Foursquare vs. Gowalla vs. MyTown: Which Is Better for Business?
You know the location wars are heating up when a simple search for “Foursquare vs. Gowalla” returns millions of results. And then there’s MyTown. Which of these is right for your helping your local business?
The two hottest location-based social networks—Foursquare and Gowalla—are taking different approaches to the market, and seeing unique uptake patterns as a result. While these companies have repeatedly said they don’t view each other as competitors, the activities on networks are similar.
What’s more, several other companies are making the case to be included in the discussion about the top location-based network, including Booyah’s MyTown, which has more users than Foursquare and Gowalla combined.
Let’s take a look at how the location wars are unfolding and which of these services might be ideal for your marketing strategy.
Are You Unknowingly Bribing Your Social Media Fans?
Could “ethical” bribery be setting your business up for failure?
If your company’s social media interactions revolve around advance announcements of sales, special offers and insider-only promo codes – to the point where receiving these things is the primary motivation for your fans and followers – then you’re essentially bribing customers to stay.
In this case, social media merely provides a pleasant, whitewashed cover for the bribery.
Thus, the very activities you’re hoping will improve your relationship with customers might well be actually hurting your reputation with them, making those customers less likely to pay your full price without balking.
This article will reveal four ways to build customer loyalty without bribery.
3 Reasons Facebook Trumps Twitter for Business
Have you built a loyal following on Twitter but question the value of Facebook for business? Have you tried and abandoned your Facebook account?
If so, I can relate. I was there. My first attempt at using Facebook for business was a big flop. For the longest time I focused most of my social media marketing efforts on Twitter.
But now my tune has changed. Facebook offers far more opportunities for businesses. I predict that in the near future, businesses of all stripes will soon declare Facebook as their number-one social media target.
In this article I’ll demonstrate why your business needs to invest heavily in Facebook.
Facebook Community Pages: What Your Business Needs to Know
Facebook’s new community pages have created a lot of confusion for businesses. Many companies have been surprised (and many angry) to find their brands showing up in community pages that are fully outside of their control.
The root of the anger: Businesses have invested in Facebook pages only to find community pages appearing that seem to compete with their pages.
This article is designed to demystify Facebook community pages and provide you with important actions you can take.
How to Make Twitter More Useful for Your Business
If you’ve been using Twitter, you’ve likely checked out an app or two to make your Twitter experience more robust, or even just a bit easier. TweetDeck, Twitpic and Tweetie are all examples of Twitter apps.
What if I told you there was a magical place that could easily be your one-stop shop for all your Twitter needs? Yes, this place really does exist. It’s called OneForty.com, the Twitter equivalent of the Apple App Store.
Twitter Still Rocks for Businesses
Before I jump in to tell you about all the benefits of OneForty, I want to point out that in recent months two reports have surfaced that show Twitter being the #1 choice of all social sites for professionals.
Socialnomics: It’s a People-Driven Economy
An Illinois senator who was virtually unknown in 2004 defeated Hillary Clinton in 2008 to win the Democratic U.S. presidential nomination.
And he used social media to do it.
His YouTube videos got 110 million views, estimated to be 14.5 million hours of viewing. Mass media advertising to reach that many viewers would have cost $47 million.
A famous rapper made a promotional video that gave him even more free publicity.
At the time of the election, he had five million fans on Facebook — over four million more than his opponent. On MySpace, the numbers were approximately 800,000 and 200,000, respectively. On Twitter, he had over 100,000 followers and his opponent had about 5,000.
And he rode that social media train all the way to the White House.
Building Your Business One Tweet at a Time: Twitter Marketing 101
“You want me to use Twitter to market my business?” I hear you asking. “How do I generate leads and promote my business by telling my friends what I had for lunch?”
Yes, many people just use Twitter to share their day with their friends. Friends who may live 2,000 miles away.
And some people use it to broadcast a breaking news story as it happens. Like the time a plane crash-landed in the Hudson River. A man in a nearby boat with an iPhone got the “scoop” on that story before the news media reported it.
3 New Studies Prove Social Media Marketing Growth
Social media networks are fields of dreams for marketers. With over 500 million active users on Facebook today, there’s no doubt that Facebook is a social media powerhouse. And although Facebook is a social networking favorite, it’s not alone.
Marketers are taking note of many different social media opportunities and beginning to implement new social initiatives at a higher rate than ever before. Here are 3 new studies that show social media is still on the rise:
#1: Small Business Doubles Social Media Adoption
One positive result from the economic downturn is the rapid growth of social media marketing.
5 Emerging Social Media Sites to Watch in 2010
Just as marketers are getting a handle on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, a fresh group of social media networks are poised to make a splash in 2010.
These networks have not reached mass adoption yet, so it’s not necessary to get active on all of them immediately. But remember, Facebook only took 6 years to reach 400 million registered users. You should keep an eye on these five upstarts to see if their innovative services attract large audiences in the near future.
Why You Should Pay Attention
Learning the ropes on new services before they gain mass traction can help you get value from them faster once they catch on. Monitoring the innovations in the social media space also gives you an indication of how the market is changing and will evolve over the next few years. Marketers should stay abreast of broader market trends to assure their messages stay relevant.
Everything You Need to Know About LinkedIn
Did you join LinkedIn because someone you know invited you and you didn’t want to hurt his or her feelings, but now you’re wondering why you did it?
Guess what? If you wrinkle your nose in disgust when someone mentions “social media,” LinkedIn is for you!
Because LinkedIn is not like MySpace and Facebook. It’s not where teenagers post pictures of their high school prom or their latest beach party.
LinkedIn was built for professionals who want to use their existing and future social networks to build a career. And for companies that want to find qualified employees. And for job-hunters.
CrystalCattle on:
24 Impressive Blog Plugins You Should Consider
Anonymous on:
5 Ways to Get the Support of Social Media Influencers
Michael A. Stelzner on:
5 Ways to Get the Support of Social Media Influencers
Smash Hit Displays on:
How Big Brands Employ Social Media Marketing
Rob on:
5 Ways to Get the Support of Social Media Influencers