If you feel a sense of deja vu when the topic of social media comes up, don’t be surprised. As with many approaches to building profitable customer relationships (think: CRM), social media marketing is going through its own hype cycle. Some companies have well-planned strategies with goals and metrics, while others are rushing in just to be a part of the action. Still others haven’t quite discerned the best approach to using social media as a customer strategy tool that delivers ROI. We’re here to help make sense of it all.

Continue reading "Welcome to Social Media Month" »

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Yamaha Music UK is connecting its customers through "Yamaha Education Friends," one of a growing number of niche online communities joining the social media sphere. In today's Marketing Xfactor, you can read more about how music educators are connecting, sharing ideas, and providing Yamaha Music with insight into their needs and development ideas.

Online communities are only one way social media is transforming the way customers and companies interact. Has your company considered developing a social network or using existing sites to connect with your customers?

Posted by Jeremy Nedelka at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Leadership necessitates listening. Today's CEOs expect communications to be a strategic asset and critical link between their corporate vision and the first connection to their customers—customer service.

Continue reading "CEOs, Listen Up!" »

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A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend a NASCAR race (something I've always wanted to do, but not the easiest feat growing up in Connecticut). I was there to see how ISC, owner of the Richmond International Raceway where the event was held, was developing a social network on RacingOne.com for fans where they could share their raceday experiences. You can read more about my experience (including pictures) in today's Marketing Xfactor.

Do you belong to any social networks besides Facebook or MySpace, like niche sites geared toward one interest? Do you think the information companies like ISC can gather from such a network is more valuable than the general profile information found on the larger sites?

Posted by Jeremy Nedelka at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Every once in a while an Internet sensation captivates Web surfers, leading workers everywhere to email a video or URL to their colleagues, creating fodder for the comedians on VH1’s Best Week Ever and E’s The Soup, and giving rise to a new Wikipedia article, among other things.

This is often called “going viral,” and it seems like every week there’s something new (usually a video) that we can all sit around and talk about. It seems like viral videos come out of nowhere, and are often obscure clips that somehow gain traction. For an example click here (warning: contains sound). For more on why an obscure music video relates to viral marketing, read the history of the Internet phenomenon here. This was just a fluke, but is it possible to create a viral video as part of a marketing campaign? To understand if it’s possible to predict what will or won’t catch on, you have to define what it means to “go viral.”

Continue reading "Catching a Marketing Virus" »

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