True Content Marketing for B2B Needs Bigger Budgets

This really shouldn’t even be a story. It’s one of those obvious statements that shouldn’t require explanation. If you take the title at face value and make it happen, you’re already a step ahead of most of your competitors.

Thankfully for blogs like this one, a story is required. There is a complete lack of understanding, particularly from the C-Suite, when it comes to content marketing that it’s no wonder why blogs like Soshable continue to thrive. You’re likely reading this because you need ammo. You don’t need to be convinced. You need help convincing upper management that there’s value in the hills of content marketing, than just about any portion of the budget spent on it would be worthwhile, that it’s an endless goldmine that goes completely untapped by most, and that it has an upside as every major player from Google to Facebook continues to adore the practices of true content marketing.

“True” is the important word here, but let’s assume that you already have that component down as well. Let’s assume that you realize that low-quality, irrelevant content that once worked well is quickly becoming detrimental to marketing. Let’s assume that you understand that creativity in entertainment and education are the keys and that quality trumps quantity every time.

You already know that the superstars of content creation are harder to find than an honest politician. You are well aware that the vast majority of the promotional tactics used today are ineffective or heading in that direction and that transparent, aggressive, and intuitive promotions are the only way to get a true bang for the buck. You also know the most important part of content marketing and internet marketing in general – that search, social, email, videos, white papers, and everything in between must be handled with a holistic approach rather than treating everything separately.

You know all of this already because you’re a seasoned internet marketing professional. You just need the bullet points to show the big wigs. Thankfully, Marketo has an answer for you in the wonderful infographic below. Aren’t you glad you found this blog post?

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• Free Webinar – Content Marketing: Make It work


• Content Marketing Strategy: 3 Steps to Avoid a Guest Blogging Fail


• How Content Marketing Compares to Traditional Advertising [infographic]

via Soshable | Social Media Blog http://soshable.com/true-content-marketing-for-b2b-needs-bigger-budgets/

LinkedIn Wins the Twitter Email Trick of the Week

Oh LinkedIn. You’re so clever.

Face it. Humans love to talk about themselves, particularly on social media. For the first time in history, social media offers us a way to let our friends, family, and the rest of the world know about our accomplishments. We might not be winning Super Bowl rings or Oscars, but we are generating other accomplishments and we want our peeps to hear about it. LinkedIn knows this and used it to their advantage last week.

They sent out emails to the top 10% of their users. These users, the ones who had the most viewed profiles, were told of their accomplishment. They were given an opportunity to tell the world through Twitter.

They did just that.

On the surface, it’s a pretty neat accomplishment, one that only requires being active. It’s also something that we want – why go on LinkedIn if you’re not wanting to be found by that million dollar job? When you really think about it, it’s not as much of an accomplishment as a great marketing ploy by LinkedIn to get their name out there and into conversations on Twitter. Top of mind…

The math makes it seem less impressive. Even those who received the top 1% email might not have been as quick to brag about it had they realized they were one of over 2 million users to receive the honor.

It doesn’t matter. We got the email and it made us feel good. We wanted to share with our friends just how important we were. Math is useless in this equation. We won, so at the end of the day LinkedIn won as well. Very clever.

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• Starting Your Career: Use Social Media for Job Interview Prep | CareerBliss


• 20 Million People LinkedIn Just Tricked Into Tweeting About LinkedIn


• Part of the LinkedIn elite? You and 10 million others.


• 5 Social Media Predictions for 2013


• Hey, look at me! I’m in LinkedIn’s Top 5 percent | Diane Tuman


• How To Get Your LinkedIn Profile Looking Exactly How You Want It (LNKD)

via Soshable | Social Media Blog http://soshable.com/linkedin-wins-the-twitter-email-trick-of-the-week/

Why the Automotive Industry Needs the Internet Sales 20 Group

Through two decades in the automotive industry (I think it might be three, technically, but I’m in denial), I can count on one hand the number of conferences I’ve truly supported. I speak at many events and attend a dozen a year, but I don’t truly support them. Some, like NADA (where I am right now writing this post) and SXSW (where I’ll be next month) are big enough that they simply don’t need my endorsement. Most could use any support they can get to expose them, but I often hold back.

Simply stated, I don’t throw my name at an event unless I truly believe in it. Such is the case with the Internet Sales 20 Group, a new entry in the automotive marketing field that is both innovative as well as profound. I spoke at the first one last year in Chicago and I learned very quickly that this event was… different.

The primary differentiator that absolutely blew my mind during the first event was the extreme level of participation from the audience itself. To even call the dealer principles and general managers in attendance as an “audience” isn’t doing the event justice. They were participants. In many cases, they were the ones leading the discussions, exposing each other to ideas that you don’t normally get from a generic conference and at times taking the conversations into new directions that tore down the standard conference speaker talk tracks and converted them into “shovel ready” actions that the dealers could implement immediately.

There are events that pop up every year. Some are good. Some are pitch fests. I can say with confidence that the Internet Sales 20 Group is not a place for vendors to pitch to dealers. It’s technically not even the appropriate venue through which educators can teach dealers. It’s a conference that achieves the goal of so many conferences to turn a topic into a dialogue between the people who are recommending the strategies and the dealers who have to implement them.

The NADA Convention is the launching point for the spring conferences. Now that it’s behind us, the time for real action has begun. If you haven’t signed up for the Internet Sales 20 Group, you’re missing a real opportunity to succeed in 2013 and beyond.

Here’s my response when I attended the first one last year:

via Soshable | Social Media Blog http://soshable.com/why-the-automotive-industry-needs-the-internet-sales-20-group/

Use Hashtags Instead of Social Icons on Ads

If you ever want a crash course on the latest social media studies but don’t want to spend the money to do them yourself, just watch the Super Bowl. You have to assume that if companies are spending millions to produce and distribute 30 second spots for the big game, they’re going to research what’s working today.

This year’s big takeaway was a shift in the way that companies were presenting their social media. As described here, there’s even a debate about the winners and losers. The results of the research were easy to spot. Many advertisers decided that hashtags were the way to go social this year.

If you think about it, nothing could be simpler to understand. Hashtags are social network agnostic with the glaring exception of Facebook. Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, and countless other social networks apply hashtags to their streams to allow for tagging and easier searching. Popular hashtags often get featured on these sites. It’s a way to win bigger than simply posting a Twitter handle or Facebook page URL.

You should apply the same concept to your campaigns, particularly when interaction is a part of it (and it should be). It’s no longer about sending people to your profiles through your advertising. They won’t go. If they want to interact with you on social media, they’ll find you (at least they should be able to if you’re doing it right in search and on your website). They will, however, be willing to take part in a conversation. The best way to group conversations on every venue other than Facebook is through hashtags.

For Facebook, things are different and that deserves a blog post of its own, but for now if you focus on hashtags to spread your campaign messages in your advertising (print, television, and just about everywhere else), you’ll find that your social media interactions can improve. If you’re still posting your profile handle next to a blue bird, you’re probably not getting anything out of it and simply wasting space.

Related articles

• The real takeaways from the Super Bowl social media debate


• Twitter Hashtags for SEO – A Great Tool for Your Local Business


• The 17 Trickiest Twitter Hashtag Tips To Help You Crush It On Twitter


• Reimagine Your Social Media Marketing by Building Better Hashtags


• Hashtag Tips


• Super Bowl Data: 75% Of Brands Integrated Social Into Ads

via Soshable | Social Media Blog http://soshable.com/use-hashtags-instead-of-social-icons-on-ads/

The Psychology of an Internet Troll

Take extreme caution when becoming involved with online social forums such as chat rooms and even Facebook. The “Trolling effect” has been recognized by scientists as the shifting of our identities when we are online because we essentially have no worries of physical altercation or “real” social rejection since we are able to hide behind our computer screens. Recently, this phenomena has become one of the headlining issues within the online community, and many are concerned that the hateful words being tossed around without regard are contributing heavily towards depression and suicide rates.

It’s safe to say that certain social forums are more prone to having higher levels of “Trolling” than others. Facebook, for example, discloses a persons real name along with pictures and other information about who that person is in real life. Therefore, although people still feel less hesitant to speak on things they normally wouldn’t in face-to-face interactions and say potentially offensive things to others, these troll behaviors are mitigated substantially since others will generally know who this person is in real life. Chat rooms on the other hand allow users to enter with complete anonymity and essentially say whatever they want to whoever they want.

Check out the infographic below to learn more about the psychology of internet trolls.

Image compliments of Best Online Psychology Schools

via Soshable | Social Media Blog http://soshable.com/the-psychology-of-an-internet-troll/

Teaching and Learning #AutoMarketing this Week at #DMSC and #NADA2013

It’s that time of year again. The annual meeting of the minds in the automotive industry descend on Orlando for a week of fun and frolic. Not really. Sure, there’s fun that is to be had at these events, but the real goal is to learn the latest and greatest offerings in the industry, the state of how the manufacturers are positioned for the year, and the best practices in the ever changing world of this robust industry, particularly when it comes to marketing.

This will be my 5th year to be going to these events. It starts off with the Digital Marketing Strategies Conference by First Class Educators and PCG. This prelude to NADA brings the savvy dealers to the table to talk to the experts in the industry. When it’s over, auto industry people from everywhere in the country will shift over to NADA.

I look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones at the show. Be sure to stop by the KPA booth if you’re attending. I’d love to shake your hand.

via Soshable | Social Media Blog http://soshable.com/teaching-and-learning-automarketing-this-week-at-dmsc-and-nada2013/

You Probably won’t See Any of the $20 Million that Facebook Owes Us

Facebook sent out an email and told users that they may be entitled to a portion of the $20 million due in a class action lawsuit if their names, profile pictures, or photographs were used in a “Sponsored Story”. It sounds like a lot until you realize that with 150 million US members, it’s very likely they’ll go to plan B and give the money to a charity that teaches proper social media use.

Ironic? Yes.

Here’s the email:

NOTICE OF PENDING CLASS ACTION AND NOTICE OF PROPOSED SETTLEMENT

ANGEL FRALEY V. FACEBOOK, INC.

You are receiving this e-mail because you may have been featured in a “Sponsored Story” on Facebook prior to December 3, 2012.

A federal court authorized this Notice. This is not a solicitation from a lawyer.

Why did I get this notice? This Notice relates to a proposed settlement (“Settlement”) of a class action lawsuit (“Action”) filed against Facebook relating to a particular Facebook feature called “Sponsored Stories.” According to available records, you may be a “Class Member.”

What is the Action about? The Action claims that Facebook unlawfully used the names, profile pictures, photographs, likenesses, and identities of Facebook users in the United States to advertise or sell products and services through Sponsored Stories without obtaining those users’ consent. Facebook denies any wrongdoing and any liability whatsoever. No court or other entity has made any judgment or other determination of any liability.

What is a Sponsored Story? Sponsored Stories are a form of advertising that typically contains posts which appeared on facebook.com about or from a Facebook user or entity that a business, organization, or individual has paid to promote so there is a better chance that the posts will be seen by the user or entity’s chosen audience. Sponsored Stories may be displayed, for example, when a Facebook user interacts with the Facebook service (including sub-domains, international versions, widgets, plug-ins, platform applications or games, and mobile applications) in certain ways, such as by clicking on the Facebook “Like” button on a business’s, organization’s, or individual’s Facebook page. Sponsored Stories typically include a display of a Facebook user’s Facebook name (i.e., the name the user has associated with his or her Facebook account) and/or profile picture (if the user has uploaded one) with a statement describing the user’s interaction with the Facebook service, such as “John Smith likes UNICEF,” “John Smith played Farmville,” or “John Smith shared a link.”

What relief does the Settlement provide? Facebook will pay $20 million into a fund that can be used, in part, to pay claims of Class Members (including Minor Class Members) who appeared in a Sponsored Story. Each participating Class Member who submits a valid and timely claim form may be eligible to receive up to $10. The amount, if any, paid to each claimant depends upon the number of claims made and other factors detailed in the Settlement. No one knows in advance how much each claimant will receive, or whether any money will be paid directly to claimants. If the number of claims made renders it economically infeasible to pay money to persons who make a timely and valid claim, payment will be made to the not-for-profit organizations identified on the Settlement website at www.fraleyfacebooksettlement.com (if clicking on the link does not work, copy and paste the website address into a web browser). These organizations are involved in educational outreach that teaches adults and children how to use social media technologies safely, or are involved in research of social media, with a focus on critical thinking around advertising and commercialization, and particularly with protecting the interests of children.

In addition to monetary relief, Facebook will (a) revise its terms of service (known as the “Statement of Rights and Responsibilities” or “SRR”) to more fully explain the instances in which users agree to the display of their names and profile pictures in connection with Sponsored Stories; (b) create an easily accessible mechanism that enables users to view, on a going-forward basis, the subset of their interactions and other content on Facebook that have been displayed in Sponsored Stories (if any); (c) develop settings that will allow users to prevent particular items or categories of content or information related to them from being displayed in future Sponsored Stories; (d) revise its SRR to confirm that minors represent that their parent or legal guardian consents to the use of the minor’s name and profile picture in connection with commercial, sponsored, or related content; (e) provide parents and legal guardians with additional information about how advertising works on Facebook in its Family Safety Center and provide parents and legal guardians with additional tools to control whether their children’s names and profile pictures are displayed in connection with Sponsored Stories; and (f) add a control in minor users’ profiles that enables each minor user to indicate that his or her parents are not Facebook users and, where a minor user indicates that his or her parents are not on Facebook, Facebook will make the minor ineligible to appear in Sponsored Stories until he or she reaches the age of 18, until the minor changes his or her setting to indicate that his or her parents are on Facebook, or until a confirmed parental relationship with the minor user is established.

YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS AND OPTIONS IN THIS SETTLEMENT SUBMIT A CLAIM FORM This is the only way to be eligible to receive a payment, if the Court orders payment to Class Members. Deadline: May 2, 2013 EXCLUDE YOURSELF This is the only option that allows you to retain the ability to file your own lawsuit about the legal claims in this case. Deadline: May 2, 2013 OBJECT Write to the Court about why you object to (i.e., don’t like) the Settlement and think it shouldn’t be approved. Deadline: May 2, 2013 GO TO THE “FAIRNESS HEARING” The Court will hold a “Fairness Hearing” to consider the Settlement, the request for attorneys’ fees and expenses of the lawyers who brought the Action (“Class Counsel”), and the class representatives’ request for service awards for bringing the Action. You may, but are not required to, speak at the Fairness Hearing about any Objection you filed. If you intend to speak at the Fairness Hearing, you must follow the procedures stated on the Settlement website to notify the Court and parties of your intent when you serve your Objection. Hearing Date: June 28, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. DO NOTHING You will not receive a payment, even if the Court orders payment to Class Members. You will also be giving up your right to bring your own lawsuit related to the claims in the Action. You may be eligible to receive the non-monetary benefits of the Settlement, if the Settlement is finally approved. No deadline

Your Class Member Number: 588404507

To Parents and Guardians of Children on Facebook: The Settlement also involves the claims of minors featured in Sponsored Stories on Facebook. Please see the Settlement website for more information.

More information? For more information about the Settlement and how to take the actions described above, please visit www.fraleyfacebooksettlement.com (if clicking on the link does not work, copy and paste the website address into a web browser) or write to the Settlement Administrator at Fraley v. Facebook, Inc., Settlement, c/o GCG, P.O. Box 35009, Seattle, WA 98124-1009, or GCG@fraleyfacebooksettlement.com. You may also contact Class Counsel, Robert S. Arns of the Arns Law Firm, by calling 1-888-214-5125 or by emailing fb.settlement@arnslaw.com.

via Soshable | Social Media Blog http://soshable.com/you-probably-wont-see-any-of-the-20-million-that-facebook-owes-us/

Refillable Facebook Cards Can Carry Multiple Balances at Different Stores

Facebook’s ventures into the real world continue. This time, it’s actually a pretty darn nifty idea.

Users can order gift cards that are mailed to the recipient. These cards can be used at multiple retailers – Target, Jamba Juice, Olive Garden, or Sephora. The balances are separated, so if they receive a card from one person for $100 at Target, the same card could also be used to give them $50 at Jamba Juice.

They’ve offered gifts for a while, though I haven’t heard how effective they’ve been. This should help to improve the effectiveness thanks to the tangible presence of a card. It’s refillable and only one is sent, so if multiple people give gifts, the totals are all added to the same card.

A few things need to happen for this neat innovation to take off:

• More retailers have to get on board. They offer digital gifts to various places like Starbucks – these should also be allowed on the gift cards.


• They MUST promote this. Facebook is notorious for understatement of the cool things and overstatement of the minor things (Graph Search was a big deal?).


• Gifting needs to be easier. Right now, it’s hard to figure out how to send someone a gift if it isn’t their birthday. There should be a “Send a Gift” button on every profile page.


• Businesses should be able to send gifts to their fans. This could be huge and I’m a little surprised they didn’t make that a possibility from the start.

If they can do those things, this might be their first entry into the physical world that actually turns up some revenue. If not, it will fade away into the realm of forgotten promising projects that didn’t get enough attention.

Related articles

• Facebook Is Rolling Out A New Kind Of Gift Card


• Introducing the Facebook Card, a New Type of Gift Card


• Facebook Gift Card Announced


• Facebook launches Facebook Card, a reusable gift card that works at multiple retailers


• Facebook Unveils The “Facebook Card,” A Reusable Gift Card That Holds Multiple Balances From Different Stores


• Facebook launches Facebook Card, a reusable gift card

via Soshable | Social Media Blog http://soshable.com/refillable-facebook-cards-can-carry-multiple-balances-at-different-stores/

Retail Social Media Top 10 [Infographic]

Social networking sites have provided companies with a platform to reach their consumers in a new, fresh, and efficient way. Retailers are one industry that has jumped on the social media bandwagon, however, they all are not on the same playing field. Let’s take a look at what retailers are the top dogs on the various social media sites.

The top ten retailers on Facebook are: Walmart, iTunes, Target, Victoria’s Secret, Amazon, Macy’s, Kohl’s, American Eagle, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Best Buy.

Next we have Twitter. The top ten retailers in this social category are: iTunes, Whole Foods, Victoria’s Secret, Dell, Verizon, Urban Outfitters, Target, Amazon, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Toys R Us.

Check out the infographic below presented by Retail Customer Experience to learn more about the top retailers in social media and see if your favorite retailer made the cut.

via Soshable | Social Media Blog http://soshable.com/retail-social-media-top-10-infographic/

If Google+ Opens Up its API, It Might Just Beat Facebook

Google+ is making moves. Many are saying that it’s not the ghost town that it was believed to be less than a year ago. It’s technically bigger than Twitter. Communities were a nice addition (if you turn the notifications off) that seem to be taking off. The future looks brighter than ever for Google’s 547th attempt at getting into social media.

They have one major flaw that they still consider a strength. By keeping their API access limited, they’ve been able to keep most of the automation, some of the spam, and all of the posting problems that Facebook has to deal with on a regular basis due to their integration with just about everybody. You can post to Facebook using literally thousands of different apps, websites, and methods. On Google+, you can only post through the tiny array of approved tools like Hootsuite and Viral Heat. It keeps them safe and protected, giving them a limited number of entries to monitor as they grow the service.

It also holds them back tremendously.

Facebook may be too open when it comes to posting. Still, Google+ is definitely too closed, at least from the perspective of growth and content. By not integrating with popular sites and services like Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr, they are limiting the ways through which people can post. Facebook allows these and so many other services to post directly on Facebook, to share content posted elsewhere, and to share the Facebook posts themselves on other networks. Google+ does not.

Take Pinterest, for example. With a click of a button, pins can be posted on Facebook and Twitter while they’re going live on Pinterest itself. It’s a great way to promote Pinterest posts and keep the content flowing on Twitter and Facebook. Without Google+ integration, there is very little chance of exposure there. Google+ cannot help expose your pins and Pinterest cannot help to put interesting content on Google+.

They know this. It’s part of their plan, and while I’m not in a position to make recommendations to Google, this is one that seems to stand out in glaring fashion. Will they ever start integrating? Probably. Are they ready to do it now? Absolutely. In fact, they were ready a year ago. They seem to be creating a “premium” social network in many ways. Elitist. It’s working from certain perspectives, but at some point the idea of having “the cool kids on G+” will wear off. It has to. The spread is rapid, but not as rapid as Facebook’s despite them being much larger at this point.

If Google takes the measured step of slipping in integration with other apps, they will be able to hit the tipping point of adoption that has still evaded them despite their growth. They are service is only big when you look at the right numbers, and even the “right” numbers are misleading. People are spending a great deal of time on Facebook every day, more than they’re spending on Google+ in a week, even a month. They have the users. They just don’t have the integration or interest level to make them more mainstream.

Google+ will succeed. Their direction is pretty solid, but it’s flawed. They’re doing well, but they could do much better to open up, even if only a little at a time.

Related articles

• Google+ Surpasses Twitter…at Least on Paper


• Google+ Grabs the Number Two Spot for Active Users on a Social Network


• Google Looking for Developers to Test New Google Drive API Features and Build Apps


• Pinterest Testing New Features To Keep Users Interested


• Google+ is now the second most popular social network after Facebook


• Twitter Is Finally Preparing To Release Its Advertising API In Q1, Say Sources

via Soshable | Social Media Blog http://soshable.com/if-google-opens-up-its-api-it-might-just-beat-facebook/