Social Media Atlanta

Community = (Me + My Friends) x (You + Your Friends) x (Your Friends and Their Friends)

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 by Andy McCann

"We were born to unite with our fellow men, and to join in community with the human race." -- Cicero

A friend recently asked me what all the sensation was around Foursquare and Gowalla. These location based services (LBS) now gaining serious traction in the social media space. This same friend had asked me the same question a little over two years ago when I started actively participating and raving about Twitter and Facebook.

The first time I was asked this question, I initially struggled to answer it in a way that would easily explain the excitement and draw of using an online service to tell other people what I was doing, where I was eating, or why I think that (so and so's latest article) was so interesting.

However, this time the answer came to me rather quickly. "It's all about our interaction with our communities. Mine and yours and how they overlap!" When I see a friend write that the Thai place down the street has some kickin' sushi, I give that more credence than the billboard I see driving to the office. When I see one of your friends talk passionately about their son's kung fu instructor, I take that as a more qualified reference than a yellow pages ad.

So what are we really seeking when we post our latest thoughts on Facebook and Twitter? Or when we check out where our friends are checking in on Foursquare or Gowalla? Are we just vain and think that what we are doing is SO important? Or are we just seeking a way to connect in an ever busy, ever moving, ever expanding world?

We have friends and family and colleagues and people we just admire with whom we go days, weeks or even years without actually laying eyes on each other. Or even more rare, actually sitting down and catching up on what has been going on in our lives, our careers, our family, friends, churches, baseball leagues … our communities.

Thanks to these online tools, I get to keep up with a larger number of people than ever possible before. And I learn more about their communities and the people and places in them. This in turn, expands my own known universe. It makes me bigger than I could be on my own. My boundaries are constantly expanded, and in a way that is relevant and meaningful to me and my friends (and your friends and their friends). Growth is good, is it not?

I live and work in Atlanta. I like to enjoy the occasional tasty local brew, listen to great live music and I also just so happen to really get geeky about the latest and greatest innovations in the .NET developer community. Wonder how many different ways those communities intersect and how they are related? Wouldn't be a cool thing if I could go somewhere and see my friends in these different circles talk about these things that are interesting to me and that we have in common. What if I can be the catalyst to help bring these different communities together in new and interesting ways?

One of the most interesting ways that new media tools have affected me and my community are when my online and offline worlds converge. Last November, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to host and moderate a panel for the TAG Consulting Society on "Marketing Your Practice to Build Loyalty and Brand Awareness". I was able to engage 2 panel members through my offline community and reached out to my online community to find the remaining two panel members.

Thanks to my network of friends, I was introduced to two extremely smart and engaging panelists who helped round out a wonderful panel. (Thanks again to @lisa_sherman77 and @johnreed3000). Another example of where my friends reach out to their friends who then become my friends who then can become your friends too.

I would like to extend this opportunity for us to become part of each other's community. Follow me on Twitter @andrewmccann or on Facebook or on LinkedIn. From there you can find me on Foursquare and Gowalla and whatever the next big thing is that allows me to connect with my friends and your friends and my friends with your friends.

We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.
-- Herman Melville

Going Mobile

Thursday, April 1, 2010 by Tom Kirszenstein

During the Vancouver Olympics in February, I conducted an informal experiment to arbitrate which mobile Olympics experience would be superior--the mobile site at www.NBCOlympics.com, or the NBC Olympics iPhone App. Other than the mens and womens medal round hockey games, my entire olympics experience was mobile-- I kept totally up to date using only my iPhone.

As it turned out, both were excellent interactive solutions that delivered different experiences. Each had valuable, engaging content--schedules, scores, and tons of video. However, what really differentiated the App was its Social Media integration. It enabled me to follow athletes on Twitter, post my own comments and ask questions. The iPhone App also let me set my own Favorites for quick access to the things that I was most interested in. With the exponential growth of mobile devices & services, alongside the insidious expansion of LBS apps such as FourSquare and Gowalla, our world is definitely going mobile.

In 1999, I purchased my first Sprint PCS digital handset. I upgraded over the years to various other devices that include a "flip" camera phone, a "candybar" phone with no camera, and a cool texting phone (complete with full QWERTY keyboard), and then finally acquiring my current iPhone 3GS. It didn't take long to find out that there really is an App for just about everything.

Since last year, my daily routine has involved using my phone alarm to wake up, then check the weather App, and read the morning news. While at work, I use mobile Apps from Yammer!, Skype, and various Twitter clients such as Tweetdeck and Echofon. Still a big user of SMS text messaging in conjunction with Web sites and various Apps, I am alerted of changes, posts and retail offers that I don't want to miss.

Arriving in Atlanta from Tampa only six months ago, Google Maps was vital to find my way everywhere. Also found myself embracing several Augmented Reality Apps to find things in my neighborhood--where to eat, buy groceries, and even find my apartment. When at home on weekends-- my Trace Tuner is fired up while practicing my saxophone, as well as my Karajan Music Training App for learning my scales & intervals. Checking sports schedules & scores is easy with various sports Apps, I also conduct my online banking with my phone, follow stocks, use movie Apps for showtimes & trailers, and TV Guide when I watch TV. I use my reward card App for my loyalty cards, use travel Apps like Kayak and Tripit to plan & coordinate my itineraries, music Apps like Zoozbeat to create, share, & discover music, and I also play a few mobile games and check LinkedIn, Facebook and MySpace. PayPal has recently introduced its "Bump to Pay" App that makes it even easier to buy with my phone. In addition to the seemingly infinite array of mobile apps, I find myself navigating away from any Web site that is not optimized for mobile devices.

Mobile technology is responsible for sweeping changes in our economy and our culture--not only expanding what we are able to do, but also how we think and interact with others. Televisions and stereo consoles used to be pieces of furniture in our parent's living room that allowed us to trade our free time for soap commercials. We now interact with our world on many different levels, using many different devices, in many different places. Contemporary marketers are still are offering a trade, but the power has shifted, quite literally, into the hands of their potential customers.

Hispanics are Brand Loyal. Are they choosing your brand?

Thursday, August 13, 2009 by Lance King

If I haven't convinced you yet that you should spend some marketing time and money by focusing on the Hispanic population, let me try again. Media Post has several great articles on the subject. Here is another one by Diana A. Terry-Azíos called "Brand Loyal, Yet Unbranded".

As a general rule, Hispanics are more brand loyal than other groups. They are less risky with their purchases and stick to brands that have provided good quality products. However, when many of them move to the U.S., they are likely not going to find their familiar brands here. So they have to start shopping and they have tons of choices to choose from in the U.S.

Another issue is that they are not as compelled to buy "Made in USA" as other U.S. citizens nor will they be compelled to buy products endorsed by people they don't know. If Hispanics don't know who Michael Jordan is, then he isn't going to help Hanes sell more underwear to them. And Brett Favre isn't going to help sell more Wrangler jeans to them.

Here are some key points to marketing to the U.S. Hispanic population.

- You have to prove that your product is of good (or the best) quality. Hispanics will often spend a little more if they are getting the best quality.
- Start a marketing campaign that will speak directly to Hispanics, perhaps with Hispanic stars, but definitely with Spanish content (and not just English content translated directly to Spanish). Your marketing campaign needs to address quality, convenience and emotion. But also keep in mind that the growing young Hispanic consumer considers himself/herself as Latino AND American.
- Use multiple touch points to stay in contact with Hispanic consumers. For example, studies have shown that Hispanics are more likely to respond to text messages than other groups.

For more Key points, see the article I am referencing.

Oh, and by the way, here are some interesting facts about the growing Hispanic population.

45.5 million -- The estimated Hispanic population of the United States as of July 1, 2007, making people of Hispanic origin the nation’s largest ethnic or race minority. Hispanics constituted 15% of the nation’s total population. In addition, there are approximately 3.9 million residents of Puerto Rico.

About 1 of every two people added to the nation’s population between July 1, 2006, and July 1, 2007, was Hispanic. There were 1.4 million Hispanics added to the population during the period.

3.3% increase in the Hispanic population between July 1, 2006, and July 1, 2007, making Hispanics the fastest-growing minority group.

Want more? Here are some interesting facts.

So what are you waiting for? The growing Hispanic population is waiting for you to give them a good reason to buy your products and to tell their friends just how good you are. As word spreads through their community, your profits should start growing at a faster and faster pace.

We can help you. We are an Atlanta interactive advertising agency.

Definition 6 is an interactive media agency that creates marketing initiatives that engage people. We capture and analyze relevant metrics from web analytics, email marketing, online media, and social media campaigns to continue to test and refine marketing plans. We’d like to help you meet the challenge of addressing the new expectations of consumers.

The Top 7 Free Ways To Boost Your Organic Page Rank

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 by Matt Epstein

Business owners often times find themselves at odds with the popular proverb “the best things in life are free.” Fortunately even in business this enchanting life lesson can at times prove to be true, and it just so happens that some of the best ways to boost your organic page rank really are free. Below I’ve compiled a small list of ideas, tools, networks, and websites that every business should be utilizing whether it’s an owner of a small business undertaking these strategies personally or a major CEO using his resources to have an interactive marketing agency with more experience and manpower tackle the tasks outlined below. (If you outsource this work I would suggest using Definition 6 - an Atlanta Internet Marketing company - of which I of course recommend without bias)

The top 7 free ways to boost your organic page ranking;

1)    Link Building:

Links are to rank as to what Sunny is to Cher. Of all the ways in which marketers try to lure search engine spiders to their page, link building is perhaps the most used as well as one of the most effective in search engine optimization. In laymen terms, you want to have links on your site that link to other sites and vice versa that have relevant, useful information and resources for your visitors. If you link to irrelevant or random content, the search engines will shun you. The more relevant the content, the more likely search engines are to recommend your site to others. It’s important not to abuse this strategy as over-linking will become more harmful than helpful. You can build your link network by simply requesting your partners link to you, registering on link directories (you can add yourself to almost every link directory in one single swoop at http://www.addurl.nu/), or by consistently interacting with other websites on forums and blogs in the hopes that they link to you naturally.

2)    Online Press Releases:

If you’ve launched a new site, redesign, application, service, or online utility it’s important to get the word out through the virtual newswire. Telling news outlets relevant information about your technology or business developments is a great way to get instant linkbacks and even social bookmarks for your article. It’s important to once again not to abuse this strategy, as sending out irrelevant press releases every day will get you banned.

If you’d like a one-stop-shop for getting your releases to the major players I’d recommend using www.prweb.com and www.prleap.com .

Here’s a great example of how Definition 6 used PR to increase its organic search rank and traffic; http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/07-27-2009/0005066618&EDATE=

3)    Squidoo Lenses

Think of Squidoo Lenses as free micro sites that allow you to create debates and forums for topics specific to your industry or company. They are quick and easy to set up and allow you to link back to your website along with each corresponding lens you create. If you post thought provoking, controversial, or useful lenses the odds are very good you’ll not only see a big boost in ranking but a significant boost in traffic. I personally come across dozens of Squidoo lenses every day by way of Google search and end up at the lens creators’ website.

www.squidoo.com

4)    Social Media

Unfortunately I would do this topic a great injustice by pretending I could summarize each social media outlet and the use/benefit of each. Instead, I will simply say that if you’re not currently on the social media landscape your competitors are one step ahead. Statistics show time and time again a direct correlation between businesses social media activity and their websites rise in page rank and traffic. Definition 6 alone has received numerous business leads this month from its Twitter & Facebook social media marketing. Unfortunately many marketers have shyed away from these mediums mainly due to their lack of understanding, but I would highly recommend if you’re unwilling to dedicate a respectable portion of your budget to social media marketing that you attempt to read up on your own and establish your presence on the following social media sites which have been proven to significantly boost page rank;

•    www.facebook.com
•    www.myspace.com
•    www.twitter.com
•    www.flickr.com
•    www.technorati.com

Here’s a good example of how Definition 6 has leveraged Twitter; http://twitter.com/definition6

5)    Social Bookmarking/Voting Websites

Social bookmarking sites are quickly becoming one of the most powerful ways to drive traffic to your site. Many businesses abandon the use of bookmarks because they themselves fail to keep their social content (blogs, facebook, twitter, etc) updated. Moreover, many marketers fail to provide useful, relevant, engaging content for their viewers. Major businesses such as Dell & Apple have made millions of dollars just by leveraging social bookmarking sites. By providing users with contents, breaking news, or useful tools and resources one of your website landing pages can spread as virally as a yawning kitten video on youtube. Here are a list of the most important social bookmarking sites;

•    www.stumbleupon.com
•    www.reddit.com
•    www.digg.com
•    www.delicious.com

6)    Forum Signatures

It’s not enough to simply have a space in the interactive market; you need to interact with it as well. Another free (and at times laborious) link building/traffic boosting strategy is forum & blog posting. By engaging with consumers and peers on industry forums as well as blogs you accomplish a multitude of goals: you show you’re engaged in your field, you are accessible, you are knowledgeable, and most importantly you can end your posts with your website link thereby building your rank, credibility, and traffic.

7)    Blogs

Lastly, and perhaps the fastest of these growing trends, creating a blog. Just like the strategies before this, it’s important to note that creating a blog for the sake of creating a blog does nothing for your website or your brand; in fact it may negatively impact it. If you plan on creating a blog, which you should, be sure to actively post but more importantly post relevant useful information. It’s better to hold off posting for a few weeks to wait for an exciting topic or item than to boring and unhelpful articles every other day. Blogs are a great way to tie in social bookmarking, social media, and link building.

Social Media for Banks

Friday, May 15, 2009 by Michael Kogon

As an Interactive Ad Agency executive I get questions all the time from various people about eMail Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Website Design, Social Media Marketing, and Online Advertising. Often times it is from a frustrated marketing manager who says something like: "My boss doesn't get digital marketing and it is frustrating", so one of the things I try to do is help map digital marketing back to a deep seated belief in the executive mind.

Let's take banking and social media marketing, this conversation came up at Mashable Atlanta, "how can I convince my banking boss that social media is something we should use?" I asked the marketing manager if her boss believed that banking was based on relationships? And of course, the answer was "yes", then I asked if he was one of those bankers that thought it was important to be a member of the right country club, right business club and school alumni network; And of course, the answer was "yes". Well, then it is very clear to me that the banker was the perfect candidate for social media marketing, because social marketing is about "RELATIONSHIPS" and the banker clearly believes that you need to have a relationship with your customer and prospects. So I pointed out that we should talk to the boss about joinning the best new club in town, "the social media networks" - be it Facebook, LinkedIn, or Affluence, it was the new club where RELATIONSHIPS were made and strengthened.

We will see how the conversation ultimately goes with her boss, but I wanted to share that the technique to selling Interactive Marketing to management is to start where they are and move from there to the digital world. Check out our thoughts at twitter.com/Defintion6 or my personal tweats at twitter.com/mkogon.

Social Media Marketing

Thursday, April 30, 2009 by Michael Kogon

Social Media Strategy is one of the most interesting things we do here at Definition 6, Atlanta Interactive Agency. The rise of Web 2.0 Applications as commonplace within our daily lives has made Socail Media mainstream. Sometimes we are asked how can we use social medai to improve search engine optimization and other times we are asked how can make social media fit into an integrated online marketing plan. But it is a daily topic of conversation and I've found a really good report from destinationCRM.com that talks about a 5 year forecast for social media. The key points from the author, Jessica Tsai citing Jeremiah Owyang, are:

The report breaks down the past, present, and future state of the social Web into five overlapping eras:

1. The era of social relationships: Beginning in the mid-1990s, people signed up for online profiles and connected with their friends to share information.
2. The era of social functionality: As it exists today, social networking is more than just a platform for "friending," but one that can support a broader array of what Owyang calls "social interactive applications." However, identities are essentially disconnected silos within individual sites.
3. The era of social colonization: By late 2009, technologies such as OpenID and Facebook Connect will begin to break down the barriers of social networks and allow individuals to integrate their social connections as part of their online experience, blurring the lines between networks and traditional sites.
4. The era of social context: In 2010, sites will begin to recognize personal identities and social relationships to deliver customized online experiences. Social networks will become the "base of operation for everyone's online experiences."
5. The era of social commerce: In approximately two years, social networks will be more powerful than corporate Web sites and CRM systems, as individual identities and relationships are built on this platform. Brands will serve community interests and grow based on community advocacy as users continue to drive innovation in this direction.

So if we are doing a good job of being Interactive Marketing Strategists to help prepare our clients for the "era of social context" and upgrading our customer's sites to incorporate OpenID and Facebook Connect today. This will help them meet their customers where they are and with what they are doing online today. I'll talk more about being ready for your customer in some future posts.

Tips on how to react to a social media nightmare

Wednesday, April 22, 2009 by Lynn Moss

Domino's Pizza's response to a video on YouTube is getting good marks for crisis management. A video on YouTube shows an employee "doing gross things to a Domino's sub sandwich he is making."

Two employees were fired and face felony charges of food tampering. You can read the USA Today artlcle at www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2009-04-15-kitchen-pr-dominos-pizza_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip.

What I wanted to focus on was key things experts say marketers can do to quickly and effectively respond to similar social-networking attacks.

• First, you have to actively monitor the social media space so that you are even aware of conversations that involve your company or products. Domino's responded within hours.

• Domino's first responded on The Consumerist blog and asked for help tracking down the employees involved. Then, Domino's responded on Twitter where it was a hot topic.

In summary, the critical factors to success are monitoring and timeliness.

Two other items mentioned in the US Today article shouldn't have to be mentioned:

• Foster a positive culture so that employees and customers aren't the source of negative press. Duh!

• Set clear guidelines about what is allowed during working hours — and what isn't. Do you really have to tell employees what NOT to do to food being served to the public?

As a result of the incident, Domino's is looking at banning video cameras in stores. I think this sends the wrong message. Customers want assurances that food preparation is safe. Banning vidoe cameras implies that Domino's doesn't want to know if its happening. I agree with everything else they've done to manage the crisis but not this.

Definition 6 provides Social Media Marketing Consulting. We're located in Atlanta, but have clients across the nation. We'd love to help you optimize your efforts in the social media space.

Socail Media in Real Time

Saturday, February 7, 2009 by Michael Kogon

As the CEO of a traditional Atlanta Interactive Agency I find the evolution of Socail Media Marketing to be a great emerging domain for our consultants and our customers. I am attending Socon 09' and will be bloging a few times today.
The breadth of this conference is pretty wide and it appears taht the use of eMail Marketing, Web Site Design, Search Engine Optimzation have evolved as teh buidling blocks of a digtial stragey but the newest engagment tool has truly become the social network. That community of on-line users who connect to share, colloboarte, publish, listen, learn and grow, all digitally and all the time. This makes the job of a marketer harder than ever because the messages crafted to describe why to use our customers products or services is now being absorbed and maniupulated by the end users and then enforced by feedback from others. Like an echo chamber the expereince, good - bad - or avearge is amplified, repeated, and heard hundreds or thousdands of times over.

It should be an interesting day, I imagine a few new thoughts will emerge and couple of old ones will die and mostly more details will emerge as the conversation continues.

Social Networking Quickstart

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 by Michael Kogon

There is a lot of buzz around Social Media/Networking these days, and in a turbulent economy it may pay off to utilize this medium as a way to get your brand out there. Social Media is not only hot in the marketplace, it is also a low cost way to market and leverage your employee and customer’s network of friends.

What does Definition 6 offer when it comes to Social Networking?
• Branded social media/networking corporate profiles on some of the major sites
• Guidance and planning for promotion, launch and governance

And what can Definition 6 deliver for your company?
• Branded company FaceBook, MySpace and LinkedIn profiles
• Launch and promotional plan
• Suggested governance and maintenance plan
• 2 hours of training

Check out the Definition 6 branded FaceBook page and you’ll see how we leveraged this technology for our own company: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Atlanta-GA/Definition-6/6666941028?ref=ts

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