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It's all the rage these days to build a company group or fan page on MySpace or Facebook. The Social Networking phenomenon is big, no doubt, and gaining momentum. But companies that "hard sell" their readers or post a brand page without sincerely interacting with their audience have it all wrong, according to a new report from Tom Chapman called Social Network Marketing, Engagement Marketing and Brands. You can go online and download the report here to read all 47 pages.

The report was a two-part study that included an online survey with end users and interviews with "Brand Publishers" using Facebook and MySpace to gather community support for their brands. Here are some points that stood out for me:

1. The overwhelming majority of Facebook and MySpace participants have not "friended" a brand page or company page. They are looking for true interaction with a real human being.
2. Facebook users were more likely to encourage their friends to add a brand to their profile page than MySpace users. They were also more likely to follow a brand that a friend was following.
3. Facebook users were also far more likely to share a branded widget with their friends…. almost twice as likely to do that as MySpace users.
4. The vast majority of both Facebook and MySpace users would either ignore or be annoyed if a friend was being paid to promote a brand on their profile page.
5. The great majority of Facebook and MySpace users would be likely to UNfriend a brand that openly sent them promotional media or ads.
6. Both type of users would be highly unlikely to buy a product or service directly off of the brand's profile page… and they didn't like the idea (at all) of having their friends notified of purchases they were making.
7. On the other hand, most users say they would feel a much greater affinity with brands that spent the time to communicate and interact online with their followers.

So, in summary, social media like MySpace and especially Facebook should be a venue for social participation……not unlike a "real world" network meeting. Network participants don't carry big neon signs around their necks in social gatherings. They don't step into a group and immediately start promoting themselves or steer the conversation toward their own interests.

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These "real world" networking events work for those that participate considerately and sincerely and show who they are. It works for them over the long haul. And you get out of it what you put into it. Be real, be there and be a friend. Over time…. naturally, people see who you are by how you treat others and they begin to give you their trust. From that naturally garnered trust comes friendship, community, referrals and business. It's simple, but it requires your effort and sincerity…. both in the real world and online.

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Image by .mands. via FlickrI usually talk about new technologies and creative subjects that help us with our businesses. But there are other types of “technology”. Amidst the growing chaos and worry out there in the world, it is ever more apparent that all of us need something that gives us some peace; an oasis of stillness uncluttered with the buzz of our overly stimulated minds. A place to recharge our weary spirit.

One such technology is meditation. I know this conjures up chanting monks in a Tibetan monastery for some (I kinda like that, myself). But there are many reasons that a westerner might become interested in meditation;  stress-management, coping with a challenging illness, sparking creativity and problem solving or your own personal spiritual quest.

To those of us living busy lives in a materially-driven culture, meditation has many gifts to offer. But the benefits are especially valuable for those of us who need to be creative every day. Here are just a few of the benefits of taking some "time out" for silence: continue

Sometimes good marketing is establishing credibility-by-association. Mesa/Boogie is already an established company in the music industry for nearly 40 years. But it never hurts to enlist the enthusiasm of a guitar virtuoso like John Petrucci of Dream Theater.

We at Grey Visual were asked by Mesa to do this ad featuring a series of John's comments about why he loves playing a Mesa amplifier. It's a simple-but-elegant layout showing John in front of his Lone Star and Road King amps. Mesa helped John a bit, too, by showing a small version of John's new CD in the corner of the photo.

We just thought this was a nice classic layout with a beautiful type treatment using a testimonial approach that many of you could effectively utilize for your businesses.

PetrucciSpread-ad_fs.jpg

Tags: testimonial+ads, marketing, print+marketing, mesa+boogie, music+industry

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So you're starting to hear about Facebook, Twitter and other social media tools….but you're wondering, "How does this fit into my business?… seems like a lot of mind-spin". It can be too much for a small business. But if you can dedicate some time or a person in your organization to this task, there are some great benefits once you find your way around and have established some working methods.

Chris Brogan has written an interesting article showing how one marketer in the hotel business could use social networking tools to research "what's going on" on a given weekend, keep track of search results and use those results to connect with potential customers to fill her hotel rooms.

Workflow- Social Media for Marketers

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Flock is the social networking browser from the people at Mozilla…. the same people who make the incredibly successful Firefox browser that so many of us web developers love. So if I already use Firefox…. why do I need Flock? Well, Flock is not just another browser. It's Firefox with a bunch of social networking tools built in. You can watch your Facebook, Flickr and YouTube friends right in the sidebar alongside your regular browsing activities.

But there's more. Flock makes sharing your interests very easy……Drag & Drop easy. You can drag a link or a video ….or just a photo right into a blog post that you publish directly out of Flock….. without ever going to your blog. In fact, that's what I'm doing right now. I just dragged a link to the Flock video into this window and am writing this quick summary for you…..all in Flock.

Store interesting articles, links and videos in a special sidebar called the web clipboard. They are all gathered by folders that I can make to organize things so that I can write about them later on. I simply drag the links or videos into a new blog post window and off I go.

So without further rambling…. take a look at the video. This is pretty interesting for those of you with even a passing interest in blogging or social networking of any kind.

Chris Brogan writes with knowledge on the power of blogging, Twitter, Facebook and other social media. This is a short list of advantages you can gain for your company when implementing these strategies online.

You probably already get social media, and see its value, and think it’s really nifty cool. But if you can’t articulate the benefits and the return on the effort, and several other little details to the folks upstairs, it’s going to be hard to get your ideas moved from “wouldn’t this be great?” to “let’s assign a project manager and get started.” First and foremost, you have to jump over the fence from where you’re thinking, and get into their mindset. From there, look back at social media, and create values you believe they can understand. Here are some ideas.Twelve Ways to Sell Social Media to Your Boss | chrisbrogan.com, Aug 2008

You should read the whole article.

I think this is pretty exciting. Ribbit is still getting ready for Beta…. but just imagine getting a phone call from a friend or associate and seeing their entire social networking profile on the screen. You could see all of their friends, interests and latest news. Take a look!

Maintaining a blog or participating in social networking tools like Facebook or MySpace requires a consistent commitment of your time to be effective. But this new tool from Sprout is a real winner without taking precious time away from your proven marketing strategies.

A Sprout is a portable multimedia module with links to your blogs, websites and audio or video sites. It can literally be a website in a box. You can create portable slideshows, videos, audio players…. or websites up to 20 pages. Great for events, product introductions and tutorials. Your web viewers can share it with their friends by emailing it or posting it to THEIR blogs or websites.

But the most exciting part of a Sprout is that it is a broadcast tool. That's right, after it has been spread out to your fan base and lives on hundreds of other blogs, MySpace or Facebook accounts…. continue

First of all….Blog is short for weBLOG, in case you were wondering. When I talk about blogging, so many business owners and middle managers ask "Why should I do that? It takes too much time and, besides, I already have a web site!".

A traditional web site has its advantages: Flexibility of design and ability to program complex functions, like a large Ecommerce store, or a special database of information for users. Maybe you need a creative interface to help users shop for products…. like you see when auto manufacturers sell online and allow shoppers to change colors and accessories on the fly. Traditional sites are the best way to go right now for these uses.

But for ease of use, engaging with your customers, and mining for marketing information, there's nothing like a blog (unless it's Twitter… but we'll talk about that in another post).

1. Easy Installation: You can start at Wordpress.com, choose a theme and you're happenin'! For a blog hosted on your site (which offers more features and customization for larger companies) many Internet Service providers make it a push-button operation. Especially with a C-Panel control panel. Ask your service provider if they offer C-Panel controls. It will reduce your costs and make it easier to start up new features on your site. Spry.com and Crucialwebhost.com are two that I know of.

2. Makes Marketing Easy: Blogs offer a Word-like interface for writing your posts. This ease of use encourages a more immediate and journalistic style of writing that engages your readers. Rather than simply writing web pages that sound like they should be engraved on a monument, your personality shines through. It's a very natural way of conveying a unique marketing stance and establishing credibility in your community.
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