no mobile use while driving

A lesson on not using mobile devices while driving.
Keep Your Eyes On The Road.

instagram use

I came across this post on socialmediaexaminer.com which gives a great overview of Instagram marketing.

Most people would probably think of Instagram as a personal platform. The home of the selfie. But the post points out that this platform goes much deeper. Visual content is huge. There have many articles posted on visual influence. You've probably read several yourself. Stories are fortified with pictures.

One item I learned from the article I mentioned earlier, is that Instagram is used to create visual content for other sites. Instagram engagement is detailed by Jenn Herman in a podcast that is very helpful. People can be reached better with Instagram. You'll learn profile optimization and strategic hashtag use. You can use as many as 30 hashtags per post! Keep in mind created images, as popularity is gaining.

many filters to choose from on Instagram

Exploring Instagram is fun and a neat learning experience. Make the time to get more familiar.

create customer reach

Brainstorming sessions point to a simple reality: The mobile and social Web has changed how companies interact with customers. The "look-ahead" conversation can risk missing the important, engaging business opportunities. The risk is being to cautious.

The mobile Internet is powerful. Businesses can reach customers at the ultimate decision point - shopping, buying, installing, using, fixing, criticizing, or bragging about your product.

Is this a leap into the unknown? It isn't if you make a lasting impact.

Think like a customer. 

Focus on the customer conversation to ignite the spark of possibilities. What used to be optional social features are no longer optional. Share activity and locations to better recognize customer engagement. Be part of the product experience to think more like a customer. Get a sense of positive and negative sentiments. See the opportunity to provide your influence by responding to relevant social network comments and customer reviews.

Deliver the messages that motivate your commitment to your product. This fortifies your customers' commitment as well.

5 development activators

If you are in a situation in which you haven't given Social Media for business a thought, I have found a story to share for you. It is from WalesOnline : 5 Ways To Develop Your Business On Social Media.

Here is a summary of the five items worth noting:

1. Listen. Social Media platforms need "listened" to. Find the influencers in your industry.
2. Analyze. See the conversations.
3. Create. Add value to the conversation.
4. Engage. Find the conversations to put your product in.
5. Start again. Put your product out and start listening.... again.

Again... the link to the story.
Follow Wales Online on Twitter. @WalesOnline

fiesta roll

When Ford Motor Company prepared the 2010 North American roll-out of the Fiesta, its initial marketing push was solely through social media. Ford supplied 100 people with a Fiesta to drive for six months. They were the right 100 people. They were digital influencers (bloggers, podcasters, YouTube celebrities, and automotive journalists) who produced tweets, videos, podcasts, posts, and articles relating to the Fiesta.

Fiesta interior

A single Web page was made aggregating all this data where folks could watch the test drive unfold in real time. Ford did not edit, script or delete any of the information. The YouTube videos got 7 million views. There were 40 million tweets that contained the campaign's name ("Fiesta Movement"). 130,000 people registered online to receive more information when the Fiesta went to dealers. 83 percent of those people had not owned a Ford. U.S. brand awareness went from practically zero to 58 percent! Talk about "buzz" creation.

All that "buzz" wasn't mere chatter. Ford converted 10 times more pre-launch purchase reservations into actual orders than it did for previous model rollouts. People got to witness people enjoying the benefits of the Fiesta.

I know this event is not new. I decided to create a post on it since "consumer-driven" brand information is so popular these days. In this case, the 100 people were practically responsible for creating the Fiesta brand. Certainly an excellent example to talk about when thinking of brand engagement.

Information for this post came from the January/February 2011 edition of CFO magazine.
CFO.com