Archive for the ‘Social Media’ Category

Blog Against the Machine

Posted on: March 27th, 2012 by Geoff Livingston 16 Comments

Heavy Industry

They say that professional blogging is a dying social marketing tool. The University of Massachusetts revealed a 25% drop in the number of corporate blogs in the Inc. 500 (from 50% of the general surveyed population to 37%).The next generation of trade media — team and professional “blogs” — have risen to the fore and dominated their various niches. Lost in the dust are the individual and small business bloggers who can’t create enough content to compete effectively against the content machines.

In the marketing sector we have strong professional trade media plays from Hubspot, MarketingProfs and Copyblogger. Individual blogs like Jason Falls’ Social Media Explorer have augmented the individual voice with guest posts, providing daily or near daily offerings to remain competitive. In the nonprofit sector, I helped start a similar professional team blog, Inspiring Generosity.

Most individual bloggers — blogs like this one, which feature, one, two, maybe even three posts a week — simply cannot command the traffic to generate competitive market attention in the face of these machines. They don’t cover breaking news like these more professional outlets. Responding to the news cycle requires a dedication to blogging. Most people with jobs that are tied to other activities beyond social simply cannot afford to spend the time necessary to compete.

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Lost Your Social Edge? Try JugnooMe

Posted on: March 20th, 2012 by Geoff Livingston 6 Comments


I made the above video at the suggestion of JugnooMe

Normally I am skeptical of web-based solutions like Klout and PostRank that claim to make better social media voices. When my friend and colleague Danny Brown announced JugnooMe, a web based solution that “levels the playing field for the benefit of all,” I opened my mind. JugnooMe promises that small business and nonprofits can use the solution to optimize and further their social presence.

When I started using the application, I was impressed. The list of JugnooMe tasks were strong suggestions that based on my experiences would strengthen a brand’s presence with real community.

It was also a bit disconcerting. See, it made me realize how sloppy and indifferent I have become about my social presence. The tasks were a bit of cold water in the face, and I could see that I had been coasting for a long time. So I started responding more frequently on social networks, and in blogs.
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Google Puts Feet on the Street

Posted on: March 6th, 2012 by Geoff Livingston 9 Comments

Lovebugs
Google’s DC Office Featured Love Bugs on Valentine’s Day

The Wall Street Journal slammed Google last week for launching another social network when one wasn’t needed (um, yeah, that’s why Pinterest is doing so poorly, right?). Meanwhile, Google has quietly been deploying its local offices to meet with businesses and internet aficionados. The company wants to humanize the Google brand, and personally help people use Google+ and other products.

This is a smart move, one that Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have yet to match. Google is literally investing in relationships one by one, and putting faces to what has often seemed a distant and monolithic company.

So many of today’s untrained marketers believe that social media is the primary form of grassroots communications. In reality, they form just one component of a strong word of mouth strategy. Great word of mouth includes personal interactions through meetings like these, small events, local outreach, strong email management, and core stakeholder loyalty development programs.
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