social media

Social media and user-generated content were quite the surprise sensation last decade. Very few experts with their fingers to the wind felt its popularity and social impact coming from a distance. There is no argument that the influence of Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are widespread. Just ask Greyson Chance, the sixth grader in Edmond, OK who just performed Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” on the piano at his Sixth Grade Festival. He has currently made over 20 million people forget who Justin Bieber is... Justin who?!

Now that social media platforms have proven its effectiveness to businesses and brands in engaging with potential customers, growing brand awareness, and spreading marketing messages strategically across the expanse of the Internet, people with pencils behind their ears are trying to quantify its use. APIs, ROIs, and FYIs are being developed for businesses to justify investing in the most effective platforms, while others are still gun-shy on launching an extension of their traditional marketing initiatives to a digital format.

If you have been reading or following my blog for the last year or so (THANK YOU!) then you’ve noticed I discuss social media optimization quite a bit. Although we do advise our clients on social media benefits and strategic usage, Volacci currently doesn’t offer professional Social Media Optimization (SMO) services. Volacci surely isn’t Mashable, but we do know a thing or two about social media. Join me after the jump for more on the conversation around the definition of “going viral”. Read more »

Chances are, your company has had an email newsletter since AOL was big, but your social media profiles went live sometime around the time Barack Obama took office. Now that you have both (and hopefully not using AOL), there is a way to extend your social presence through your email newsletter, and vice versa. Read more »

In a recent study published by smartFOCUS, e-mail (62%) is the preferred marketing channel of communications for US consumers, followed by direct mail (23%), and social media (13%).

The survey, conducted in Boston, MA, in October 2009, also showed that e-mail communications frequently led to purchases, with 75% of respondents indicating they have brought products as a direct result of an e-mail from a vendor. Read more »

Over the last few years, social media sites have grown from a place for friends to a place for networking, business, and building relationships throughout a wide range of industries. According to recent studies, 86 percent of professionals use social media in some way in their jobs. While the survey results are great for the growing role of social media in business, it also indicated that companies are adopting these techniques without an effective measurement in place to track results. Read more »

Any business with a Facebook Fan Page, may I please have your attention. Despite your initial intentions of creating a FB page to establish a conversation and a relationship, there are simple ways to turn your raving fans into customers. Large brands may not want to focus on landing sales through their profile, but smaller businesses may want to focus on generating leads by a growing fan base on the social site.

Your first priority on a Facebook Fan Page is to build a fan base. You also want to provide value to the relationship and community you are building. But at some point you will want your fans to become customers and take action on your product and service. Here are four ways to get your fans to make a move. Read more »

As we approach the turn of the decade, most companies are not only blitzing the Internet for new customers, but are becoming “socially active” on an array of networking sites. In fact, this tactic has become very lucrative for those companies who majestically leverage social media marketing. But for every business who proactively practices their online social savvy, other businesses are stumbling their way onto Facebook and LinkedIn like a drunk uncle during a wedding toast. Here are five social media mistakes that happen entirely too often: Read more »