the girlfriend you would be happy to take home to dinner with your parents but Twitter is often seen as a bit too quirky, strange and cheap to introduce to the family and folks.

Too short and dumpy for most.

If you take the time to get to understand Twitter with its quaint 140 character limit and its charming simplicity, it can be a very powerful tool to distribute information and ideas in real time to enhance your marketing and promotion efforts.

Twitter Power

Twitter has some advantages that are sometimes not seen as a strength.

1. Simple

It doesn’t get much simpler that 140 characters and that is why texting (SMS) has not gone away but continued to grow.

2. Focused and Targeted

Twitter followers tend to be loyal and follow other Twitter users because they are interested in information or news about who they are following. This is not leveraged by many marketers and “the secret“of how to use this capability should not be ignored. Over the last 3 years I have utilised this Twitter capability to spread ideas and information to a targeted global audience. Don’t underestimate this capability!

3. Highly Shareable

The retweet feature of Twitter allow the user to quickly pass on information by retweeting the news and information contained within its headline and link to their network.

Why Politicians and Celebrities Love Twitter

Politicians and celebrities love Twitter and celebrities have found that one tweet can cause a storm of sharing. It can enhance (or destroy) their personal brand and get their ideas out instantly.

Twitter has just announced that it will now be revealing how many retweets  your tweet has received instead of just showing “50+”

Making the retweet count visibly quantified will help marketers find what does and doesn’t resonate with their target market and audience. This will help adjust the writing of tweets and the topics to find what people really want to read.

A Cool Tool to Count Retweets

TwitSprout have quickly responded to this announcement and have provided a tool that allows you to check out your most popular retweets.

It is called “MyTopTweet” and allows you measure your top “Tweets” for sharing

This will provide you with some real numbers on what tweets your users are finding worth sharing.

Nothing like a some numerical feedback to adjust your Tweet direction!

If it isn’t being shared then you need to look at some key elements such as the headline of the tweet, the number of followers and the level of engagement.

The 3 Top Retweets in the World

That Twitter announcement of this change has allowed Twitsprout to also find out what are the most powerful “Tweets” and here are the top three.

1. Justin Bieber

2. Kim Kardashian

3. Lady Gaga

Now you may not have 10 million followers but growing your Twitter following will provide you with a focused and powerful network that will share your ideas, information and news.

How are you growing your Twitter followers?

Read More

• The Marketing Secret About Twitter That Most People Don’t Know
• How To Get Targeted Twitter Followers
• 8 Great Twitter Tools that will Get You Tweeting like Pro
• How to Write a Mind Blowing Headline for Twitter

Image by by Fred Seibert

Coca Cola has been part of popular culture for over 100 years and has been called a “Vision Brand“.

Its marketing and communication is purposeful and connects with its audience in a way that makes it stand out from its competitors.

Its mission is not about selling products but to create significant positive change in the world that makes the world a better place.

Coca Cola’s mission statement

• To refresh the world
• To inspire moments of optimism and happiness
• To create value and make a difference

Recently they have realised that their marketing strategy that has worked well for them for decades needed to evolve and as such they are moving from “Creative Excellence” to “Content  Excellence”

Creative excellence has always been at the heart of Coca Cola’s advertising and they have decided that content is now the key to marketing in the 21st century on a social web.

Content for Coca Cola is is now the “Matter” and “Substance” of “Brand Engagement”

So what can we learn from Coca Cola’s new marketing strategy?

Lesson 1: Create Liquid Content

The purpose of content excellence is to create “Ideas” so contagious that they cannot be controlled this is what is called “liquid content”.

On a social web people can easily share ideas, videos and photos on social networks such Facebook.

So create content that begs to be shared whether that be an image, a video or an article.

Lesson 2: Ensure your Content is Linked

The next part of the equation is to ensure that these ideas create content that is innately relevant to

• The business objectives of your company
• The brand
• Your customer interests

This is “Linked” content…. Content that is relevant and connected to the companies goals and brand.

Ensure that the content communicates your message that is congruent with your mission and values.

Lesson 3: Create Conversations

Coca Cola has realised that the consumer creates more stories and ideas than they do so the goal is provoke conversations and then “Act” and “React” to those conversations 365 days of the year.

The new “Distribution Technologies” of Twitter, YouTube and Facebook provide greater connectivity and consumer empowerment than ever before.

Don’t just publish but interact with your audience and tribe.

Lesson 4. Move onto Dynamic Story Telling

On traditional media in the past, story telling was static and a one way street. Television and newspapers shouted at you with no means of interaction.

Coca Cola has come the realisation that to grow their business on the social web they need to move on from “One Way Story Telling” to “Dynamic Story Telling”

This means you need to allow the story to evolve as you interact and converse with your customers. You need to converse with your customers in many media formats and social networks.

Storytelling has moved on from static and synchronous to multifaceted, engaged and spreadable.

Lesson 5: Be Brave and Creative with Your Content Creation

Part of the new Coca Cola content strategy is applying a 70/20/10 Investment principle to creating “Liquid content“.

• 70% of your content should be low risk. It pays the rent and is your bread and butter marketing (should be easy to do and only consumes 50% of your time)
• 20% of your content creation should innovate off what works.
• 10% of your content marketing is high risk ideas that will be tomorrows 70% or 20%…. be prepared to fail

This provides a blueprint regarding moving on from just developing white papers, to trying some content that is more visual, courageous and engaging in web world that has embraced multimedia and interactive content.

The 30 Second TV Ad is no Longer King

Coca Cola has come to the conclusion that the world has moved on from the 30 second TV ad. So has the the Old Spice brand and many other businesses who are embracing social media as part of their marketing strategy.

We need to move towards a genuine consumer collaboration model that builds buzz and adopts a more iterative approach to content creation.

Learning how to fuel the conversations, act and interact has never been more important.

Consumers ideas, creativity and conversations have been set free with the evolution of social networks, learning to leverage and wrangle those conversations to increase your brand visibility is now a vital part of your marketing.

What About You?

Do you create conversations with your marketing? How many people are talking about your stories on Facebook?

Is your content liquid, linked and multi-faceted?

More Reading

• 10 Reasons Why “Liquid” Content Should be Included in Your Social Media Marketing
• What are 10 Addictive Types of Content?
• How to Increase Your Blog Traffic by 55% with One Button
• 5 Motivations for Sharing Content
• 20 Ideas for Social Media Content that Engages
• Is it Better to Share on Google, Facebook or Twitter+
• 9 Questions to Ask your Customers When Creating Content

Image by KB35

It has been a big year in social media  and the relentless evolution of social publishing networks that are transforming how we communicate, market and do business.

The hesitancy to implement social media marketing is dissipating as many CEO’s and senior management have started to embrace the power of the social networks.

Some of the highlights included

• Google+ launched and reaches a user base of over 50 million by the end of 2011
• Twitter continuing to grow despite minimal changes and still no sustainable business model emerging (simplicity is still its number one feature)
• Facebook evolves into a more visual network with higher definition and larger photos featured in its new timeline feature
• Facebook commerce (F-Commerce) becomes established
• StumbleUpon makes a comeback
• Pinterest suprises everyone with it growth after only 12 months
• Tumblr starts to make headlines with its phenomenal user base

In looking at the most popular articles three things are apparent

1. Facebook is “the” social network that occupies most people’s focus and attention
2. Facts ,figures and statistics are always popular
3. Infographics are “hot”

Here are the top ten social media posts from 2011.

1. 50 Fascinating Facebook Facts And Figures

(64,446 views)

The rise and rise of Facebook is producing a scramble by marketers and companies to leverage its huge global database and traffic.

Google is looking over its shoulder as Facebook grows at over 10 million users a month and sits currently at number two on web traffic rankings according to Alexa.com.

Last year Facebook surpassed Google for the top ranking for total time spent online.

2. The 10 Best Facebook Campaigns

(59,911 views)

Facebook marketing campaigns seem to be going all warm, caring and fluffy recently as brands realize that solving problems and helping those in need can be a very effective marketing tactic.

Three of the Facebook campaigns in this list have an altruistic reason behind their campaigns, from donating $500,000 each to 20 schools to raising funds for the “Make A Wish Foundation”.

The marketing goals for the Facebook pages vary but quite often the simple goal of just increasing their fan count to their Facebook page seems to be top of the list as brands have worked out very quickly that being able to communicate to 1,000′s or even millions of fans via a simple status update is very efficient highly leveraged marketing. Companies have also realized that people’s main reason for becoming a fan for the most part is not so charitable, but is about having access to the latest special offers and freebies.

3. 20 Stunning Social Media Statistics Plus Infographic

(45,719 views)

Do you wonder why your productivity has dropped over the past 2 – 3 years?

There is a time sink and it’s not television!

Those of us who are connected to the internet and that is 2 billion of us, have been distracted by social multi-media publishing machines that are pumping out staggering amounts of content with enticing high definition images and videos!

You cannot escape their allure as they tempt you to log in when you are out and about with either with your laptop, iPad or smart phone.

These enticing, tempting distractions are robbing us of time that should be spent doing productive work like washing your car, cleaning the house or doing your tax… and I know how much you all enjoy those activities!

4. The 10 Best Social Media Campaigns

(18,735 views)

Since social media has become an integral part of our lives, marketers have used their creative talents to develop social media campaigns with various degrees of success which can be measured in a variety of ways.

One very successful social media marketing campaign that was run in 2009 was the competition for the “Best Job in the World” which was based on the simple concept of posting a one-minute video application on Tourism Queensland’s Web site explaining why you should be chosen as caretaker of Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef and you might get to blog and cam your way through a six-month gig that paid about $100K U.S.

5. 30 Terrific Twitter Facts And Figures

(16,884 views)

Twitter has always suffered an image problem and is not usually taken very seriously by the general public. Its name doesn’t help with some people even saying that ‘Twitter is for twits’. Despite this glamor and brand problem this has not held back its growth after its humble origins and launch in 2006.

Since then Twitter has gained popularity worldwide and is estimated to have 225 million users, generating 65 million tweets a day and handling over 800,000 search queries per day. It is sometimes described as the “SMS of the Internet” and its 140 character limit keeps the messages short and simple.

Its attraction as a social web media platform is maybe in its simplicity and real time messaging that enables breaking news and information to hit the web instantly without filters and censorship.

6. 10 Top Small Business Facebook Page Designs to Inspire You

(16,732 views)

Facebook pages is the place where a lot of inspiring innovation, marketing and design is happening on the social web.

Major brands are often worth checking out as they can wow you with the the latest in innovation such as Facebook stores, inspiring embedded videos and designs that look like they cost a fortune. If you want to obtain some good ideas it is a good business practice to emulate elements of the most popular Facebook pages in the world such as Lady Gaga or one of the top company Facebook pages StarBucks.

7. Social Media Marketing – 10 Inspiring Infographics

(16,130 views)

n 2011 social media marketing continued to make its impact on business and brand promotions. Google+ was launched (with an investment of over $500 million in development costs), Twitter became embedded in the new Apple iPhone 4s and Blogging didn’t die.

Some surprising results and unexpected networks and social media platforms have made their mark this year .

• Tumblr is now attracting over 90 million unique visitors every month
• StumbleUpon driving over 50% of all social network traffic
• YouTube is attracting 50% more views than 2010 and threatening traditional TV advertising and marketing

8. How To Take Your Company’s Facebook Fan Page from Zero to 40,000 Fans

(15,761 views)

It was last year that I met a Facebook marketing specialist, Mike Watkins at a marketing event. I was impressed by his story about how he had taken the SUPRE’s fashion brand’s Facebook page from zero to 40,000 fans shortly after Facebook released the “Page” option to add to its “Profiles” and “Groups” membership options. I met him again recently for a video interview that I will be publishing in the next few days, in the meantime I would like to share his story.

9. 50 Awesome YouTube Facts and Figures

(15,322 views)

YouTube is a modern phenomena. The social media platform’s original concept is rumoured to have been inspired by the idea of being a video dating site with the unlikely title of “Tune In Hook Up”. In the end it launched as a simple video sharing site that has helped reinvent the web from a one way static channel to an interactive web eco-system (along with social networking channels such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter) that has enticed and compelled us to engage globally with other internet users using a variety of rich multi-media and social sharing platforms.

10. 50 Amazing Facts and Figures About Google

(14,154 views)

Google has become an integral part of our lives and the word has even become a verb as we are often heard to say let’s “Google” that. I have even heard the web giant referred to in hushed tones during heated discussions and when a controversial fact or figure is being debated across a dinner table or at the local bar as to whether it is true or false and a person will pull out their iPhone and say “let’s check Lord Google”.

What type of articles and topics do you want to read in 2012?

Read More:

Image by yoppy

It was in 2005 that I noticed a trend that intrigued me and it was that teenagers were becoming obsessed with a social networking site called MySpace.

I didn’t create an account as it seemed a waste of time and I had more important things to do.

In 2008 I was invited by a friend to join Facebook and on signing in I was impressed by its clever programming and functionality that allowed you to connect with old friends and colleagues from college at the click of a button.

Over the next 12 months I observed that certain people became engrossed in Facebook and seemed to spend most of their waking hours updating their profile and uploading photos.

In 2012 that has not changed.

What has changed though is how it is used. Facebook is a place to play games like Farmville or Mafia wars. It is a website where you can now buy products and get specials. You can listen to music and upload videos. You can instant message and chat.

The creation of Facebook “pages” for business to participate has allowed the whole Facebook ecosystem to evolve at an accelerated pace.

Marketers have found it a vibrant place to engage and communicate with customers and it is socializing marketing.

So is it too much of a time sink that takes us away from things that should be done? Does social media in fact leverage our time and reduce the tyranny of distance?

Is Social Media a Waste of Time?

If you take a closer look then the benefits seem to outweigh the disadvantages.

Here are some of the upsides to social media

• 18% of people 50-64 years old use it to connect with others who have similar hobbies
• 17% use it to find “love”
• 50% use it to reconnect with old friends
• It is a source of entertainment as 250 million photos are uploaded  every day and there are 100 million videos to watch
• 41% of the class of 2011 used it to look for a job

Do you think social media is waste of time?

Why Social Media Isn’t a Waste of  Time

Courtesy of: Schools.com

More Reading

• 20 Stunning Social Media Statistics Plus Infographic
• 11 New Twitter Facts, Figures and Growth Statistics plus [INFOGRAPHIC]
• Past, Present and Future of Blogging: 3 Infographics
• How Do You Use LinkedIn [INFOGRAPHIC]
• How Do You Use Twitter [INFOGRAPHIC]

In the 1960’s the “Madmen of Madison” Avenue were challenged as the age of television forever changed the advertising and marketing landscape.

The arrival of color television in 1961 was rapidly becoming an integral part of the family home and engaged millions of people with captivating television shows, news as it happened and movies.

The advertising agencies had to reinvent themselves as the new technology became widespread and by 1979 over 300 million televisions were occupying the corners of peoples living rooms.

50 years ago the choices of media were simple compared to today with essentially only a few media types.

• Radio
• Newspaper
• Magazine
• Cinema
• Television
• Theatre
• Poster

In 2012 we have a smorgasbord of media including CD’s, podcasts, blogs, online video, online photos, iTunes, satellite radio, mobile phone, tablets, email, Internet, TiVo and video recorders.

Just to name a few!

The Age of Media Convergence

In 2012 if you want to view a video, listen to the radio or send an email, SMS or Tweet you only need one device, your mobile phone.

Your smart phone offers you one platform where you can view News, music, videos, GPS, News, Weather, Twitter, Radio, Television, Watch, Magazines (blogs)

The challenge for traditional media is that it:

• Isn’t searchable
• Can’t be watched when you want
• Can’t be viewed on the hardware platform you prefer and use (Tablet, PC, Laptop or mobile)
• Doesn’t build an online asset for the brand

Coca Cola has decided that is time to move beyond the 30 second movie commercial as social media and traditional media converge to become “media”.

“Liquid” and “Linked” content excellence is now the Coca Cola Mantra!

You only have to see the success of the Old Spice marketing campaign to realise that the convergence of media has arrived. Video that can be viewed anywhere and any time and is eminently searchable and not just on a commercial spot on TV.

Channels of Convergence

1. Television

Now we have the three screens, TV, Computer and Mobile. Making media available for all 3 formats is vital. There are rumours Apple will bring its design and branding genius to transforming TV, just as it transformed the music industry and the mobile industry – Disrupt!

It has the ecosystem the content the platforms and the technology and marketing savvy.

TV and Twitter are being used in unison as live television shows invite audience participation in real time with tweets.

Online video and television advertising is now part of the same advertising campaign with media published to both.

2. Films

Films can now be viewed on demand on any screen, if they have been converted to an online format instead of being buried in film archives and cabinets.

3. Newspapers

“Citizen Journalism” has emerged as blogs are now being accepted as a mainstream channel for industry news and events. Blogs are appearing as part of mainstream papers. User generated content provides feedback and interactivity that allows traditional newspapers to become more responsive to changing trends.

4. Traditional Radio

Radio and music can be listened to any time and anywhere, digital streaning radio, Apple iTunes, Spotify, Last FM and more!

5. Magazines

Traditional print magazines are quickly being challenged by Blogs, RSS technology and online magazines. This includes fashion and food blogs along with other topic categories such as politics, entertainment and technology.

6. Traditional Email

Social media and email continue to head towards integration as social sharing buttons are integrated into email platforms and templates with hyper links make sharing fast and easy.

7. Photos and Images

Photos and images have traditionally been kept for publishing in magazines and are often buried and forgotten on computers. Platforms such as Facebook (the largest photo sharing network on the planet),Flickr, Picasa, and Pinterest are providing platforms that socialize the  previously static and traditional world of photography.

6 Takeaways in the Age of Social and Mass Media Convergence

Social media “is” becoming media and any media that doesn’t provide sharing capabilities and time and place portability will disappear.

So how do you plan for converging media?

1. Create media for traditional and social (Video should be created that can be published and promoted on mass and social channels)
2. Create content for the 3 screens
3. Make “Liquid Content” (Coca Cola, Old Spice)
4. Create business social media network channels such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for publishing and promoting your video and written content
5. Use paid media such as “Search Engine Marketing” (SEM)  and “Social Media Marketing” (SMM) to provide the initial catalyst.
6. Create a hub such as a website or blog that becomes your central point of content publishing and then share it on social networks where your audience is

So the thinking has to continually be… How can I integrate social into my traditional media so I can make it easy for the crowd and tribes to share my content and brand?

It is time to let your content be “free” and “searchable”.

As traditional media becomes social, all media will just be “media”

More Reading

• What are 10 Addictive Types of Content?
• How to Increase Your Blog Traffic by 55% with One Button
• 5 Motivations for Sharing Content
• 20 Ideas for Social Media Content that Engages
• Is it Better to Share on Google, Facebook or Twitter+
• 9 Questions to Ask your Customers When Creating Content

I have a friend who won’t stop taking photos of food whenever she eats out. It seems that no matter what restaurant (except for McDonald’s or KFC and I don’t think they qualify as restaurants) the experience seems to turn into a full photo shoot.

Every angle is explored and the correct lighting is required.

At this stage there isn’t mood music to accompany the visuals, but I am half expecting a string quartet to become involved at some stage.

The next step is for the agent to show up and a movie director.

Why is this Happening?

The convergence of technology has produced a device (smartphone) that can take the photo in high definition and publish it to Facebook and Twitter before the food is even cold. Five minutes later you can check  to see if any of your friends have left a comment, shared or “liked” it!

This visual self expression and sharing culture combines the power of three.

1. People’s obsession with their iPhone (read smartphone)
2. Engagement power of Facebook
3. The love of photos that seems to have been reinforced with the easy availability of the camera in your pocket

The only challenge for marketers is how to harness that through a touch of creativity.

How to Take Advantage of this Obsession

Marketers have realised for a long time the power of images to motivate and engage people.  There are many business categories that can leverage social, mobile and photos to make their content contagious.

There is one very unassuming mobile app that emulates the simplicity of Twitter but is starting to make its presence felt that is playing with the power of “3″.

That “app” is Instagram.

Instagram is a free photo sharing application that you can download to your smartphone, that allows users to take photos, apply a filter, and share it on the service or a variety of other social networking services, including Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Tumblr, Flickr , and Posterous

3 Instagram Success Stories

Instagram’s success shows the power of simplicity coupled with the increasingly mobile and visual social networks.

Food can be made to look so inviting with a great photo (just ask my friend)

Food – Personal Brand

Lets start with a famous “chef” and personal brand called Jamie Oliver who has over 170,000 followers on Instagram and doesn’t miss the ongoing opportunities to market his personal brand, cooking shows and publications with visual online sharing.

Check out Jamie’s Instagram

Beverages – Coffee

StarBucks as one of the largest brands based on follower count on Instagram with over 200,000 followers realises the engagement opportunities.

Alexandra Wheeler, VP of global marketing for the coffee giant says this about Instagram “Photography plays such an important role in how we visually share Starbucks offerings and experiences,..this will continue to be a great network to connect with our customers as it grows.”

Fashion

Fashion brands are a perfect fit for Instagram.  Burberry gives followers behind-the-scene glimpses at fashion shows and photo shoots.

Instagram Ecosystem

There is a complete application and business ecosystem building around Instagram and John Jantsch at the Duct Tape marketing blog mentions the following 6 tools that enhance Instagram.

1. iDarkroom – This isn’t really an Instagram related tool, but it’s a great tool to use to enhance your images before you upload them to Instagram
2. Webstagram – This tool helps you search, sort, tag, follow and comment on photos shared by other users. One of the ways to make Instagram pay off is to build a following and part of that is done by finding and following relevant users and adding your comments to their images.
3. Postagram – Postagram allows you to turn any Instagram image into a postcard with the push of a button. Then Postgram sends your postcard for less than dollar. Think about how you could send product images to customers or showcase a project you’re working.
4. Printstagram – This tool takes your Instagram images and allows you to turn them into posters, mini prints, and mini books.
5. StickyGram – This app takes your custom Instrgram shots and turns them into magnets. It’s like having your own little promotional products creator right in your phone, but potentially much cooler.
6. Canvas Pop – If you want to take up a notch Canvas Pop will take your Instagram images and print them on canvas frames.

How could you use Instagram to spread your brands message and content?

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Blogging is a profession and a passion that has been transformational.

The feedback has changed and informed me. I have written, travelled, presented and networked.

It has allowed me to learn and to communicate with a global audience that has been enlightening, inspiring and empowering.

It asks questions of you. Will people appreciate your thoughts and views? Will I be seen as funny, clever or just an impostor and interloper?

It is a place for courageous people and those who have a thirst for learning.

The Naked Blogger

Blogging exposes you to a world wide audience that sees all your ideas, thoughts, spelling and grammar mistakes.

The term the “Naked Blogger” has a certain truth.

Brian Appleyard of the “London Times” says this about blogging.

“The blogscape is not for the faint-hearted….There’s a shocking disconnect between one fact — you sitting at your computer — and the next — what you just wrote being instantly visible to the entire world. Try to think of it as like stepping out of the toilet to find yourself standing on the centre spot at Wembley on cup-final day”.

But don’t let that image stop you blogging!

I have met the most awesome people that have reminded me of how connected we are and how lucky we are to live in a time of technology that provides us with boundless opportunities.

What have I Learned about Blogging in 2011?

It continues to surprise me as the social web continues to transform society and culture.

So what some key observations for me in 2011?

• People want more Infographics
• The continuing evolution of an increasingly “visual web” that communicates quickly and efficiently with images.(Pinterest and Tumblr)
• People “love” sharing
• Social media has supercharged blogging
• People’s continuing obsession with Facebook
• Twitter is still an enigma
• The contagious leverage  of “liquid content“
• People’s thirst for learning
• The power of a competitor to drive change as the success of Google+ has increased the speed of evolution at Facebook
• The mobile Internet cannot be ignored

What have you learned about blogging in 2011?

The Bible of Blogging Survey

Technorati is known within blogging circles as the “Bible of Blogging” and once a year it surveys the blogosphere to find out what directions and trends that are influencing bloggers and the state of blogging.

Here are some key findings that I thought were worth sharing.

1. Bloggers are Influenced by other Blogs

The blogosphere is influencing itself – respondents say that the number one influence on the topics they blog about are other blogs they read, a huge jump from 2010.

2.What Content when Blogging about a Brand Produce the Most Positive Response?

Among Hobbyists and Professionals working with brands, product reviews have elicited the most positive response. Among Corporate and Entrepreneur bloggers, the best response has come from advice or consultative content.

3. How Many Bloggers are Approached By Brands to Review Products

Bloggers are being actively courted. Nearly four out of 10 overall, 59% of Professional Part Timers, and 66% of Professional Full Timers have been approached to write about or review products. Pros are approached eight times per week on average. The most frequently approached Hobbyist, Professional Part Time, Professional Full Time, and Entrepreneur bloggers report being approached more than 200 times per week.

4. Is Blogging Being Taken More Seriously?

More than two thirds believe their blogs are getting taken more seriously as sources of information, with 76% of Professional Full Timers agreeing.

5. Media Habits of Bloggers

14% of bloggers spend at least 21 hours per week visiting social media sites. About two thirds spend less than an hour watching TV shows on their computer, tablet or smartphone or uploading photos to photo-sharing sites.

6. Blogs for Ideas, Inspiration and Entertainment

This is the second year we surveyed consumers on their trust of and attitudes toward the media they consume. Compared with other media, blogs continue to outpace other social media and many traditional media in terms of trust and generating consumer recommendations and purchases. Facebook remains somewhat influential, but less so than blogs, and Twitter has seen a drop in influence over the past year.

7. Why Do Bloggers Blog?

70% of all bloggers use their blog to share their expertise and experience with others. Professionals also use their blog as a way to make money or supplement their income. Corporate and Entrepreneur bloggers are looking to gain professional recognition, while also using their blog as a way to attract new clients to their business.

8.The Impact of Blogging on a Blogger’s Life

Overall, respondents seem to feel that blogging has had a positive impact on their personal life. 54% of respondents agree that they have made friends through their blog, and the same number agree that they have become more involved with their passion areas as a result of blogging. More than 60% of Corporate and Entrepreneur bloggers have gained greater visibility in their industry through blogging.

9. Bloggers and Twitter

82% of bloggers surveyed are using Twitter, with almost all Professional Full Timers (93%) and Professional Part Timers (91%) using Twitter and having on average over 1,000 followers. Those who use Twitter say they do so to promote their blog (77%), follow friends (60%), and bring interesting links to light (59%). Professional, Corporate, and Entrepreneur bloggers use Twitter to promote themselves professionally.

10. Bloggers and Facebook

Almost nine out of ten bloggers surveyed (89%) use Facebook. 50% of all bloggers have separate Facebook pages for their blog and for their personal account, a jump from only 34% last year.

Among respondents who have only a personal Facebook page, 60% are not linking their page to their blog in any way.

The Importance of a Facebook page for the Professional Blogger

Facebook the Marketing Network

Among Facebook users, the most common reason for using the social network is to promote one’s blog. 61% of Entrepreneur bloggers use Facebook to promote their business.

11. Bloggers and Google+

More than six out of ten respondents use Google+. Of those who use this service only 13% have a separate account for their blog and personal use.

11. The Most Effective Social Media Marketing Tools

Other than Facebook and Twitter, the most popular social networking platforms among respondents are LinkedIn and YouTube. Not surprisingly, respondents found Facebook and Twitter to be the most effective social networking tools to market their blogs and drive traffic.

12. What do the Marketers Say about Blogging?

Some quotes from the marketers.

“We usually have the option to share an article and/or an entire custom unit on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Additionally, we are running a blogging placement that allows bloggers to engage, then blog about it amongst their peers.”

“Social media is the glue to the mass messages. We attempt to integrate all of our campaigns so the paid, owned and earned are all working together. We do this for all of our clients.”

“I would have to say blogging and how it is being used has been the biggest development in social media. Individuals trust bloggers, especially those who are seen as influential. Blogging can either have a positive or negative effect on a campaign, brand or product. Individuals will make decisions based on comments made by their peers or by someone they feel confident in.”

13. The Top Blogging Platforms

WordPress is the most popular blog hosting service among all respondents, used by 51%. Blogger and Blogspot hosting services are also popular (21% and 14%).

14. The Top Blogging Tools

Particular blogging tools are very widespread among bloggers, especially built-in syndication (75%) and social sharing widgets (75%), as well as site search (58%). Among bloggers who use built-in syndication, the majority (76%) support full content.

15. Why Bloggers Don’t have Advertising

Among those who do not have advertising on their blogs, 52% say they do not have advertising because they don’t want their blogs to be cluttered with ads, while 38% said they don’t have enough visitors to make it worthwhile. Another 36% are not interested in making money on their blog.

16. How do Bloggers Manage Advertising

Among those with advertising on their blog, 60% use self-serve tools, while 50% have affiliate advertising links on their site.

17. How Do Bloggers make Their Money?

Most blog-related revenue is generated through giving speeches on blogging topics and advertising.

18. Professional Bloggers Get the Most Traffic

Professional bloggers receive the most views, with over half of the blogs viewed more than 10,000 times per month.

What do think about the survey? Does anything surprise you?

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Image by Mr. Pierpy

If you’ve begun your pursuit of success and fame via social media you’ve probably found yourself spending a lot of time on your social network of choice.

There is so much great information to read and so many connections to be made – where do you draw the line?

Can you really make an impact without spending half of your day commenting, interacting, and retweeting?

Very simply, yes. But, (there is always a but, isn’t there?) you need to be efficient. Luckily, with the use of some easy methods, online tools, and a hint of discipline you can take less of your time and make a bigger impact. Interested? I thought you might be. Here are some tips to help your online voice resonate with your target audience.

Tip 1. Researching your Audience.

You need to ask yourself the 6 W’s.

1. Who is your audience?

2. Where can you find them (what networks are they on)?

3. When are they most likely to engage in a conversation online?

4. Why should they connect with you online?

5. What do they want to know about?

6. How do they want information sent to them (Facebook page updates, an informal YouTube video, Twitter chat, etc.)?

If you aren’t sure where to start, Crowdbooster.com is a great resource to help you research your audience. Not only will you gain insight on how to make a bigger impact within your target audience, the tool will provide analytics so you can track how well you are doing.

Crowdbooster Dashboard

Tip 2. Establish a Plan and Stick to it.

Based on what you discovered in step one, establish a schedule to meet your audience where they are and provide what they want, when they want it. Part of your plan should include a time allocation. If you have 15 minutes a day to allocate, how can you use what you learned in step one to make the biggest impact?

If you are having trouble sticking to your time allocation, head over to the web store on Google Chrome and download StayFocusd (or LeechBlock for Firefox). This extension is a countdown timer for your Internet usage. Simply set how much time you want to allocate to a specific site and once the clock hits zero that site is blacklisted for the rest of the day.

StayFocusd (for Chrome)

Tip 3. Outline Specific Goals

Do you want to increase traffic to your website? Are you looking to increase the attendance at you next conference?

Once the focus of your goal is set, establish key performance indicators to track how well you are doing in reaching your goals. If you want to increase traffic to your website, how many new visitors do you want to be directed via social media? If you are looking to boost attendance, how many more seats do you do want filled? Crowdbooster, Radian6, Viralheat, and Google Analytics are among the many tools that can help you track your progress.

If you tend to fall down the rabbit hole, post something over your monitor to remind you of the goals you’re working towards.

Tip 4. Spend more Time Crafting your Content

With the amount of content your audience sorts through on a daily basis it is important to publish a great message that captures their attention. A throwaway status update won’t have the same impact as a well-crafted update. By focusing on quality over quantity your impact can grow exponentially. For example, if you have 5,000 followers on Twitter and you draft an average tweet you have the potential to reach 5,000 people. If you spend an extra few minutes to draft an excellent tweet you will be more likely to be retweeted by your followers (which exponentially expands the visibility of your tweet to all of their followers as well).

Tip 5. Multitask

Multitasking isn’t always the best way to be productive, but some activities lend themselves very well to multitasking. For example, using your mobile phone to interact with your audience while riding in cabs or waiting for appointments is a great use of your time. I’ve even been known to tweet from the treadmill.

Tip 6. Adapt

Technology is changing at a faster pace than ever before. To not adapt to change is to fall by the wayside. Tweak your methods and your investment based on the progress you make towards your goals and what your audience is looking for.

What other tried and true methods do you use to make an impact on your network without using your entire day? Any great social media tools that you couldn’t live with out? Let us know!

Guest Author: As the founder of Powerhouse Strategy, Kristi Daeda helps businesses nationwide create and optimize custom online marketing programs. Connect with her on Twitter @kristid

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