This is the good of social media. The bad has been out there for all of us to see as well. The internet has allowed for the private individual to be outspoken and hate without putting their name or neck on the line. Freedom of speech in all its glory and riches…and foolishness.

Which is why I am still amazed that large corporations assume that people will do what they want them to do when given a platform to speak. Mc Donalds recently did that through their now infamously failed twitter campaign. You can read about it hear. Why they assumed people would only tell good stories about them amazes me. Not only was some media executive looking through rose colored glasses but he or she had blinders on to boot.

The Internet has shown when people have unlimited freedom to comment about you its mostly going to be negative. IF you don”t want that kind of transparency you need to shape it in such a way to limit that type of exposure that is negative. IF you want full complete transparency then you need to be prepared to handle it as Mc Donalds surely wasn’t. They had no plan other then an assumed rosy concept that people would play nice with them. People do not play nice..not when your that large of a company and have had documentaries made about you that are primarily negative and have been promoted as one of the main causes of Child hood obesity.

But they are not the only ones. I was amazed at the way major brands are seeking customers feedback and comments without a structured system.  This was apparent at this years Consumer electronic show and its a dangerous road to go down if your not prepared for it.

SO HAVE A PLAN do not assume especially when your dealing with customers and social media interaction. You may end up with a number 5 supersized on your face just like McDonalds.

They are also REALLY REALLY annoyed when they do not lead to a call to action.

But I recently came across this article here about how Content marketing is becoming Key and KING in social media. You can see the full article here MIKAL E. BELICOVE Is the creator of this article and does a good job of laying out the key facts. I do want to pull out a few of those to highlight them.

“HiveFire’s B2B Marketing Trends Survey Report, twice as many B2B marketers now employ content marketing as they do print, TV and radio advertising, according to the survey.”

This is a great statement. I agree with it 100%.  Now that Google is dumping 100 million dollars into YouTube to make it more of a destination site similar to cable TV with quality shows its even more important to look at each PR, Marketing , and Event or Show you do and see how you can capture that on video to maximize your exposure and spread your costs out over each marketing channel. You control the content here and putting that content out to all those channels through video is very very cost effective.

“Part of the popularity of content marketing is its ability to generate qualified leads while engaging prospects in a branded environment without busting the budget.”

And in today’s world this is very necessary to do.  Not only do you want to maximize your exposure through content marketing but give the customers a direct call to action once you have convinced them of their need for you or your product. Don’t make them go to another site or go to another department in charge of leads get them now!

“Nearly 70 percent of content curators say lack of time hinders their efforts, with 66 percent saying a lack of original and quality content is a major drawback. Another 38 percent say difficulty in measuring results is the stumbling block and 37 percent say lack of staff to do the work is the hindrance.”

True good content takes time but in your weekly or monthly meetings see what your staff or departments are creating and see if other departments can take that same creation and re utilize it . Lack of time usually means lack of time management but if it truly is a small staff then focus on quality content not tons of content.

Content marketing can also come through your customers and fans. Look to them also to see if you can save time and energy by employing a small group of them as evangelists for you. Content marketing will only be growing more and more so the time to start is now.

Also Kudos to Macy’s thanksgiving parade for incorporating Foursquare into this years parade. Who’s going to be the mayor?…too bad Macy’s did not take it one more step forward and offer a prize along with the badge for this first year Macy’s Thanksgiving mayor badge.

Celebrate Grouponicus All Holiday Season

Over the next five weeks, Groupon will be offering up special holiday deals. Expect 50-90% off local, experiential, and occasionally unusual holiday gifts. Why? Because it’s Grouponicus^™, the age-old wintertime Groupon holiday! Here’s how we celebrate:

• Starting Monday, we’ll launch one new deal a day in theGrouponicus gift store.
• Unlike our ongoing daily deals, each Grouponicus deal is available for three to five days.
• To prepare yourself for the festivities, read up on the extensive folklore and customs of this wonderful holiday.

Also Don’t forget the power of Mobil advertising. Check out Google’s mobile adds here



You should also look at cleaning up your companies information online as well.You should take a look at updating info on the multiple local business search sites.  These are sites like YELP, CitySearch, Merchantcircle, Superpages. Also don’t forget to look for reviews of your company on Angieslist as well as searching through the forums on craigslist. Make sure that Google maps,Bing maps and Yahoo maps are updated with your correct info as well. Make sure that all hyperlinks, contact info, and pictures on your website and social media platforms( Flickr,Facebook,Myspace, etc) are current.

Remember each social media platform utilized out there on the web for your business is more then just a tiny ripple on a pond created by the proverbial pebble. With social networking, digital marketing, proximity promotions, and multi-channel media, YOUR business  has never had a larger pond to play in. The pebbles are no longer hitting the water one at a time they are being launched into the pond in multiple handfuls at a time. The ripples are now becoming waves and you want to make sure your company is riding them successfully.

Now we here at Smmee have been showing many small business owners that a presence on line is a must. That Social media is a force multiplier for them and a great way to help save money on advertising.It can also take their advertising to the next level. But we also like to show them that sometimes a great idea can backfire. This article by Stephanie Marcus the other day on Mashable is a great example of what to do and not to do when you respond to customers and potential customers online. You can see the article here. She has done a great job on showing three companies who’s online presence was affected by negative feedback and those companies responses. Enjoy.

But its not the same as having your own branded  smart phone app. In this economy not many want to shellout $10,000 or even $5000.00 for these apps.

NOW you don’t have to. For under $1000.00  Appinklingallows you to have a branded image for both the I phone and Android phones. This now allows your customers and potential customers to see who you are and what you do without having to find a computer and looking you up. Self help guru’s you needs this… Service oriented business’s should find this as a must have to proclaim themselves to the world… Artists, Authors, Publishers and especially Musicians should all have one of these. There is alot of flexibility in the template offered by Applink. Also to get placed in front of other customers just mention to them you heard about this from Seth Crofton at Smmeenow and you will get placed in front of the line.