integrating – not just adding – social media to your marketing mix

In 2012, SocialIRL hosted half a dozen full-day conferences on using “Social Media for Nonprofits” and I’ve had the pleasure of being among the line-up,…

social media marketing: storytelling in 140 characters

social media marketing: storytelling in 140 characters

In just 140 characters, The Salvation Army told an impactful story. The link goes to their blog post, which unravels the full story in just 5 paragraphs with a heartwarming payoff. They capped it with a poignant ask: “Will you make a difference this Christmas?” It’s mind boggling to me that a 255-word blog post and a 140-character tweet could have such an impact. 140 characters isn’t even enough for a preface. Heck, it’s not enough for an opening paragraph!

social media marketing for trade shows

Last Thursday, emfluence CEO David Cacioppo presented a Lunch ‘n’ Learn at Skyline headquarters on best practices in social media for marketing at trade shows. In the last few years, it’s almost impossible to attend a conference that doesn’t have a hashtag and a Twitter strategy. And with good reason: social media enhances your visibility, brand sentiment and leads to more conversations than standing on the booth floor alone. Here are a few ways Dave highlights that marketers should be using to increase visibility and traffic before, during and after the show.

Pinterest: beyond the home cook and DIY-er

Pinterest: beyond the home cook and DIY-er

We’re hearing the question more and more: Should my business be on Pinterest? Now the third most popular social networking site, Pinterest reached 104 million monthly visits in March 2012. If your business relies on high website traffic to increase sales, you should consider joining Pinterest. Pinterest users are 79% more likely to purchase an item they saw on Pinterest than Facebook users who saw an item in their newsfeed or on a friend’s wall. So how can your business use Pinterest to increase your website traffic, improve your brand recognition, and convert new visits into leads?

post as your page or just as yourself with new Facebook Voice feature

post as your page or just as yourself with new Facebook Voice feature

Before Thursday of last week, as an Administrator of the emfluence Facebook page, anything I posted or liked showed up as emfluence comment or like. With the new Voice feature, I can toggle between if I want the post to come from me (Jessica) or from emfluence as a brand. I can now weigh in on company posts as myself!

dear Pinterest, with love – a marketer’s introduction

dear Pinterest, with love – a marketer’s introduction

The first time I finally got what the buzz was about with Pinterest, two hours passed like 10 minutes. I’d actually tried to love Pinterest a few times before that but just didn’t get it. What’s so addictive about it? How can people spend so much time on it…? The short answer is: it’s pretty.

Pinterest is an online corkboard of sorts where you can pin images of things you like or want to save for later. Pinterest is an easy way for users to visualize and categorize content. So why is it blowing up?

how do search and social intersect?

how do search and social intersect?

How do search and social intersect? Google and Bing (and thus Yahoo!) have different social signals built into their algorithms to allow social media popularity to impact rankings.

Google’s “Search, plus Your World” summarized for marketers

Google rolled out a big update recently called “Search Plus Your World.” While the search community has written many in-depth articles about how it works here’s a brief look at what marketers need to know about the update.

Marketer Do’s and Don’ts: Google’s “Search, plus Your World” update

Search Plus Your World has caused quite a stir in the search marketing community on a number of levels. The short version is this: This update is the biggest Google update in a decade. While the hype may be overdone, it’s not something we can ignore.

Here are a few things that you should know about the Search Plus Your World update and some steps you should be taking to ensure that you are evolving your digital marketing activities to keep from being left behind.

integrating your digital marketing for best results

Successfully integrating a marketing plan takes some work and is based in good planning. To your consumer, an integrated marketing plan will look seamless. The tone and information will be consistent, the consumer will know exactly where to find you and what to expect when they get there. What can you do to inject harmony and coordination to your brand experience?

announcing emfl-U: Digital Marketing Bootcamp, Nov 9th

announcing emfl-U: Digital Marketing Bootcamp, Nov 9th

One thing we hear often at emfluence is how unavailable digital marketing education seems to be. Sure, you can take another 1-hour webinar on LinkedIn, but where can you find a seminar on strategizing and intgetrating every aspect of your digital marketing?

The answer is in Kansas City, November 9th.

Announcing emfl-U: Digital Bootcamp

notes & takeaways from the 2011 emfluence User Conference

Whether you attended or if you didn’t get the chance, the notes will be worth gold. Take a peek at the top takeaways from the three keynote presentations at the 2011 emfluence Marketing Platform User Conference.

a lesson in wow: Helzberg proves their reputation for great customer service

Helzberg Diamonds offered a deal last week that seemed too good to be true… and turned out it was. Their online system had a glitch and their advertised “surprise savings” were a surprise even to them! These are the moments that define a company’s reputation. There are a lot of lessons to be taken from how Helzberg handled the potential catastrophe.

oversharing as a marketer in social media

oversharing as a marketer in social media

What counts as oversharing information in a world where people tweet their breakfast? What is TMI (too much info) about a person or company you follow? Some might argue that it would depend on if it’s content from a personal account or on behalf of a brand (comma?) but I have a rule of thumb that I think you can apply to either situation: Act as if the online world were one big cocktail party.

spotted at SXSWi: the best promos at the 2011 Interactive Festival

spotted at SXSWi: the best promos at the 2011 Interactive Festival

My first South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) experience definitely lived up to the affectionate moniker “geek spring break” From social media to widgets to guerrilla marketing, I had plenty to learn from. But as a marketer, my heart was captured by some of the best non-traditional promotions I’ve seen by an industry bursting with new ideas every day. Here’s my “Top 8” list of the best promos at SXSWi 2011 (and the brands behind them):

when social media marketing looks like spam

What email marketing’s popular younger brother, social media marketing, can learn from its elder.

happy holidays! 4 free digital marketing holiday tips

happy holidays! 4 free digital marketing holiday tips

In the spirit of giving this season, we thought we’d share a few bonus How-To Holiday tips:

get smarter about social media: notes from Social Fresh

get smarter about social media: notes from Social Fresh

Social Fresh’s fifth social media conference was hosted April 19th just across the state in St. Louis. We sent Jessica Best to soak up some knowledge about emerging media from some heavy hitters. Here’s what she gleaned:

lurk to learn: getting started with new social media

lurk to learn: getting started with new social media

The swirling world of social media produces new platforms every day. Even “old” standards – facebook, twitter – are getting facelifts and making changes in user experience that effect the way marketers use social media to connect with interested prospects. On one hand, that means no matter when you decide to take the plunge into social marketing, you’re not that far behind: it all changes so fast, we’re all running just to keep up.

On the other hand, it makes social media look like a marathon you’re not sure how to jump in on. How do you start in something you don’t even understand? We’ve all heard a friend or colleague say “I just don’t get the point of Twitter.”

When you’re not sure where to start in a new platform, lurk to learn…

Let’s take Twitter as an example.