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Posts Tagged ‘Social Media’

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The U.S. Open Tennis Championship Leverages Social Media for 2010 Tournament

31
August
2010

Participants, attendees, followers and partners all have an impact on this year’s social media tactics. With this new platform, the U.S. Open is sure to engage and excite even more of it’s viewers.


Krista Montes de oca
Media Program Analyst

With the start of a major sports season just around the corner, social media has become an outlet for updates, stats, highlights and more. In the midst of a fantasy football craze, and the beginning of college football upon us, the U.S .Open Tennis Championships can’t be slighted one bit. This major sporting event has started to utilize these new platforms and it will depend on what their attendees are saying, as well as their other followers and viewers as to measure how they have leveraged social media.

Chances are good that those attending the open are knowledgeable about the sport and its participants, and that increases the validity of their social networking updates. Some players in the tournament are active on these sites, and they can be influential in their own way:

Let’s look at the impact of Twitter: A few of the major participants in the open are on Twitter, including Venus and Serena Williams. Serena has over a million and a half followers, so she is bound to create excitement around the Open. Twitter will also be used to update followers with highlights and up-to-the-minute scores, which hopefully will keep the viewers and followers interested in what is going on.

Let’s look at the impact of Facebook: Roger Federer, a well-known name in the world of tennis has a Facebook page where he posts updates about what he’s doing, upcoming matches, and answers questions from fans. This is yet another outlet that fans can use to voice their opinion, have their questions answered, and see where the players are off to next.

Not only is this platform important for the viewers and attendees, but also for the companies that help fund this event. For the sponsors and partners of the Open, and those that advertise, social media has become their main outlet. For one company in particular, social media has become its main source of advertising. AmEx has switched their campaign solely to market using social media, getting rid of their print advertising that they used in 2009.

This is a big step for both the U.S. Open and its supporters, and this is the year to see how social media could affect their viewership, and how they can better leverage this new platform in the future.

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EyeTraffic Interview: Jason Alba

31
August
2010

Brad Rizza speaks with personal branding strategist and author Jason Alba about the relationship between online social networking and offline relationship building for today’s job seekers and career builders.


Brad Rizza
Media Program Analyst

The internet effectively revolutionized the job search with Monster and Yahoo Hot Jobs the pioneering leaders but as Jason Alba tells us in this EyeTraffic Interview, such job search databases may already be passed by new technology. Can one really use social media to get a job?

Jason, your first book, “I’m on LinkedIn—Now What???,” focused on maximizing the benefits of the popular business networking website while your second book, “I’m on Facebook–Now What???: How to Get Personal, Business, and Professional Value from Facebook,” took the concept to the social network giant itself. How has the job search process changed since you finished up college in the late 90’s?

Alba: I’m not sure what the job search was like back then, really. About 18 months before I graduated I started an awesome internship which led to my full time job. Not at that company, but because I was in the right place at the right time and had the internship behind me. In other words, I networked my way into the job.

I think back then it was all about using Monster… just like what many new job seekers think today. Unfortunately, people spend too much time spinning their wheels on what worked a few years ago without realizing what is working today. Social tools can play a significant part in today’s job search, but too many people don’t know how to use them.

Having said that, realize that the technological differences are stark, but the principles around networking and relationships are not. Many jobs are filled because astute job seekers are meeting people and developing relationships – online and offline, and learning about opportunities that never get posted which are usually referred to as the “hidden job market.”

How does/can social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn converge with offline networking and alternative job search tools such as JibberJobber.com to create an effective job search?

Alba: What they all have in common is networking, which includes finding relevant contacts and developing relationships with them.

You can find contacts in a variety of places – online or offline. Then you want to work towards a professional relationship, which includes helping them understand what you do (think: personal brand) while trying to figure out what value you can bring to them.

Ultimately I recommend you get outside of the technology and have phone calls, meet in person, exchange emails, etc. Being connected on a social platform does not constitute “networking.”

JibberJobber is the glue that ties it all together. Regardless of where you met the person or how you communicate with them, or when you need to follow-up, you’ll need some kind of system to help you track all of the information about the relationship. That’s where JibberJobber fits.

As your job search gets longer and longer, these tools help with a variety of tasks and help keep you on top of the job search.

Having already covered LinkedIn and Facebook in your previous two books, is “I’m On Twitter…Now What???” an eventual next step or could you see yourself covering a number of emerging social platforms? And how does the concept behind “8 Lunches” fit into all this?

Alba: I was planning on writing a Twitter book but I started at about the same time I was working on the second edition of my LinkedIn book and thought I was crazy to start another book that would have to be updated about once a year.

Instead, I decided to do videos, which are easier to keep current – I now offer Twitter for Job Seekers, Blogging for Job Seekers and a number of other videos on my website. I’m passionate about using these tools in career management, which is more long-term than the job search, but the book process was just too much.

I started “Eight Lunches” as a way to share what I’ve learned as an entrepreneur, especially since so many people are seriously looking at starting their own business in this economy. The only reason I decided to make this a book is because it will have a longer shelf-life than my technology books, which can quickly start to feel outdated.

Regarding the emerging social platforms, believe it or not, I’m not an early adopter. I like to go to where the people are – that is, the hiring managers and decision makers. If there is a new platform that is the greatest things since…since the last greatest thing, I tend to stay away until I hear sufficient buzz from users. I’m not easily brought in by shiny features … if no one else is there you don’t have much of a chance of meeting the right people.

Jason Alba is a personal branding strategist and career and job search guru. He has written two books, “I’m on LinkedIn — Now What???” and “I’m on Facebook — Now What???” and is in the process of writing two more. Jason is the creator and CEO of JibberJobber.com and is a leading consultant and speaker on all things social media and personal branding.

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EyeTraffic Interview: Nick ONeill of Social Times Inc.

24
August
2010

Krista speaks with Nick ONeill about the Facebook phenomenon and how it has transformed how businesses do their social marketing, as well as social gaming, and how it’s impacted the Facebook gaming platform.


Krista Montes de Oca
Media Program Analyst

Facebook has taken the world by storm, evolving into its own world of social media. From its inception, it was a tool to keep people connected, share photos and write on each other’s walls. Now, it’s a way for businesses to communicate their message and engage their audience and consumers. I interviewed Nick ONeill, founder of Social Times Inc., about the influence of Facebook on social marketing, and the social gaming phenomenon.

Businesses are learning how to leverage social media to brand their image and interact with their customers. Besides creating a Fan Page, how else can businesses better utilize Facebook?

ONeill: Buying Facebook Ads is pretty much the other primary way. While you can do things like create Facebook groups, custom Facebook applications, develop a more personal profile, create events, and a number of other things, Facebook Pages truly are the center of Facebook marketing right now.

How has the introduction of social gaming affected Facebook, and vice versa?

ONeill: I think it has affected the Platform more than anything else. It also has increased the total amount of time spent on the site. There’s some statistic floating around that 40% of users play games on Facebook. While I’m not sure about the accuracy of that statistic, it emphasizes how large of an industry Facebook games has become. The primary thing games have done is it has accelerated Facebook’s push to turn Facebook Credits into the leading virtual currency.

Both adults and children are using Facebook as a social networking tool—what other differences do you see between these generations, besides those obvious aforementioned ones (age, knowledge of social media in general)?

ONeill: I don’t monitor the youth much to be honest, as I tend to think of myself as one (although not so much anymore). I think the only difference is how much time each group spends on them. The younger, the more time they spend online.


What other tools, similar to Facebook, are useful for social marketing purposes, that perhaps people are not aware of?

ONeill: There’s a world outside of Facebook? Oh yeah, blogs and Twitter. Aside from that I’m not sure I’d pay attention to anything else, or at least I wouldn’t be investing too much time in it yet. Email marketing doesn’t fall into “social media” however it’s still a very big business and growing by the day.

Facebook has come along way so far; where do you see Facebook going in the future?

ONeill: Everywhere. Why not become its own virtual country? Perhaps it’s the future of passports? Then again I doubt any countries will support that notion. More seriously, I think in the immediate future we’ll see them expand their Facebook Credits offering. Once they’ve figured out a way to scale their existing advertising business, they’ll move that off site to third-party publishers and then eventually do the same thing for Credits. With those two businesses they’ll be able to reach many billions of dollars in revenue each year.

Social Times Inc. is a site dedicated to covering the convergence of social technology, advertising and new media. They host events around the country and produce a blog and newsletter to keep readers informed of news that impacts their businesses. ONeill graduated Cum Laude with a BSBA in Finance from American University Kogod School of Business.

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Would You Use Social Media For Help During An Emergency?

11
August
2010

A new survey conducted by the American Red Cross showed that many web users would turn to social media to seek help for themselves or others during emergencies.


Ryan Moss
Lead Strategist

The American Red Cross recently conducted an online survey to help determine what role social media plays in disasters and emergencies, in preparation for the upcoming Emergency Social Data Summit. 1,058 adults were surveyed for this study and the results showed that people are relying on social media more and more. Respondents said that they would use social media sites to seek help for themselves or others. About 20% of people said if they needed help and couldn’t reach 911 that they would try to use a digital means (email, social media or websites) to get help.

The use of social media is even more prominent when it involves helping other people in need.

  • 44% would ask other people in their social network to contact authorities
  • 35% would post a request for help directly on a response agency’s Facebook page
  • 28% would send a direct Twitter message to responders.

As more web users utilize social media sites to seek help for themselves or others, they fully expect emergency responders to be monitoring these sites and as a result responding quickly. 74% of people said that they expect help to come within an hour after their original Tweet or Facebook post.

“The first and best choice for anyone in an emergency situation is to call 9-1-1,” said Gail McGovern, American Red Cross president and CEO. “But when phone lines are down or the 9-1-1 system is overwhelmed, we know that people will be persistent in their quest for help and use social media for that purpose.”

With the popularity of social media sites continuing to grow, these sites have become  legitimate venues for seeking aid and assistance. They key is to have monitoring in place that allows for the help requests to be responded to in a timely manner.

To view the full results of the survey here: Social Media In Disasters & Emergencies

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Embracing Brand Transparency

29
July
2010

Brand transparency is evolving as an important issue due to social media. It’s important for brands to see this and adapt.


Krista Montes de Oca
Media Program Analyst

Social media has given us the tools to search anyone and anything we could possibly want to find. It’s also made it impossible to hide. We’re quicker to judge based on what we find on the internet, or by word of mouth. It’s not easy for companies and brands to hide anymore. Brands can do their best to market themselves the way they want, but in the end, it’s perceptions of the readers and consumers that are going to drive the brand.

With social media, it’s important for these companies to adapt to these means, and embrace the way they can be seen by their customers. The first step is for companies to be prepared for their transparency when thinking about social media and their marketing. The second step would be to engage the consumers in conversations around the brand, and help them understand your values and what you offer. It’s important to know what the customers want to hear. In some ways, allowing your customers to be your marketers for you, could spread the word even faster and be of great benefit to you.  Being open is the key to surviving social media, so don’t close yourself off!

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