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What are your thoughts on businesses being present on social media sites?

We find ourselves at PW saying often that in social media, everything connects. Allow me to recount a connection story from last night.

I was catching up on my Google Reader RSS feeds, decided to take a break from tech & financial marketing posts to scroll through my bookmarked Design blogs.

Found a local Manchester, NH apartment featured on apartmenttherapy.com. I read more–turns out the owner is a photographer, I visit her site. Immediately noticed a “become a fan on Facebook” tab at the bottom of the page. Since I like her work, I click, become a fan and post on her page’s wall. She replied to me. In a matter of minutes, strangers became connected. In just a few easy to navigate clicks, future business may have even been acquired.

From a business stance, offering different ways for potential audiences to connect with you is a smart move. Sanford Institution for Savings (disclaimer: PW client) links to both their Twitter and Facebook pages from their homepage. The bank uses these pages to connect back to fresh content on their website. By listing these other sites, they are encouraging visitors to choose how they want to interact with them. For me personally, I’d much rather check out information as it comes through my Twitter stream or on a Facebook business page than have to make a separate trip to my bank’s website (which to be honest, I probably wouldn’t do in the first place). Come find and talk to me where I’m already spending my online time. Be present and relevant. I’ll choose whether I want to follow you or become a fan.

Bottom line: create more opportunities to connect with your communities and prospects. From photography to banking, social media doesn’t discriminate. A business always has a public and they’re already on social networks–are you?

*Update 8/19: Since this post was written, Sanford Institution for Savings is no longer maintaining their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

What has your experience with social media been like?

Guest Blogger: Kira, 27, Account Executive, Pannos Winzeler Marketing

My experience with social media goes back to my last year-and-a-half of college, starting in early 2004 when it was all new and not many people were involved yet. Does anyone else remember Orkut, Friendster, or Hi5? Chances are, you probably don’t remember these places on the web, but these were first experiences with online social networks- for fun. And all of these first experiences were pre-Facebook. So, although Facebook was one of the first to mainstream, many people don’t realize that it has had some worthy predecessors. I feel reminiscent when I think back, because it seems like I am among only a few people in my online/offline social-circles who know this first-hand.

Orkut was my very first online social network- and I was addicted! Orkut was launched by a former Stanford University graduate student and Google employee, whose name was coincidentally, Orkut Büyükkökten. In essence, Orkut Büyükkökten was the first Mark Zuckerberg.

Preceding the introduction of Gmail, users were allowed to join Orkut by invitation only (similar to how Gmail launched by invitation only) and I was unwittingly invited by acquaintances from a semester I spent living abroad, as a college student. I don’t know who invited them, but that’s how I ended up on Orkut .

The invitation only aspect made it feel like you were part of some elite group. And I loved it because, ideally, it was a way for me to stay in touch and keep up-to-date with friends I made while living overseas.

Eventually, Orkut was bought out by Google and it died down quite a bit. Most of the people who use it now are from Brazil and India, from what I understand. I wouldn’t know first-hand because I stopped using it some time ago. And, that’s how I lost touch with all of my study abroad buddies- but I still feel that the idea and intention was worthwhile and really enjoyed the experience of being involved with friends on Orkut. My eyes were opened to the world of communication made possible via online social networks.

I didn’t value the online social network channel as much then, because it had not hit mainstream yet. I was one of the only people I knew, in my everyday life, who was involved with online social networking at that time. I could not have predicted how much it would evolve over the next five years, or so, to target specific audiences and address basic behavioral needs related to interpersonal communication and our current society.

Orkut, along with others like Friendster, and Hi5 were popular online networks that preceded MySpace and Facebook. It’s hard to find anyone who remembers these, I think because the newer networks like Facebook and MySpace were able to appeal more to the younger Gen-Y kids, based upon their creation to solely target the audience of secondary and college-aged students who were most likely to blow-up the online social networking phenomena to a broader audience. Basically, the predecessors, Orkut, Friendster, and Hi5 were not targeted to users who would be able to make them hit the mainstream. I think that was ultimately their downfall.

And, with that being said, Facebook was ideal in that college-aged students and communities are typically where a lot of early-adaptors can be found- trendsetters who can disseminate new habits and behaviors to the rest of us, over time. Now, Facebook has surpassed all other online social networks in users, including MySpace! How exciting to observe the evolution, as the user demographic becomes broader to include us all, no longer limited to the original requirement that Facebook established when it launched in 2004; being an enrolled college-student.

I know Facebook was the first social network for many college freshmen, including colleagues of mine (Meagan)! It’s interesting to see how those who have grown together from the start for the more mainstream networks have become a changed generation, in relation to technology and its use in day-to-day life. It’s such a new perspective to many of us- even though technically I am considered Gen-Y, I did not grow up with online social networks as part of my day-to-day life. In fact, I am on the cusp, between Gen-X and Gen-Y. Sometimes, it almost feels as though there is a dividing line that is drawn, especially in correlation to online use and behavior.

Now that I am a marketing and advertising professional, I am involved with social networking to stay on top of trends and demographic-based behaviors for the audiences that our clients want to reach out to. I feel that I have learned a lot from my colleagues and friends at work regarding the professional value of being on Facebook, LinkedIn and other online networks. When before, it was just about having fun and being casually in touch with friends. Now, it has evolved to personal branding, being aware and in control of my own online presence and using online networks as a tool to leverage communication and openness among those whom I am in touch with regularly, online and offline, too!

The most exciting thing to see is the current class of college students, heading for graduation, and being fully aware of the value to be had through reaching out to professionals via LinkedIn and Facebook! I strongly feel that this current class/generation of new adults gets it- to the point where they don’t even have to think hard about using these online channels to their advantage. It’s ingrained in some of them, which is good. They have the most positive relationship with the Internet than previous generations who grew up with computers, in my opinion.

I have to say that I am thankful for the opportunity to be included among others who also recognize and understand the value. Especially because, sadly, I know there are many who still aren’t sure and don’t get it. I think it’s sad because I worry that those who don’t get it are being left out, somehow.

Eventually, I would love to be connected to all my offline family, friends, and coworkers through various online networks because the busier and further apart we are in our physical lives- spread out across the world, it becomes more and more important to me to keep any and all lines of communication open. Social networks allow me to reinforce my bonds with those people whom I share common interest and values with.

Have you used Flickr?

I just had an occasion to get intimately acquainted with Flickr. I’m hosting a 2-year old party on Saturday and will attempt Elmo cupcakes. I wanted to see how others have decorated them, so I did a search for Elmo cupcakes on Flickr. 676 photo results appeared! Looked at lots of examples and off I went to the store for supplies.

At its core Flickr is a photo sharing platform. It’s another free social media application. Photos can be easily posted for all to see, or access given just to certain groups, such as friends or family. Photos are organized into sets (with common themes) and collections (groups of sets). Photos can be tagged with keywords such as “Elmo” and “cupcakes” to provide search relevance.

Flickr is social because of the interactivity it offers. You can connect with others through Flickr by having your own set of contacts and becoming part of groups. You can also post comments and notes on others’ photos. There’s much more you can do with Flickr including editing photos through their Picnik partner, and you can even purchase custom made photo items.

So, as a business what’s the best way to leverage Flickr? For companies with a tangible product, photos of all you have to offer come first and foremost. Billboards, ads and other marketing materials with compelling visual elements would be of interest to certain communities. For service businesses such as banks, consider posting photos of your exterior branch locations and tagging them with the town. Does your business participate in any community/non profit events? Post photos from those! There are a host of ways to bring exposure to your business through photo sharing. Tagging is the key here so people can find your photos. Make sure tags are relevant and incorporate your name and web site. The more relevant you are, the more search engines will drive traffic to your content.

On Flickr as with all other social media sites, there are rules of etiquette which are important to observe. At the top of the list is to be relevant in your comments and avoid hard, direct pitches via your photo streams. Here’s a thoughtful article on business uses for Flickr.

Here’s a link to our Flickr page. As you can see, we like to have fun!

Have you seen any smart business uses for Flickr? Please share.

What has your experience with social media been like?

Guest Blogger: Mike-35, Art and Web Director, Pannos Winzeler Marketing

Social media? Let’s see, is that like the paparazzi?

Just kidding.

Yes, I use social media. A little. Well, I’m on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. But I could stop at any time and I’m not really on that much. Oh, and I’m on this one called Behance which is great for designers and artists. I’m on Flickr too, but not really that much. Flickr doesn’t count.

A year ago, I was more aware of MySpace than any other social media platform. I did not have an account. I’d look over the shoulder of a co-worker or someone to see what it looked like. Sure, I’d read all about how MySpace was changing the way unknown bands could gain followings and land record deals. And how high school and college kids could play with exhibitionism or be cyber-bullies. Facebook didn’t have a bad rap, but was mainly for college kids. What I read about Facebook was how Mark Zuckerberg was this kid billionaire genius and how advertisers were all googly about what he created. The next big thing.

Which is, I admit, why I signed up for Facebook. Being the ‘web guy’ here at work I figured I ought to know about it. I posted some photos. My friends list started to grow. I added more information about myself. All of a sudden it was fun to log in and see what everyone was saying. Initially, I really just used Facebook to post family photos and connect with other family members. My network grew and I became more comfortable with it all. Now, it’s more or less a daily activity, like email. More recently, I’ve had a growth spree on Facebook reconnecting with old classmates from high school and even a few from grammar school. Talk about flashbacks! It’s wild to reconnect with people from way back and see what life has dished out. To put that in context, I’m 35 years old and I graduated from high school in 1991. Computers were not a part of my life growing up. Heck, the internet wasn’t even around until college and even then it was all dial-up.

LinkedIn, I think, is a necessity for a web professional. On a professional level, it helps to have my work history out there. I’m not totally current on LinkedIn, but I’m not looking for a job either. However, as I’m writing this, it occurs to me that I should keep my profile complete. If a client wants to dig around and check out who’s working on their project, LinkedIn would be a good place to go.

Again, work led me to Twitter. I’m a pretty low level Twitterer. I tend to follow other people in the web design and development world. I think if I had more followers I’d be more apt to post updates on a regular basis. Follow me: @MichaelBouchard : )

The internet is the ultimate place to share news and information with other people. And when you’re in the market for it, to find information. I love finding stuff online. I can find anything, almost. Facebook and Twitter are great outlets for me to share some of the things I do come across. Ultimately, social media allows me to share a piece of my life with others, and by its nature, learn about more stuff from other people. Being the information hound that I am, it’s all good. Social media makes my world smaller, and that’s good too.

What are your thoughts on overall social networking growth?

Nielson came out with a great report Monday–the big statistic was that 2/3 of the world’s internet population visit social networking or blogging sites, accounting for almost 10% of all internet time. Nielson also stated that social network and blogging sites are growing at three times the rate of overall Internet growth. One in every 11 online minutes is spent on a social network globally.

As Tara recently mentioned in a post, social network membership is shifting older in terms of growth. A great indicator of this is Facebook, with its greatest growth in the 35-49 age group and in the past year, the site added almost twice as many 50-64 year old users (+13.6 million) than it did under 18 year old users (+7.3 million).

The report also mentioned the growth of mobile use to keep up with social networking on the go. Having the ability to visit a social network via a mobile phone has increased 156% in the U.S. since last year (about 10.6 million people now have access to these services). Facebook’s mobile application, as of November 2008 had tripled in growth from 5 million to 15 millions users worldwide. As a user myself, I access my Facebook Blackberry app probably 10+ a day.

Examining the growth of social networks on a global stage is interesting to keep track of. It’s easy to see the growth around you on a daily basis, as family members, coworkers, peers and the-people-you-never-thought-would-join get involved with social networks. Social networks and blogs offer niche and thus universal appeal– there is something for everyone, everywhere.

Share with us your own stories of social networking growth. Or if you have any thoughts on the future of social networking (personal, U.S., global) hash it out in the comments!

When was the last time you picked up a yellow pages book?

For me personally it has been several months. Nowadays it’s so much easier to go online and do a search through a yellow pages web site such as superpages.com, yellowpages.com or just type the name of the company into Google or my favorite search browser at the time. (After we got a dog, it became Dogpile!) I’ll even admit that at home I will turn on a computer to find a phone number rather than go fetch the book. It’s not about being lazy; rather it’s all about getting the whole package. If I turn on the computer and look online I will not only get more info (links to web sites, product reviews etc.), I certainly will get more accurate and updated information. But hey, I know I’m just one person and a whole industry doesn’t hang on one person’s point of view.

So, I did some digging. Data wasn’t hard to find and suggests that the yellow pages industry is in a steep decline. Idearc, publisher of the Yellow Pages directories, was delisted from the NYSE on November 21, 2008. The Wall Street Journal at that same time said “The yellow-pages industry is running out of lifelines”.

The Kelsey Group which analyzes the Global Yellow Page industry noted, “Given the structural changes in the local ad market, we believe the next downturn will favor media choices that are more flexible and
provide a lower cost per lead than print directories, which would signal a profound shift.” One trend identified was a growth in opt-out plans to better distribute books to those who really want them. Another is a rise in tracking phone numbers to gauge performance.

From an advertiser perspective, one needs to consider carefully where your leads and sales are coming from. If you have a print yellow pages advertising plan in place, how can it be more effective? How many books do you really need to be in? A thorough analysis of sections, ad size, message and cost should be in order. Can you swing some of the money to online yellow pages advertising? If you choose not to advertise in the yellow pages, where best could those dollars be spent? Would it serve you better to shift those dollars online to either paid search, yellow pages search advertising or a combination of both? Or perhaps some of that money would be best invested in a new or upgraded web site so that once someone lands on your site, it conveys the image and the message you want.

There are a lot of opinions about where the industry is headed, what the evolution will look like, who the winners will be and at whose expense.  Where do you search for business listings and where do you see the industry going? Please weigh in!

Here are some of the other articles I read before writing this post. As with all information online, be aware of the source and their potential bias in reporting.

Phone Books & Yellow Pages on Google Trends

Yellow Pages Had a Worse Than Average Week

Is It Time to Abandon Your Yellow Pages Advertising?

Internet Advertising Trends

Google Trends: Yellow Pages Will Be Toast In Four Years

Decline of Paper Yellow Pages - Rise of Online Advertising

Question: What has your experience with social media been like?

Guest Blogger: Alina - 26, Designer, Pannos Winzeler Marketing

Hello ladies and thanks for having me here on Media Talk!!

Social Media can be summed up in one word - addiction. It’s a real lifeline for people my age. It’s informative, entertaining, a real form of communication, and even a way to express oneself. It can be hard to keep up with and hard to stay away from, all at the same time. Thankfully I don’t have internet or cable at home. I try personally to balance out my “plugged in” time.

Over the past few years it amazes me how far social media truly has come. I remember the days when AOL instant messenger was really the only game in town. Today, I have an account with MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, Google Chat, Twitter, YouTube, WordPress, (where I host my portfolio) and was active with Meetup for a short time to get involved with hiking groups in the area. I will be honest and say the only one I am truly able to keep up with on a regular basis is Facebook.

Social media opens up so many avenues for sharing - photos, opinions, ideas, knowledge, tools and even résumés for potential professional connections. I think it is a wonderful advancement and it makes the world feel that much smaller sometimes.

Personally I have been able to get in touch with people I haven’t heard from in over 15 years. At first I thought things like Twitter and posting status updates on Facebook were a bit much. Why would I want to have something I am supposed to update all the time about what I am doing every second? I mean who would care? But I will admit that at least once a day I am on there posting something I either heard, or found, or a video I watched and wanted to share. I really enjoy reading other people’s posts and what they find out there in the web world, things I may have otherwise missed.

It came as no real surprise to me that businesses, including my own, would actually start encouraging use of these social media sites. Whether it is to stay connected to each other internally or to advertise to, and get feedback from, consumers. The Internet is where most people my age as well as those in their 30’s and 40’s are spending most of their time these days. If you can reach out to them where they are paying attention, then you are reaching them where it matters most.

All my experiences using social media so far have been positive. I feel able to balance and enjoy my “online life” as much as my real life and it has been an extra way to reach out to people both professionally and socially. I hope to do more with it - I would like to have my own blog someday - but I know it takes time to maintain and right now there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Everyone has to find their own balance.

Comments welcome please.

What are your thoughts on technology, social media use in the new administration?

President Obama was named 2008’s Marketer of the Year for a number of reasons, but his campaign’s innovative use of tech and social media sealed the deal.

From the campaign trail to the White House, the President continues to support the pushing of technology initiatives in his new administration. Today, President Obama named Vivek Kundra (former chief technology officer of D.C.’s city government) federal chief information officer. His job will include expanding information technology use across the federal government, between agencies and enhancing a more transparent information-sharing relationship with the general public. Kundra, 34, will oversee the $71 billion information technology budget and will work closely with the yet-to-be-named chief technology officer.

A few cool things of note:

-As D.C. CTO, Kundra used YouTube to post city contracts, incorporated Twitter into his office (and others) and was working towards allowing drivers to pay parking tickets or renew their licenses via Facebook.

-There’s a “digital public square” on his office’s website which is a hub of information on everything D.C. The page revolves around three words: discover, participate, connect with links corresponding to each.

-Knowledge of crowdsourcing. He refers to citizens as “co-creators.” He launched a public contest in the fall for application creation ideas to give D.C. residents web and cellphone access to crime reports and other city data. He hopes to save $2.6 million in what it would have cost to hire contract developers. All from placing the problem solving in the hands of the public.

Kundra said he wanted to ensure the U.S. has “the ability to run an open, transparent, participatory and collaborative government.”  One of his first moves in his appointment will be making government information available to the general public via a website called data.gov (not up yet).

Technology allows bridge building between a government and its citizens. Social media offers tools to connect and engage easily, to find information instantaneously. Incorporating these tools into Washington is how Kundra will deliver on his quote above.

After a quick Google search, I came up fruitless in social network accounts representing Kundra’s new position. Guess we can give him a little time to settle in.

Facebook membership is growing at a fast pace. Are you seeing the growth in your network?

Absolutely! The biggest indicator to the growth and acceptance of Facebook was my husband joining last week. The day after, he told me no less than 10 people came up to him and shook his hand to congratulate him. One friend commented ”I’m worried that this is one of the 7 signs that judgment day is approaching.” 

When I joined Facebook last summer I looked for high school classmates and found none. That’s right - zero. Granted my class was small, around 70. I recently did a search again and found 9 people. Hey, that’s growth!

Truth is, those age 35-54, still make up a small portion of the entire Facebook audience (slightly less than 20%). But this demographic is the fastest growing age group on the site, 276% over the last 6 months. To put that into perspective, Facebook is doubling this group every two months. Stunning!

Certainly this is a trend that can’t be ignored. Most people I know are excited to be a part of Facebook. They admit it’s easy to get caught up in it, but are finding it a really valuable (and fun) way to get back in touch and stay connected to people. Isn’t that what life is all about?

You tweeted about the term brandividual. How do you view this from your perspective?

David Armano of Critical Mass recently coined the term “brandividual.” Brandividual is the marriage between an individual and the company they represent. It’s a melding of personal and professional brand. In this world of online social networking and engagement, what’s the balance to be found in co-branding yourself and your employer?

A big name example of a brandividual is Scott Monty who works for Ford. He came onto the Ford team to head up their social media efforts. With him came an impressive personal network that he has continued to grow and leverage in his new position. His Twitter stream has been subject to controversy of late because he tweets both from a personal and Ford stance (if you click on his name’s hyperlink, you’ll see there’s no mistaking the Ford presence on his page). Some argue that the two should be separate.

Less and less there is a clear cut separation between life and work. I maintain separate Twitter & Facebook accounts for personal, Pannos Winzeler (and Media Talk!) but parts of my life in each of these arenas spills over. The separation of church and state question is even more important when dealing with large corporate brands and identity. Representing a company like the Fords of the world on social networks is done on a global stage.

As a Gen Yer in marketing (and a relative newbie to the workforce) I believe that building my personal brand while helping to continue building my agency’s brand only enhances the effort and motivates me as an employee. I’m an ambassador for myself and Pannos Winzeler in and out of the office, online, at networking events and beyond. After working for a company that appreciates and encourages my growth as a professional in this space, I don’t think I could ever work somewhere that didn’t offer the same trust and respect. I know that there’s mutual expectation here. My growth (especially on company time) should correlate with my company’s. Brands that encourage motivated employees to keep developing their own professional presence (especially online) can greatly benefit from the results.

Social networking and its reach means it’s a new ball game when hiring people who could become an online brand rep for your company. As David Armano wrote: “hiring people like Scott means bringing his existing network into your organization and your organization into his network.”

What is it–no rewards without some risk? As a business, as a professional–figure out how the brandividual equation can work for you.