Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg -- Insights For Entrepreneurs

FROM: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-28248860/facebooks-mark-zuckerberg----insights-for-entrepreneurs/?tag=bnetdomain

By Steve Tobak, October 31, 2011 11:58 AM

 

On Saturday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave a rare interview at Y Combinator's Startup School in Palo Alto, California.

On stage at Stanford University, the 27 year-old billionaire offered surprisingly candid advice for entrepreneurs and reflected on Facebook's success and failure.

Thanks to Techcrunch's Leena Rao for excerpting the interview, which you can see in its entirety here. If you're a Facebook fan, an entrepreneur, or even thinking about striking out on your own, check it out.

Here are four tips I found most insightful:

1. The only strategy that's guaranteed to fail is not taking risks. You're not judged by your mistakes.

Zuckerberg: I don't pretend that I had any idea what I was doing. I always felt like we were so close to dying in the first years, and were afraid that Google was about to build our product and we were going to be screwed, and look how long it took for them to build our product. You are going to make a ton of mistakes, you don't get judged by that.

The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that's changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.

2. Don't start a company just to start a company. Do what you you're passionate about, what you think is awesome.

Zuckerberg: There's this culture in [Silicon Valley] of starting a company before they know what they want to do. You decided you want to start a company, but you don't know what you are passionate about yet ... you need to do stuff you're passionate about. The companies that work are the ones that people really care about and have a vision for the world so do something you like.
I was in denial that we were going to make a company early on. When I was in college, I had a lot of conversations with my friends about the direction the world was going to go to and we cared more about seeing this happen. We built it and we didn't expect it to be a company, we were just building this because we thought it was awesome.

3. Don't sell out for the money. If you want to follow your vision, don't sell the company; things will change.

Zuckerberg: The only reason why it's this big story that everyone knows about us turning down a lot of money is because I messed up the process. It's one of the biggest management mistakes I made through Facebook's whole history. I learned a lot about the team at that time, and ended turning over a lot of that same team. I wasn't in it for the acquisitions, and I wanted people around me who were in it for the long-term, he said.
It's not clear that you should turn down offers, but you should take it if it means the company can go in the direction you want it to go on. If you go through some big corporate change, it's just not going to be the same. If we sold to Yahoo, they would have done something different. If you want to continue your vision of the company, then don't sell because there's inevitably going to be some change.

4. Silicon Valley is too short term focused.

Zuckerberg: If I were starting now I would do things very differently. I didn't know anything. In Silicon Valley, you get this feeling that you have to be out here. But it's not the only place to be. If I were starting now, I would have stayed in Boston. [Silicon Valley] is a little short-term focused and that bothers me.
There's a culture out here where people don't commit to doing things. I feel like a lot of companies built outside of Silicon Valley seem to be focused on the longer-term.

MTV Launches Facebook App Aimed at Reducing College Student Debt

FROM: http://www.policymic.com/articles/3501/mtv-launches-facebook-app-aimed-at-reducing-college-student-debt/category_list

Rita Solomon in National, Education

MTV recently launched a new Facebook app, My College Dollars, aimed at reducing the increasing amount of national college student debt. Complete with application and financial aid information, motivational videos, and other resources, the app uses students' Facebook profile data to determine the best financial approach toward a higher education.

Perhaps MTV is launching this initiative only for good press, but nonetheless, the widespread influence MTV has on the millennial generation makes it a great platform to fight against rising college debt.

It is encouraging to high school and college students to see a mainstream media source finally tackling the previously unaddressed issue of student debt. Since the financial crisis of 2008, college students have amassed over $1 trillion in student debt, the largest amount of consumer debt in the nation. MTV’s choice to engage in an important social and economic issue integral to its young viewers is admirable.

Although the videos, aid, and advice offered by MTV’s app may not be better than those offered by alternative websites with the same intent, the widely viewed network boasts a viewership demographic of 18- to 24-year-olds, proving its superior influence on youngsters regarding college acceptance and financial aid.

The collaboration with Facebook also better integrates aspects of social media into MTV's network, a way to connect more deeply with millennials. Targeting social media as a forum for change will impact today's students more than ever.

There may be concerns that the app infringes on the privacy of users, as it accesses a user's race, gender, age, location, and other personal information to make educational choices. However, the scholastic benefit attained from this localized information access far outweighs privacy concerns. Additionally, young people have adopted other social media apps that access private information.

Despite publicity stunt and privacy concerns, MTV’s admirable campaign to increase higher education and decrease alarming amounts of student debt should be encouraged and made an example of. If other large entertainment networks followed MTV’s lead, we would perhaps find a faster resolution to our nation’s student debt conundrum.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Facebook vs. Google+: User Focused vs. Brand Focused

FROM: http://blog.involver.com/2012/01/20/facebook-vs-google-user-vs-brand-focused/

It’s no secret for anyone that Google has wanted to create a social network to compete with Facebook’s huge popularity for quite some time. That’s why Google+ was created. Now after almost 7 months after its launch, Google+ is considered by many the biggest rival of Facebook for supremacy in social media.

Google+’s growth is amazing, at around 10 million users a month, so the question asked is whether it will overcome Facebook as the number one social media network worldwide. No one knows the answer yet, but the most probable scenario is that they both coexist (as much as it is now, but with Google+ possibly gaining a bit more attention gradually). However, in what way they will coexist?

A big possibility is that Facebook will continue to be a tool for users to get in touch with old college friends, to share a music video to people they like or to show their photos of last month’s ski trip. Google+, on the other hand, is a way to find out more about your favorite brand of clothing’s new collection or how others feel about that Italian restaurant across the street from work, as it is much more brand oriented with Circles.

 

Social Networking for Users

For users, Facebook is still usually the number one option for social networks, as it already has a base of 800 million users around the world, of which approximately 50% log in on a daily basis, uploading about 250 million pictures a day. But it is more than that: “Facebook me” is now a pretty well consolidated verb especially among young people, and the whole Facebook culture is a part of almost everyone’s life, which includes a movie and a dozen books about Mark Zuckerberg and so on.

For the moment, Google+ has around 65 million users and doesn’t yet have the popularity of Facebook. However, the fact that it is a product from one of the world’s biggest and most respected companies helps create quite a buzz. The social network itself has many of the same features as Facebook, but it currently does not share some of the most popular Facebook’s features, such as the ticker and the newly released Timeline.

 

Social Networking for Brands

From a brand’s perspective, Google+ can also be a great tool to get in touch with your customers. In its recently launched Google+ fan pages, the internet giant company has added some very interesting features, which should create an intense competition in the business field against Facebook. It is true that Facebook allows companies to create several tabs, with contests, coupons, Twitter feeds and Flickr, just to name a few, while Google+ currently allows companies to have one front page with posts, a tab with information and standard tabs for photos and videos. We are interested to see what other attributes are added to brand pages in the future.

Sony's page on Facebook, including several different tabs

At first sight, this would mean that Facebook has an advantage over Google+. But if we take some time to analyze Google+’s tools for brands, the story changes and we find that both platforms offer unique business solutions. Below are some of the features offered by Google+:

• Segmentation: Google+ Circles allow companies to segment their followers into many different categories, as the company can add each person to a different circle, according to their category (or even to more than one category). Whether it is by age, location or product preferences, the company can target a specific audience and share content with just a part of its followers, taking into consideration that only a part of them will be interested in a given subject. For example: a shoe company can create two different circles: one for men and one for women, and share content for new shoes for men only in one circle, allowing them to target the message to that specific audience.

• Google+ Direct Connect: users can find Google+ brand pages by searching “+” followed by the name of the company on Google;

• Integration with Google search: if your friends on Google+ recommend a brand or company through the “+1” button featured on the top left corner, the chances are that it will appear earlier on a Google search.

• Integration with Google AdWords: users will be able to “+1” (or recommend) companies’ ads on Google, and the chances that a friend will see this ad on Google search will grow as the number of recommendations increases. On Facebook, a similar feature is available, with the new “featured ads”, which are ads placed on the users’ news feed, according to the users’ friend’s likes. But this Facebook search feature is only visible on Facebook itself, not on Google, which is the biggest search website on the internet.

• Hangouts: Google+ allows companies to interact with its customers via video conversation with up to 9 users at a time, which means faster feedback, better interactions and a bigger opportunity to know the customers better. Allowing brands to help them with any doubts or problems or to demonstrate some new product or features to potential buyers.

Sony's page on Google+, including the "+1" button for recommendations

Needless to say that while Google+ is still expanding and growing in popularity, it can be a powerful tool for companies and brands, in the near future for social media marketing, in addition to Facebook. Some brands have already realized the value behind Google+. From the 100 top global brands, 77 now have a Google+ page, while 93 have a Facebook page.

Malls cash in on social sites

FROM: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/features/investment-world/article2820535.ece?ref=wl_companies

Abhishek Law

Facebook can be a tool that lets managers project a human face.

As competition heats up, Kolkata-based mall developers are embracing social networking sites like Facebook to print advertisements.

January 21, 2012:

Mrs Madhu Goyal least expected to win the contest that she entered into through Twitter. Half expecting the gifts, she walked into a newly opened shopping mall in Kolkata. To her surprise, she received gift vouchers worth Rs 1,000 more than the promised gift.

As competition heats up, Kolkata-based mall developers — increasingly conscious of garnering more footfalls in their properties — are embracing social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter as the next-best alternative to print advertisements.

While the easiest way would be to use these platforms to generate user interest, by putting up approaching promotional activities, organising contests and lucky draws have also emerged as the other alternatives for some developers.

“A social media platform helps us connect to our users. And it also helps us gauge the mood and get user feedback on the probable additions or changes to be made in the mall,” Mr Subir Das, COO and Co-Founder, Avani Riverside Mall told Business Line.

Active both on Twitter and Facebook, this latest entrant in the mall space in the city has seen a huge surge in footfall for its recently-opened property, following a promotional campaign that include contests through social media and networking sites.

While an exact quantification of footfalls because of promotional campaigns on social media isn't possible, Avani Riverside Mall has more than 5,000 “Likes” on its Facebook page.

“Contests have generated a substantial interest, and people have actually come to the mall to collect prizes. Footfalls have increased substantially too,” he added.

And some of the other mall developers like South City Mall and Mani Square too have their own Facebook pages, where events and promotions organised by the developers are put up to garner user interest in the plazas. While South City has more than 11,000 “likes” on its Facebook page, Mani Square has more than 800 “likes”.

Mr Harsh Neotia, chairman, Ambuja Realty, and developer of City Centre plazas said: “All I can say is that these (social media campaigning) are good opportunities for ensuring better footfalls.”

THE EVOLUTION

Mall owners have got savvier in combining traditional, on-site marketing events with their social networking efforts.

An evolving social media platform such as Facebook can be a tool that lets the mall manager project a human face for the mall without having to worry regarding spokespersons and cost. By empowering the average consumer with a forum, a specialised mall page allows the plaza manager to post events and information to a central location that people can check.

They found that technologies that were once expensive to own and costly to upgrade — electronic bulletin board, discussion forum, picture uploads, video-sharing and emails — come standard and free.

While there were initial hesitations on if the forum would be used to air grievances and customer complaints only, most malls found that there were some willing to promote them. There are also people with genuine complaints, which the smarter plaza managers were quick to respond and report solutions.

Mall vendors also found a forum where the consumer can give feedback, and they can test promotions and talk to the consumer directly.

MALL VENDORS

Shoppers' Stop, one of the retail chains in the country, agrees to the advent of social media as a potent tool for advertising products. According to them, a sync between user profiles and target customers have the retailers reaching out.

“Of the several people who have ‘liked' our Facebook page, nearly 53 per cent are actual users of Shoppers' Stop. We also have an online store, from which people can actually buy some of our collections,” Mr Vinay Bhatia, Customer Care, Assistant Senior Vice-President, Marketing and Loyalty, Shoppers' Stop, said.

Some other retailers, such as Future group's Pantaloons and Big Bazaar, too, are active on these social media platforms.

According to Mr Mayank Saxena, Managing Director, East, at real estate consultancy firm Jones Lang LaSalle, the importance of social media as a marketing tool will see several new developers take to it.

Even existing developers, who are currently averse to this, will also choose online promotions through social networking sites.

“It is inevitable. Even those averse to such promotions might be forced to follow it,” he said.

PITFALLS

While there may be excitement regarding the supposed better connect with shoppers, market sources and analysts warn of the pitfalls. According to them, social networking site pages need to be “dynamic and active”, with regular interaction between users and mall developers.

Leaving questions unanswered, or not attending grievances, could spiral into having a negative effect.

Moreover, relying just on on-site promotion, too, won't generate the expected interest levels (read footfalls).

“Ideally, there should be a mix of online and offline promotional activity. You cannot rely on one and ignore the other,” Mr Saxena adds.

Avani Riverside Mall officials agree. According to an official, one person has been appointed by the company to constantly monitor its “online promotional campaigns” on Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook considering doubling size of European HQ in Dublin

FROM: http://www.digitaltrends.com/international/facebook-considering-doubling-size-of-european-hq-in-dublin/

January 20, 2012By Trevor Mogg

With a rumored IPO coming in May and the site close to getting its billionth user, social networking giant Facebook is said to be looking to double the size of its European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland.

Things are happening at Facebook. Well, of course, things are always happening at Facebook, but news emerged on Friday that the social networking giant is considering doubling the size of its European headquarters in Dublin.

If you double something that’s small, it remains pretty small, but Facebook already has a sizable presence in the Irish capital. Indeed, doubling its current 5,000 square meters (54,000 square feet) of office space would take it from fairly big to large.

According to Bloomberg, who cited three people with knowledge of the matter, Facebook is considering leasing around 11,500 square meters (123,000 square feet) at various locations, including the building of the former Bank of Ireland headquarters.

The Dublin office, which was opened by Facebook nearly four years ago, is responsible for all the users of the social networking site based outside the US and Canada, Bloomberg reports.

The Irish Times says the 300 or so Dublin-based Facebook employees are mostly concerned with “advertising, multilingual sales support, finances, human resources, user operations and development.”

Besides the rumored Dublin expansion, a report late last year suggested the company is also set to build an enormous server farm in Sweden, close to the Arctic Circle, to improve site performance for European users.

The reports of further expansion come ahead of a rumored May initial public offering (IPO) which could value the company at around $100 billion.

This year could also see the site welcome its billionth user, astonishing growth for a company that started out less than eight years ago.

Hopes are High for 'Workplace Facebook'

FROM: http://abcnews.go.com/International/hopes-high-workplace-facebook/story?id=15401212&singlePage=true

By Christopher Cottrell in Berlin, SPIEGEL

Jan. 21, 2012

With more than a million downloads of its first app and a big investment from Skype's co-founder, 6Wunderkinder is already a significant player in the Berlin start-up scene. It now wants to establish itself as a major European company with the soon-to-be-released Wunderkit, a "Facebook for the workplace."

Thirteen years ago, a young boy with a knack for technology holed himself up in his parents' attic in a small town near Berlin to tinker with his mother's new computer. That was back in the days of QBasic and Delphi Pascal, programming languages whose zenith coincided with the rise of Microsoft DOS.

"I was the only one who used the computer, and I think I destroyed it every week," says Christian Reber, co-founder and CEO of 6Wunderkinder. "Each time, a guy from the IT department had to come by and repair it, but after a while I understood how everything worked and I could do it myself."

It wouldn't take long for a teenage Reber to outshine most of his high school computing class. He improved his geek cred by studying math and computer science at Berlin's Technical University. Fast forward to today and Reber finds himself at the helm of 6Wunderkinder, a fast-rising start-up based in the German capital where antiquated programming languages have been replaced by iPads, iPhones and cloud computing.

No Place Like Home

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Berlin's central Mitte district, 6Wunderkinder earns its bread and butter developing smartphone and web-based productivity software. With the November 2010 release of "Wunderlist," a souped-up to-do list for smartphones and desktops, the company was quickly established as one of the better-known up-and-coming Berlin start-up firms. Reber claims the company broke the one-million user mark nearly twice as fast as geo-location app Foursquare and three times as fast a Twitter. Its next product, Wunderkit, is coming soon.

The name of the company is a nod to its six co-founders, including Reber, who are friends and all have roots in the region. Reber hails from Brandenburg an der Havel, a small town about an hour west of Berlin.

But 6Wunderkinder is no Brandenburg garage start-up. It is as international as the city around it. The 28 "wunderkids," as employees here are dubbed, hail from 12 different countries on four continents -- a diversity that Reber attributes to the city's soaring popularity worldwide. The office language is English, which is not unusual for the Berlin start-up scene.

"I think the big difference between all the other tech cities is that Berlin is really a city where people want to live," he says.

Reber attributes 6Wunderkinder's early success to the fact that, as he claims, it was the first in the world to create a full product with technology from the developing platform Appcelerator Titanium, which streamlines the process of making products compatible with various operating systems -- whether it be Windows, Android or Apple's iOS.

By allowing up to 90 percent of the code from the desktop app to be ported over to other device platforms, 6Wunderkinder was able to launch five new products within four months.

"If you're that fast, getting to a million users isn't that hard," Reber says. "But, honestly, we were surprised too." The app's international popularity has helped attract attention to the company from far outside Germany.

A Major Investment

Initially, Wunderlist was only meant to test the waters. It was intended as a project to help the team determine the best way to develop cross-platform software and learn the ropes of how app stores work.

Wunderlist is relatively simple, allowing users to create lists and share them with friends and colleagues and sync them to the cloud so that they can be retrieved on any smartphone or computer. The influential Lifehacker blog describes it as "simple" and "elegant."

Even though it would eventually grow into a successful product, co-founder and designer Jan Martin says the company deliberately held back in development, saving the best for Wunderkit, which he and colleagues describe as a sort of "Facebook for work" that will enable colleagues from all over the world to exchange information on projects they are working on.

The as yet unreleased app has generated considerable buzz in the Berlin start-up scene, even attracting a round of funding from Skype co-founder Niklas Zennström's London-based venture capital firm Atomico, which announced a €3.1 million investment in 6Wunderkinder late last year.

"6Wunderkinder have developed a fantastic product that can be used around the world," the Swedish Skype co-founder recently told the Berliner Zeitung newspaper. "And they are a team that works together very well."

A Pivotal Year

Other sources of funding include T-Venture, the corporate venture arm of Deutsche Telekom, and the High-Tech Gründerfonds, a mixed private-public initiative of the German government and major companies that invests in young start-up firms.

And 2012 promises to be a pivotal year for the company. After months of development and hard work, Wunderkit was finally released into private beta this week, with a select few being given early access to what is still a work in progress.

The company has described Wunderkit as a "blend of a social network and online working space for the individual," a productivity application which has carried forward the sleek and user-friendly characteristics of Wunderlist. It allows users to create workspaces for different collaborative projects -- work-related, perhaps, or maybe for a sports team or a planned trip -- which can be shared with friends and family, and kept private or made public.

Within the workspaces, there are dashboards, notes and tasks, to keep track of what you need to do. It has many of the functions you would find in a social network or a to-do list application, and 6Wunderkinder is hoping it will prove even more popular than its older brother. It is due to go into open beta on February 1.

"It's a little bit Facebook, a little bit Twitter and a totally new way to do productivity and to work," Reber says. "If Wunderlist was the iPod, then Wunderkit will be the iPhone." And when it comes to Apple analogies, Reber is anything but modest. "We really want to create the next Apple," he says.

Microsoft: The new hip gadget company

FROM: http://www.canadianbusiness.com/article/66241--microsoft-the-new-hip-gadget-company

By Navneet Alang | January 19, 2012

It sounds as implausible as a Facebook-Google merger, or RIM buying Apple: Microsoft becoming the world’s coolest consumer tech company. And yet, somehow, Microsoft has quietly transitioned from the tech world’s favourite joke to a company full of innovative promise.

If that sounds preposterous, look at the facts. Critics at this month’s Consumer Electronics Show raved about the newest Windows phones, many pundits naming them best in show. The Xbox 360 displaced both Nintendo and Sony to lead the video game industry in 2011, in large part because of its novel Kinect motion-sensing controller, which overtook the iPad to become the fastest-selling electronic device ever and has shipped 18 million units to date. Meanwhile, tech publications are almost universally impressed by what they’ve seen of the upcoming new version of Windows, a product usually known for its ubiquity and inelegance and little else.

Individually, each of these represents a small evolutionary step. Taken as a whole, they represent the beginnings of a huge, daunting pivot for the company: a move from being an entity known for clunky operating systems and boring enterprise software to becoming a desired, buzzworthy consumer brand. Astonishingly, they so far appear to be succeeding.

What makes it especially unexpected is that for years, many of Microsoft’s consumer-focused efforts have been lacklustre at best. There are numerous high-profile examples—the failed Zune MP3 player and the disastrous Kin “social phone,” among others—in which Microsoft rather conspicuously and spectacularly failed. What’s more, one might argue that talk of a “turnaround”at Microsoft is itself misleading: though the corporation’s stock price has remained static for some time now, the company has consistently raked in billions in profit. Talk of a new Microsoft, one might say, is purely about perception.

But perception isn’t simply about the whims of a fickle press and public. There’s a certain inevitability to the idea that the age of desktop operating systems and thousand-dollar boxes of enterprise software, the stalwarts of Microsoft’s product stable, is slowly drawing to a close. During a banner 2011 fiscal year that saw $27 billion in operating income, Windows revenue dipped 1%; meanwhile, revenue from the Xbox-led Entertainment and Devices division jumped by nearly a third. Since that still accounted for less than 13% of overall revenue, Microsoft has little choice but to expand further into the growing overlap between hardware, digital media and mobile, of which Apple is the current paragon. And here, brand identity and the capacity to generate excitement are central to success. Microsoft’s new attention to how they are perceived outside the CIO’s suite refl ects the very real economic consequences of hype.

Few things are as symbolic of this shift as Microsoft’s new emphasis on user experience, at the core of which is Metro. The name given to the interface that first appeared on Windows Phone devices, Metro was recently brought to the Xbox 360, and will also form the basis of Windows 8. Rather than showing small icons for each application, like the iPhone, Metro presents you with animated squares that off er constantly updated information about your friends, the weather—whatever. With a clean, readable font and a decidedly“design-y” aesthetic, Metro is just—there’s really no other word for it—cool.

Metro is crucial for two reasons. First, it represents the fi rst time in memory that a Microsoft interface one-ups Apple’s; Metro is both more aesthetically impressive and better lets you perform basic tasks. Second, Metro’s the best example of an emphasis on uniformity of design across Microsoft’s entire portfolio of products. For a company known for behaving as if it were 20 companies rather than one, that is an enormous step forward, perhaps most importantly because it gives Microsoft’s marketing department something that it’s never had before: a clear brand identity. And unlike, say, Samsung—which frequently apes Apple’s designs—with the Metro interface, Microsoft is carving out an approach that is uniquely its own.

The results so far have been promising, as is the growing buzz around the Windows Phone partnership with Nokia. The question now becomes long-term execution. Though Windows 8’s Metro-based design will be found on desktops, laptops and tablets, it requires a singular clarity of vision to create a great operating system suited to such different devices. Similarly, though Windows Phone has become a tech press darling, developers and consumers will need to adopt it in numbers for it to gain traction against iPhone, Android, and even BlackBerry.

What seems certain, however, is that Microsoft has turned a corner. Most significantly, it’s in how their products feel—not just as consumer goods, but as cultural artifacts. After all, Apple’s incredible success hasn’t been simply because of design or marketing. Their iDevices became markers of the contemporary, objects that seemed to bring high-concept visions of the future to the present.

Now, though, it’s waving a hand in the air to select a movie on Xbox or flicking through the interface of a Windows 8 tablet that elicits the feeling of living in a sci-fi film. It’s a remarkable turn of events, one few saw coming. What remains to be seen is whether consumers can accept an idea that seems fantastical in its own right: when it comes to leading-edge design and innovation, it’s now Microsoft that’s leading the pack.

Navneet Alang is a freelance technology critic and blogger.

Heineken Offers Multi-Channel Retail Program

FROM: http://www.cspnet.com/news/beverages/articles/heineken-offers-multi-channel-retail-program

Offers chance to win "Ultimate Viewing Party" in Las Vegas

CSP Daily News | January 18, 2012

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Heineken is stepping up gameday entertainment for football fans with a retail program that offers adult consumers the chance to win Heineken's Ultimate Viewing Party experience in Las Vegas. Heineken's Viewing Party provides retailers with an engaging program to drive shopper mindsets--and purchases--to Heineken and Heineken Light at the apex of the sports-watching year.

Heineken's first retail program of 2012 directly targets "men of the world"--adult consumers who enjoy socializing, watching sports and sharing those experiences with their friends in person and online through their social networks. Consumers can gear up for the football championship through a Facebook picture contest (where legal) that drives sports-minded fans to purchase Heineken at grocery, convenience store and liquor retailers for their chance to head to Las Vegas for the climax of the Football season.

"Football is a key occasion for at-home entertaining and beer is an integral part of the celebration," said Andrew Freeman, trade marketing manager for Heineken USA. "Our Heineken Ultimate Viewing Party program has been developed to help retailers dress up the store, encourage cross merchandising and drive impulse purchases of Import beer that delivers a higher profit margin. It also provides our Man of the World consumer with an exceptional drinking experience to share within their own peer networks."

Las Vegas is a premier destination for Heineken consumers--an estimated 26% of Heineken drinkers have visited casinos in the past year and they have a strong preference for leisure travel to the Nevada destination desert city.

Heineken's Viewing Party retail program includes multi-format display pieces and enhancers, football-themed point of sale (POS) as well as instant and mail-in cross merchandising offers (where legal) on gameday snacks and is geared to drive these consumers to retail stores to purchase Heineken or Heineken Light and enter for the chance to visit their favorite destination for Heineken's "big game bash."

Heineken USA Inc., White Plains, N.Y., is a subsidiary of Heineken International BV. European brands imported into the United States include Heineken Lager, Heineken Light, Amstel Light, Newcastle Brown Ale and Buckler nonalcoholic brew. Heineken USA is also the exclusive USA importer for the Tecate, Tecate Light, Dos Equis, Sol, Carta Blanca and Bohemia brands from Mexico.

Facebook rolls out 60 apps for Timeline

FROM: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-01-18/facebook-lifestyle-apps/52653014/1

By Jon Swartz, USA TODAY

SAN FRANCISCO – Facebook is dramatically expanding Timeline, the re-imagining of its user interface, in a move that could delight consumers and vex some security experts.

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  Payvment's Shopping Mall app on Facebook.

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Payvment's Shopping Mall app on Facebook.

 

Thursday, it will unleash more than 60 apps for Timeline ranging from fitness (Nike) and events (Ticketmaster and Ticketfly) to food (Foodspotting) and movies (Rotten Tomatoes). The aim is to give Facebook's 800 million members additional reasons to spend more time on the site, by sharing their experiences with others as they happen.

The apps avalanche is the next stage in the development of Timeline and a major part of Facebook's push to maintain its competitive edge over Google+, which has about 40 million members. Late last year, Facebook got a face lift in the form of Timeline. Since then, it has methodically released apps — including a "Listen with" button that lets up to 50 members listen to songs at the same time.

"For the first time on the Internet, consumers can share with others what acts they are planning to see," says Andrew Dreskin, CEO of Ticketfly. "For example, on Timeline, you can say you plan to see Radiohead in San Jose in April."

Millions already use music, video and other apps designed for Timeline. But the prospect of hooking users on apps that show when they exercise, where they shop and what they listen to — as they do it — should have marketers and advertisers salivating, analysts say. "There is nothing more that advertisers and marketers like than knowing the frequency and relevance of a consumer's habits," says analyst Patrick Moorhead, principal at Moor Insights & Strategy.

At the same time, Facebook has its eye on a potential mega initial public offering in the first half of 2012 that could raise an estimated $10 billion and value Facebook at more than $100 billion. "Facebook is merely trying to leverage its standing as a service that has become part of our lives," says Anjelika Petrochenko, general manager of LiveJournal blog service.

Facebook "grows through absorbing people and ideas," such as check-in services and messages, Petrochenko says.

Still, the notion of sharing so much personal information with so many others could be enticing to hackers in pursuit of valuable data. "Facebook is a malevolent multiplier," says Alisdair Faulkner, chief product officer at computer-security firm ThreatMetrix. "It's turning cybercrime into an armchair sport."

PR and Social Media for beginners

PR and Social Media for beginners Supported by Dynamic Business Magazine Thursday, 9th February 2012 Made a New Year's resolution to better promote your business but no idea where to begin? Then this is the perfect event for you. Learn the tips and tricks of how to build your business through public relations (PR) and social media. An expert panel of social media and PR specialists will talk about how you can make PR and social media work to support your business. They will also cover some of the most common PR mistakes people make and the implications this can have for business. If you're still in any doubt about the value of Facebook or Twitter for your business, then this session will also give you the tools you need to make sure you understand the roles of these social media outlets. The team of experts will cover: Why you should use PR and the business benefits how to make the most of media coverage sources you can use to gain free publicity how to maximize networking and public speaking opportunities incorporating social media into your PR strategy. The session will be facilitated by Jen Bishop, editor of Dynamic Business magazine and an expert on social media for small business with almost 5,000 Twitter followers.   Cost FREE to business owners When Thursday, 9th February 2012 Time 4.00pm: Registration 4.15pm - 6.30pm: Event 6.30pm - 7.30pm: Networking Where NSW Trade & Investment Centre, Hamilton & Parkes rooms, Level 47, MLC Centre, 19 Martin Place REGISTRATION To register please visit www.smallbiz.nsw.gov.au/events Further information contact Carlene Kelly Events Project Officer P:  (02) 9338 6699 E:  carlene.kelly@business.nsw.gov.au NSW Trade & Investment Webcasts Kick start your business in the New Year with our series of webcasts. They'll give you practical tips on how to join the digital revolution through the smart use of technology as well as how to find and capitalise on the areas of opportunity within your business.

Mark Zuckerberg: 'Facebook Opposes SOPA And PIPA'

FROM: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/18/mark-zuckerberg-sopa_n_1214090.html#

The Huffington Post   Catharine Smith and Ramona Emerson   

First Posted: 1/18/12 05:52 PM ET Updated: 1/18/12 05:52 PM ET

Zuck has spoken.

On Wednesday, popular websites like Wikipedia, Reddit, Google and Twitpic joined the ranks of an online protest over Congress' anti-piracy bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA). For much of the day, these sites blacked out part of all of their content and posted notices urging visitors to stand against the bills, which would allow the U.S. government to shut down websites believed to be enabling or facilitating copyright infringement. According to opponents of SOPA and PIPA, the bills could hinder free speech on the web.

Social media giants Facebook and Twitter remained on the sidelines of the protest, though many had called for the sites to participate in a planned blackout. Instead, users took it upon themselves to "censor" content on their individual profiles. Elsewhere on the web, Reddit took down all of its pages and Wikipedia overlaid its articles with a notice asking users to "Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge."

Despite the social network's hands-off approach to the day of protests, company CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday reiterated his company's approval of the anti-SOPA movement. In a message posted on his Facebook wall, the CEO wrote the following:

The internet is the most powerful tool we have for creating a more open and connected world. We can't let poorly thought out laws get in the way of the internet's development. Facebook opposes SOPA and PIPA, and we will continue to oppose any laws that will hurt the internet.

The world today needs political leaders who are pro-internet. We have been working with many of these folks for months on better alternatives to these current proposals. I encourage you to learn more about these issues and tell your congressmen that you want them to be pro-internet.

Zuckerberg also took the protest day as an opportunity to tweet for the first time in nearly three years. Check out his tweet, below.

Facebook Gestures: Bringing better insight to the Social Business?

FROM: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/feeds/facebook-gestures-bringing-better-insight-to-the-social-business/4514

By Eileen Brown | January 18, 2012, 2:04pm PST

Summary: Facebook is unveiling new features of its Open Graph applications and adding Gestures to applications. But will this extra information bring more insights to businesses?

Facebook is unveiling new features to its Open Graph applications.  AllthingsD reported that Facebook will be announcing the new features at a press conference late Wednesday afternoon, Pacific Time.

In addition to the ‘Like’ button you will soon be able to ‘Own’, ‘Want’, ‘Buy’ and ‘Install’.  Developers will be able to add other actions within an app provided they are Simple, Genuine and non-abusive.

Frictionless sharing has already allowed applications to take advantage of the ‘Read’ option. The Washington Post and the Guardian Facebook app shares news articles you have read on your ticker.

Articles read by your friends also appear on the Facebook ticker, prompting further reads and increasing the popularity of the news item.

But will this extra information bring more insight to businesses with a Facebook page?

Brands already know how many fans like their page. They know whether their campaigns are getting more engagement. Analytics show user engagement with their ‘Talking about this’ figure on a page.

Will adding verbs enhance the social interaction? Perhaps adding verbs such as ‘Dislike’ might give valuable feedback to brands.

Love it or hate it?

The yeast extract spread, Marmite which is a similar product to Vegemite, could capitalise on having a ‘Dislike’ button on their Facebook page.

This could prove once and for all that more people love the savoury spread than hate Marmite.

Marmite centres its marketing campaign around strong opinions. You either love it or you hate it.

Adding extra gestures to a page might also be open to criticism or abuse.

If a situation arises there is huge potential for escalation by the community and page fans. Ragu’s campaign video which featured Mom cooks criticising Dads got several Dads ‘piping hot and bothered’.

Imagine if Ragu had a ‘Dislike’ button on their site during that campaign. They would have had a great opportunity to take early action — before it escalated.

I think that with the current low level of Facebook fan engagement for business pages, brands have work to do as Facebook starts approving Open Graph Actions this month.

But will the changes bring the extra page engagement that marketers want?

Measuring Customer Service Impact on Social Media – Now for Facebook

FROM: http://simplymeasured.com/blog/2012/01/measuring-customer-service-impact-on-social-media-now-for-facebook/

January 18, 2012 by Libby

How to Measure Your Customer Service on Facebook

Recently we launched the Customer Service Impact Report for Twitter that provides metrics for the converging worlds of customer service and marketing. Today we are announcing the launch of the Customer Service Impact Report for Facebook. This report continues down the path of providing data to the departments that are responsible for excellent customer service. This report answers many of the same questions as the Twitter report, but this time from the perspective of your Facebook data.

Let’s walk through the key questions you can answer with this report, using data from the Home Depot Fan Page as a case study.

1. How do you respond?

As with the Twitter report, you can now have a better understanding of how well your brand responds to your fans and determine what opportunities for improvement exist.




You can also benchmark against your goals and find what opportunities to enhance customer satisfaction and brand reputation by continuing to improve upon how you engage with your customers when they engage with you.

 

2. When are you reacting to and engaging with Facebook activity?

It is also important to understand when you are responding to activity on your page. Do you take a long time to respond or do you promptly engage back? Do your findings align with your social media strategy? With this data you will be able to answer these questions, find areas for improvement and track your success going forward.

 

3. How much are you engaging with your fans?

You also need to know how deeply you are engaging with your fans. Do you respond once and consider it done? Or perhaps you are getting into full conversations with your fans. From this report you can monitor what is happening and determine if you need to adjust your strategy.

Just like with the Twitter version, you can run this report for your competitor’s Facebook page. This gives you the chance to see how you perform against each other and determine if they are setting different standards than you. All of which can help you set your customer service strategies and goals going forward.

Want to try it out for yourself? If you’re a Simply Measured customer, just log in to your account and it will be available for any of your Facebook dashboards. Not a Simply Measured customer yet? Then sign up for a Free Trial today!

Social, Mobile Meet Shopping: Retailers Must Scramble

FROM: http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/enterprise_apps/232500010

If this week's National Retail Federation Big Show is any indication, social and mobile commerce are remaking the way we shop. IBM, Epicor, Microsoft and Microstrategy help retailers adjust for the trend--and profit from it.

By Doug Henschen,  InformationWeek

January 18, 2012

Retailers already have a long list of multichannel marketing options including retail stores, websites, email campaigns, contact centers, kiosks, catalogs, and other methods. So adding two more channels is no big deal, right?

Wrong.

If this week's National Retail Federation Big Show in New York is any indication, social and mobile commerce are remaking the way we shop.

Retailers are looking for any possible edge to solicit product and store recommendations on social networks, to tap into the wealth of information and opinion shared by consumers on Facebook and Twitter, and to tie mobile apps into customer databases and loyalty programs. The theme at the show is "engage and evolve," a nod to social and mobile commerce trends discussed here at length in keynotes and breakout sessions.

There's a justified fear that those retailers who don't use mobile and social to their advantage will be abused by channel-savvy customers. They've seen what customers are saying online and want to be able to understand and change the conversation. And they've seen customers in their aisles researching products and price checking competitors on their smartphones.

 

Tech vendors exhibiting here are pitching software and consultative insight like so many car salesmen, praying on the hopes, aspirations, and insecurities of retailers who fear they're missing out of on the trends. Highlights from leading enterprise applications and analytics vendors include the following announcements:

 

IBM probes the social consumer. Having surveyed a whopping 28,500 consumers, IBM released a study here that showed that consumers are more than willing to share with retailers through social networks. In exchange for a better, more personalized shopping experience, consumers will tell all about their media consumption (75%); age, race, gender, and income (73%); name and address (61%); and lifestyle details such as hobbies and other interests (59%).

 

What's more, consumers told IBM they want to receive more communications--not less--from retailer if it can be delivered through their preferred media channel in a relevant way.

 

IBM also probed some 1.2 million Facebook updates, Twitter tweets, and social videos using its Cognos Consumer Insight social-media-analysis technology to find out more about brand sentiments. One key finding was that the discussions around some brands is all about the transaction (price, availability, where to purchase, and so on), whereas other brands evoke lifestyle-related terminology (self-improvement, style, love, "I can't live without this brand"). With this kind of insight, manufacturers and retailers can tune their marketing messages or try to change their image and consumer perception.

 

Epicor mobile app ties into CRM data. Epicor Software introduced Epicor Retail Clienteling, a tablet app optimized for the Apple iPad and designed to deliver customer insight from Epicor's CRM application. Epicor's CRM-integrated Clientelling app creates a "personal shopper" experience by exposing the sales associate to the customer's recent buying, shopping, and service history captured in the CRM system's multi-channel customer database. Customer insight is no longer confined to back-office computers or point-of-sale terminals.

 

Microsoft collapses channel silos. The customer bought it online, but in-store employees can't see those transaction records because that's a separate system. Or perhaps the marketing department launched a big promotion, but store employees are caught unaware and balk a honoring a discount. These are the sorts of siloed-channel problems that plague many retailers. Microsoft says Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail, launched on Tuesday, eliminates these problems by ensuring a consistent platform from the supply chain all the way to the point of sale. AX also supports integration with third-party systems, says Microsoft, and the modular architecture ensures that custom connections and interfaces don't break when you upgrade to the next generation of the ERP app.

 

Microstrategy taps into Facebook data. What if you could tie customer Facebook accounts with their loyalty programs? Microstrategy is offering mobile and social tools to help companies do just that. Alert is a mobile app platform upon which organizations can build engaging mobile applications tied into loyalty programs and Facebook accounts. Wisdom is a corresponding tool for marketers that lets them segment, analyze, and target customers by applying predictive analytics and analyses against data aggregated from loyalty card members and Facebook friends.

 

Clothing retailer Guess is using Alert and Wisdom to improve interactions with and understanding of customers. Guess is offering a just-launched, Alert-based mobile app to its more than 4 million loyalty card members. The app will let users see their loyalty points and awards status, lookup purchase history, scan barcodes for more detailed product information, and check out a "Look Book" showing the latest merchandise and related accessories. Customers who share credentials can log on through Facebook and share their likes and network with friends.

 

Using Wisdom, Guess will apply predictive analytics to segment customers, send targeted campaigns with cross-sell and up-sell recommendations, and get a better understanding of education levels, incomes and customer likes, such as favorite songs or concerts customers in various markets will be attending.

There's no doubt that mobile and social make multichannel marketing that much more challenging, but according to retail futurist Nita Rollins of Resource Interactive, who spoke at NRF on a panel on "Trends to Capitalize on for 2012," it's creating more opportunity for retailers.

 

"What we know now from dozens of reports is that the multichannel shopper is more valuable because they spend more and buy more frequently," said Rollins, who added that by 2014, analysts expect 53% of purchases to come from online or Web-, mobile- and social-influenced consumers. "There's a lot of pre-shopping going on and digital is the first step on the path to purchase. It's our job to ensure that digital either closes the deal immediately or enhances the in-store experience."

 

Nominate your company for the 2012 InformationWeek 500--our 24rd annual ranking of the nation's very best business technology innovators. Deadline is April 27. Organizations with $250 million or more in revenue may apply for the 2012 InformationWeek 500 now.

Wal-Mart's Stealth Social Strategy: Pretend This Isn't About Customers

FROM: http://storefrontbacktalk.com/social-networks/wal-marts-stealth-social-strategy-pretend-this-isnt-about-customers/

Written by Frank Hayes

January 18th, 2012

 

Retail chains have been using Facebook and other social media to deal with customers for years, but now someone is trying to use it to acquire new suppliers—and, astonishingly, it's Wal-Mart. On Wednesday (Jan. 18), the retail giant launched a contest to let would-be suppliers pitch their products with YouTube videos, which customers can vote on to choose their favorite products. The winners get a chance to have Wal-Mart sell their wares online or in-store.

 

But what's really clever is how the contest uses social media as stealth customer engagement—an area where Wal-Mart hasn't been exactly brilliant in the past.

 

Wal-Mart is calling its "Get on the Shelf" contest an American Idol-like competition, but it's decidedly less glossy than that. The product videos already online (Wal-Mart wisely rounded up several dozen early entrants to seed the contest) trend heavily toward gadgets and food items, with video quality ranging from late-night TV commercials to strictly homemade. Wal-Mart didn't even use its own Vudu video service to host the videos—they're all on YouTube, which isn't officially connected to the contest. As a result, it really does have a grungy, social-media feel.

 

Wal-Mart says the three items that get the most votes by April 24 could become products on walmart.com, with the top vote-getter having a shot at being in stores, along with support for marketing and ramping up production. (The "could" is because real or virtual shelf space depends on cutting a deal with the retailer and becoming an approved vendor; according to fine print in the contest rules, if there's no deal then Wal-Mart can buy its way out of the prize by paying $12,500 to the big winner or $10,000 to either runner-up.)

 

It's an interesting stunt for finding new suppliers. And with Wal-Mart perpetually accused of driving small retailers out of business, it's a nice PR move to show that Wal-Mart is friendly to at least some small U.S. businesses.

 

But the really clever move here is in customer engagement. Even customers who really like Wal-Mart aren't likely to believe Bentonville wants to hear from them about what should go in the stores. Letting them vote on new Wal-Mart products? Very sharp (and relatively cheap) use of social to build customer loyalty. Doing that while pretending all along that this is not about customers? Nice stealthy touch.

Distant friends are Facebook’s most influential

FROM: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/9020935/Distant-friends-are-Facebooks-most-influential.html

By Matt Warman, Consumer Technology Editor

7:00AM GMT 18 Jan 2012

New research commissioned by Facebook suggests that users are most influenced by online friends they are less close to in real life.

Users typically have a far larger number of friends on the social network than they are able to see in person regularly. The greater numbers of these distant friends mean that, collectively, they are more influential than a users’ close friends.

Facebook has been eager to demonstrate that social networks do not create an ‘echo chamber’, where users only come into contact with the opinions of a few like-minded, close friends. This is particularly important as sharing web links becomes a larger part of the site than posting more personal ‘status updates’.

Writing on the Facebook blog, Eytan Bakshy of the site’s data science team said that “Social networking technologies like Facebook let us connect to hundreds, even thousands of people - and have fundamentally changed how people get their information. We found that even though people are more likely to consume and share information that comes from close contacts that they interact with frequently, the vast majority of information comes from contacts that they interact with infrequently.”

Bakshy’s study is “among the first to rigorously quantify influence at a mass scale”, Facebook said. “The research also suggests that Facebook isn’t the echo chamber that some might expect – social networks actually encourage the spread of novel information and diverse view points,” it claimed.

Bakshy added that “distant contacts are also more likely to share novel information, demonstrating that social networks can act as a powerful medium for sharing new ideas, highlighting new products and discussing current events”.

iContact Study of Republican Presidential Candidates' Social Media Strategies Reveals Key Takeaways for Small Businesses

FROM: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/icontact-study-of-republican-presidential-candidates-social-media-strategies-reveals-key-takeaways-for-small-businesses-2012-01-18

Small Businesses can Yield Positive Results with Social Media by taking key lessons from GOP Political Campaigns

RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Social media strategies used in Republican presidential candidate campaigns can be applied by small businesses to enhance their digital marketing efforts, according to a recent study by leading social media and email marketing company, iContact.

The study revealed Republican primary candidates rely heavily on social media to get their messages across, empower voters and raise money. Newt Gingrich has mastered Twitter, Ron Paul reigns on YouTube and Mitt Romney has a holistically integrated social campaign. Small businesses can successfully utilize social media in a manner similar to political candidates to engage followers, promote their brand and increase sales.

"This survey provides insight into how the Republican candidates are using social media to their advantage, with different strategies, perspectives and investments across channels. While it's never a one-size-fits-all approach, as we see here, the common takeaway remains that social media presence can lead to increased engagement and a return on investment," said Jeff Revoy, chief product and marketing officer at iContact. "By applying the many lessons learned and creative successes from these candidates, small businesses too can enjoy the many benefits of social media marketing."

iContact's study provides a detailed view into each candidate's overall social media presence, following, engagement levels* and digital properties across major social networks - Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+.

Social media correlations and takeaways gleaned from the campaigns:

Facebook flexes its muscles: The world's most popular social networking site dominated all platforms across Republican candidates with the largest volume of followers and engagement levels. Facebook's strength across social platforms should be no surprise to small businesses as a recent iContact customer survey revealed that 76 percent favor Facebook. With more than 800 million users, Facebook has announced several upcoming changes aimed at maintaining its dominance in 2012. Small Business Takeaway: Facebook serves as the most favored platform for small businesses to reach customers and prospects in new and powerful ways. Small businesses not using it are potentially missing valuable customer interactions and engagement.

Focus on quality, not just quantity: While Mitt Romney had the highest number of Facebook fans; he experienced the lowest percentage of Facebook fan engagement at 8.97. In contrast, Rick Santorum had one of the lowest numbers of Facebook followers across all candidates but had the highest engagement level at 50.42 percent. Small Business Takeaway: If social media follower numbers are high but engagement is low, it's time to reevaluate content and platform to ensure your brand and messages resonate with your audiences. Switch up message content or try a different social media network that might be better suited for particular content. For example, use Facebook if a message will become too diluted when edited down to fit within Twitter's 140-character limit.

Social media and email create a powerful combination: The candidates have all incorporated email into their marketing strategies to achieve the combined punch it provides when used in conjunction with social media. They have made it very easy and seamless to subscribe to email and social media updates from their campaigns.Small Business Takeaway: With the buzz surrounding social media, it's important to not forget about a tried and true marketing vehicle: email. Don't miss out on the huge opportunity that email marketing delivers. Social media is great for sharing content and engaging customers in interactive discussions, while email can help convert the results of those initial engagements and conversations into targeted campaigns and long-term customers.

A picture is worth a thousand words: This saying is often true for both photos and videos. Romney uses photos and videos to create content for his social properties, utilizing multimedia or a link where fans can take action in almost every single Facebook post. His campaign posts photos and videos from events, speeches, and commercials to help convey Romney's message to voters in a unique way and has branched out into emerging platforms such as Flickr and Tout. Similarly, Ron Paul has utilized his campaign's YouTube channel to amass more than 7 million clicks.Small Business Takeaway: Small businesses should look to harness the power of photos and videos within social media campaigns. They can tell the story of a brand and culture quickly, intimately and efficiently to potential advocates accustomed to text-only noise on social networks. Sharing photos and videos with customers and advocates can only help a brand's presence in the social world. If the content is compelling, these groups will share it with their friends, giving a small business increased visibility among advocates and driving brand engagement.

Content is king: While all candidates are utilizing Twitter, Gingrich carries the highest number of engagers across the network with 1.38 million followers - more than five times the number of the campaign with the second largest Twitter community. He tweets often, but more importantly, Gingrich seems to provide content his community wants.Small Business Takeaway: Even with the plethora of social media vehicles available at marketers' fingertips, it's important to realize that it's less about the channel and more about the content. Relevant and engaging content is still the most important thing for followers.

Google+ remains a guessing game: The verdict is still out on Google+, with only Gingrich and Romney integrating the new service into their social media strategies. iContact's customer survey revealed a similar sentiment across small businesses with 48 percent loving Google+ while 52 percent were not convinced. Small Business Takeaway: Google+ may still be in its infancy, but don't overlook it when evaluating social media strategies. As Google+ looks to add more functionality for businesses there will likely be a mad dash to the unconquered social territory with Google providing rapid content availability for consumers in order to aggressively compete with Facebook. Small businesses should not be afraid to get in as early adopters of Google+ to test the waters and see if it's a social media channel that fits their needs.

ROI for every budget: No matter the size of the campaign budget, all candidates realize that social media is a key investment and have incorporated it into their marketing strategies. Even candidates with lower campaign funding have seen high engagement numbers across their followers, signaling that messages are resonating with their communities. Small Business Takeaway: There is a social media strategy to fit every budget and generate a positive return on investment (ROI). Outlining social media ROI using a goal-based approach is a great start for small businesses. An iContact customer survey revealed that top three social media goals for small businesses are strengthening brand, generating sales and acquiring contacts. There are several types of metrics to consider when measuring progress against these goals and adjusting marketing to drive better results. For example, if your goal is to strengthen your brand, you can dive into how your social media content engages your audience by looking at "retweets" or "likes." More information and tips on calculating social media ROI are available in "Calculating Your Social Media Marketing Return on Investment."

With the 2012 Republican National Convention just eight months away candidates will continue to battle it out for their party's nomination utilizing social media as an important medium to attract support and build momentum. Political campaigns and small businesses might first appear to be vastly different entities that should take completely different approaches to marketing. However, it's clear from the survey that there are valuable social media insights and takeaways from political campaigns that small businesses should look to integrate into their marketing efforts.

The iContact social media audit does not reflect the political views or opinions of the company. For more information on the social media audit and to view an infographic highlighting the survey results, please visit http://www.icontact.com/social-media-and-political-campaigns .

About iContact Based in Raleigh, NC, iContact is a purpose-driven company that makes social media and email marketing easy, so that small and midsized companies and causes can grow and succeed. More than one million users have signed up for an iContact account, and the company maintains B Corporation status, a certification awarded to companies meeting comprehensive and transparent social and environmental performance standards. As part of its ongoing social mission, iContact applies the 4-1s Corporate Social Responsibility Model, donating one percent from each of its payroll, equity, product, and employee time to local and global communities. Visit us online at iContact.com, on Twitter @iContact, at our LinkedIn Group, and at our Facebook page.

*Engagement levels were tracked for the week of Dec. 31, 2011 through Jan. 6, 2012. Engagement is when someone like the page or page content, comments, shares content, answers a question, responds to an event, mentions the page, tags the page, checks-in at a location or recommends the page.

CONTACT: Kara Schiltz, +1- 919-926-3543, kschiltz@iContact.com

SOURCE iContact

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