New product development. Finally, a successful engagement level must also be considered in the context of the type of company and product.  An Back in the early days of the social web, the leading “gurus” were actively anti-business. They made fun of measurement, strategy, objectives and any hint of trying to monetize a social media effort. I know that sounds weird today, but it’s true. The mantra was “Social media is not about your stupid company. It’s all about the conversation.” Here we go. Engagement is not a strategy. Difficult, I think. MORE >>

Here’s how Bert answered this: “The ID @sharpiesusan is owned by Newell Rubbermaid and the Office Products Division. Let’s start this post with a little quiz.  I’ve assembled a few Twitter avatars from my Twitter stream.  Take a look at the line-up and think about which company you would most likely follow and relate to … I’ve used this example in many of my classes and the answer is usually unanimous — Megan Parker at GE.  It’s disarming isn’t it?  But I think that’s just what makes this a best practice. No again.  MORE >>

Now, here’s the same scenario going through a crowdsourced production company like GeniusRocket , for example. Multiple finished products are delivered in steps along the way, for probably $50,000. You are going to get a radically more effective product because literally crowds of engaged people are getting involved, providing feedback, and producing finished content for you. GeniusRocket’s President Peter LaMotte sums it up well: “It used to be that crowdsourcing was only an alternative for production – a great way to get affordable productions. MORE >>

Let’s say you have created a helpful PowerPoint presentation to teach people how to save money with one of your products. Although PowerPoint has been around for years, it is still the king of presentation software tools.  It is an absolutely critical arrow in my business marketing quiver … and for some reasons that might surprise you! Here are seven ideas to use PowerPoint slides to create new value for your social media marketing efforts: 1. Populate Slideshare. Quick story to illustrate the power of this platform. Do it. Spice up a blog post. Embed in LinkedIn. Thanks! MORE >>

” 2) 80 percent of Americans between the ages of 18-24 use this one product. Can you name any other branded product in the world that is used by 80 percent of the young people in the United States? I’m pleased to be a collaborator with Edison Research on the new Social Habit Project. Because I’m a numbers geek so I’m overjoyed to finally get some social media data we can trust! Here are eight fantastic facts from the Social Habit’s latest study. 1) 7 percent of Americans have never heard of Facebook. Magazines. The news. Even a movie. ” Ha ha. MORE >>