Author: Casey Hibbard

How Microsoft Leveraged Bloggers for a Successful Product Launch

April 30, 2012

Software giant Microsoft launches dozens of products and services every year.

The company typically relies heavily on advertising and PR to get the word out.

But for its Office 365 product, the team took a different approach.

Using partnerships and social media, Microsoft connected specifically with women business owners – a key audience group.

Rather than directing promotional messages toward them, Microsoft involved them in the process from start to finish.
"It's definitely

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Social Customer Service Allows Startup to Outpace the Competition

March 15, 2012

Patton Gleason is the first to admit he can't sell. And just over a year after going live with his online start-up, the Natural Running Store, he hasn't had to try.

"I'm a terrible sales guy. I'm awful at it," Gleason says. "But I really do like this idea of 'can a relationship really be your big marketing vehicle?'"

Turns out, it can. By wowing customers with unheard-of service, Gleason has come close to replicating the in-store experience online. In doing so, he turned the Natural Running Store into a serious competitor in the running

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How AutoCAD Retooled Its Marketing With Facebook

February 6, 2012

Chris Hession has been a product and marketing manager for nearly 15 years. But recently, his job completely changed.

"Just in the last year and a half, social media has become not just a component of our product marketing plan, but really the core component," said Hession, currently senior manager of Autodesk's AutoCAD product marketing.

"Pretty much for everything we do, we're looking at, 'How can we make this work for social?'"

Millions of people worldwide use AutoCAD software to design everything from sunglasses to skyscrapers. If

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How an Alaskan Mom Brings Millions to Her Carpentry Blog

January 16, 2012

Just over two years ago, Ana White wasn't quite sure what a blog was.

Today, she runs her own rapidly growing destination, drawing nearly three million page views every month.

Successful professional bloggers aren't hard to find, but a few things are remarkable about White's success:

She writes a do-it-yourself carpentry blog. With White's help, droves of women are discovering they can build beautiful, stylish things.
She started with dial-up Internet and does it all from her home in the Alaskan interior (where record-smashing temps

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Sony Combines Social and Local for Successful Product Launch

December 5, 2011

Sony Electronics makes tens of thousands of products. But the launch of its Tablet S – going head to head with Apple's iPad – called for something special.

Adding to the pressure, Sony's social media team had a relatively small budget for the project.

With a creative mix of social media and in-person events, Sony brought out thousands of people to locations to "Catch the Tablet" and tell their friends about it.

Most notably, the campaign created buzz that inspired 1,000 clicks from Facebook to the Tablet S pre-order page, making it the

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