Metrics, Metrics, Metrics - the "Live, Like, Love" Principle

It is interesting to me that we talk about metrics all of the time inmost other parts of our life  - in sports, in education, in training ourchildren, in comparing different opportunities, in almost everything. Yet, in business people fear metrics.  They fearbeing measured.  Everything that is done in business should be tied tometrics in order to have a clear understanding of success

Mobile Apps are Changing the Face of Media!

Since the release of the App Store, Apple has been focusing its devicereleases around apps. The iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad are alldevices that rely heavily on the app store for differentiation betweenthemselves and other similar devices. Recently on the inter-webs therehas been a rumor that Apple will be adding another product called iTV inthe coming months prior to the holiday season. Whether the rumor istrue or not remains to be seen, but it invites discussion about the theway we currently consume media versus the way we will consume media inthe future.

Facebook Goes Down

Starting last night (and ongoing today), Facebook has been unstableand/or stopped working completely in some cases. This is the first majorFacebook outage we have seen since earlierthis year went it went down for a few hours on a Friday night.  Overall, Facebook is far more stable than other services such asTwitter, whose infamous "fail whale" is seen on a somewhat regularbasis. However, with 500 million users worldwide -- many of which relyon Facebook as their sole online service for email, photo sharing, andinstant messaging --  the negativeresponse from users is immediate and overwhelming.

Stories As Connectors

Lots of times, we forget that business is a relationship game. If we'relucky, that's very true. When I visit my insurance company, we tellstories in between filling out the paperwork for my new car. When I lookfor apparel vendors for my new business project, I hear stories abouthow they started their companies versus where they are today.

Stories make for good connectors. You can use them in a few ways, too.There are stories outside of your business, and there are stories thathelp drive business.

Lessons Learned From My First 100 Days

As one of the newest hires at New Marketing Labs, I recently passed animportant milestone: My 100 days in office. This has given me the opportunity to reflect on the workI've done and the insights I've gleaned from working in the social mediaand marketing industry. Indeed, as a social media marketer in afast-paced environment, the lessons have come steady and swiftly. Forthose who work within the industry or are looking for an insider'sperspective, I would like to share some of the insights that taken awayaway from my short time here.

Reduce the Noise on Your Facebook News Feed

It seems that with any new technologies these days, early adopters, emerging media professionals and agencies are always on the lookout for the next best thing. Recently, in my streams I have been seeing a few people saying that they are deleting or abandoning their Facebook and Twitter accounts. When asked "why?" the reason is very often one that has a simple solution.

The Burden of Information

Every day, we make decisions based on information.  Whatwe often fail to realize is that HOW this information is gathered andpresented is equally as important as the information itself. 

Let's take a closer look at information gathering to see how we caneliminate burden and maximize benefit with social media analytics.

Getting the "Ungettable"

"Remember it is all about the get. We cannot make a splash if we onlyget the gets that everybody has already got. I need the ungettable. Gotit?" -Ellen Barkin, Someone Like You

A memorable and maybe platform-defining line from a somewhat forgettablemovie (sorry).  I saw the movie this weekend and it occurred to me thatMs. Barkin summed up very well one of the things that digital marketingand social media can do for you: get you access to the customer youcouldn't reach before - the "ungettable" get.

Does Business Understand the Culture of Digital and Social Media?

Professionals are always talking about the business implications of social media and digital campaign efforts. What I am seeing less and less of though is discussion and understanding of the culture of social media and the people that are active participants in online communities. In the article today I'd like to share 4 cultural factors and tips that businesses need to be thinking about when creating campaigns or initiatives within the social media space. 

Move the Small Needles

Too often, people responsible for marketing campaigns look at the bigneedles and try to move just those because they are easier to measure.Often, however, doing this misses the real picture and a  realopportunity to measure return.