Startup Company Eliminates the Cold Call With Twitter
Many salespeople swear by cold calling. But the inherent problem with it? Interrupting people when they’re otherwise engaged. The person might be amenable – or might be turned off.
“We spent a lot of time cold calling or direct emailing,” said Craig Robertson, co-founder and CEO of ecycler.com. “We would catch people when they were busy and they didn’t want to talk to us.”
ecycler.com, founded in 2009, is an Internet-age twist on the cash-for-cans concept. Rooted in the belief that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, the site connects recycling discarders with collectors for mutual benefit. 
How Social Media Drew 27,000 More People to the Races
In Southern California, the Del Mar Racetrack is the place to see and be seen. And now it’s the place to check into, tweet about and post via Facebook.
This Southern California institution, in business for 71 years, draws thousands every summer for horse racing, its cool bars and restaurants and a busy slate of concerts and festivals.
But like many entertainment industry venues, Del Mar attendance has dipped in recent years due to the ailing economy. But in 2010, the track added a new star to its marketing lineup – social media.
With virtually no other marketing changes, social media boosted attendance this past season by 4.2 percent.
“That’s an increase of 27,000 bodies,” said Craig Dado, senior vice president of marketing at Del Mar Racetrack. “In this economy, I’ve got to be honest, it was a little bit surprising.”
Why Our Mascot Hasn’t Got a Name…
When you’re a new parent, you have a name all picked out for your little bundle of joy, right?
But we never got around to giving our mascot a name. And his first birthday is just around the corner! And that’s where you come in…
Would you help us name our mascot? We affectionately call him “the little dude” around the Social Media Examiner offices. We want to make this fun, so we’ve got some great prizes we’ll give away to the readers who come up with the best names. See below for details.
The Dude’s Wild Ride
It’s hard to believe that Social Media Examiner is not yet even a year old! With the help of outstanding writers and a brilliant reader base (yep, that’s you!), we’ve achieved a lot.
How Social Media Helped Cisco Shave $100,000+ Off a Product Launch
As early as 2008, networking giant Cisco was well along in its social media evolution. Back then you could find the company on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Yet something was missing – the hard business case for social media. Like most companies, Cisco knew it was benefiting from social media, but it couldn’t prove it.
The launch of a new router using only social media would provide the proof Cisco’s marketers were seeking.
