Let’s talk about ROI, the sales funnel, and expectations for social media. Whenever I hear someone talk about ROI in social media, it almost always follows that they had ample opportunity and were simply unable to capitalize on it. It’s a classic case of blaming the tool for operator failure. Every sales-oriented organization has its [...]

The following 10 trends have been observed on the front lines of social media work here in Mississippi. Please review this document as it may indicate a coming shift in your social media strategy.At a glance: Buy Facebook Ads. Focus on Social Reach. Utilize Facebook’s Open Graph. Maintain a Softer Emphasis on Promotions. Sharpen Your [...]

Many of you have asked about Google+. To date, my response has been along the lines of “wait and see.” After all, let’s not forget that Google+ is Google’s third venture (both Buzz and Wave were miserable failures) into social media…fourth if you count Orkut. Google has traditionally been much more adept at acquiring social [...]

Patty Peck Honda recently wrapped up the “Help My Honda” contest. Contestants were asked to submit a video explaining why they deserved to have their Honda made over by Patty Peck. While early involvement was slow, the contest quickly gained momentum as 20 contestants generated a huge amount of buzz for the promotion. During the [...]

Southern Beverage recently wrapped up the “Sing & Dance Your Way to Paradise” video contest, in which a trip to Bud Light’s annual Port paradise cruise was given away to the contestant with the most votes. Participants were asked to upload a video of themselves performing their “trip theme song” should they be selected to [...]

This article is a paraphrase of a white paper written by Mojoloco partner Ellison Belt. For a complete explanation and budget range of each cost category, download the full white paper here. *   *   * Under-budgeting can lead to very bitter experience for marketing directors that set out with the best of intentions, seeking to [...]

SEO — search engine optimization — is one of the most important marketing activities available to companies and publishers, but it’s too often considered some murky “dark art” or a sinful practice that should be avoided. It’s not. To help clear away some of the mystery and fear for those new to SEO, and provide [...]

We’ve been huge proponents of Facebook policy…we preach almost on a daily basis about the potential dangers of violating Facebook Terms of Service and Promotion Guidelines. We tell stories of violators who have received cease and desist phone calls and/or letters from Facebook. Most folks tend to waive it off, believing that “it won’t happen [...]

Many Facebook failures begin with businesses following the old adage “build it and they will come.” That strategy is a holdover from traditional website design, and often leads companies to design a static, noninteractive informational page on Facebook that ends up being ignored.

This article contains some very helpful do’s and don’t's from Jim Belosic, co-founder and president of Pancake Laboratories.

Yes, they do have policies. Yes, they do enforce them. Yes, most businesses violate them coming and going. Folks, please read and comprehend the guidelines. Pasted in full below, linked from Facebook here. Promotions Guidelines Date of Last Revision: May 11, 2011 These Promotion Guidelines, along with the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, the Ad [...]