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Until now, Twitter developers had to work with individual tweets on their own, pulling out hashtags, @ mentions, links and other such data.

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After reading The Age of Engage by Denise Shiffman, I felt that it was one of those rare books that clearly explains the implications (for organizations) of adopting online marketing strategies. Having the opportunity to talk with Denise about her book and her perspectives was not only stimulating, but also, incredibly enlightening. The conversation started off with an excellent mental exercise when Denise posited, “What would you do if TV and print went away?”

This simple conjecture certainly focuses your mind in order to more clearly comprehend the paradigm shift that is happening in marketing, today. Basically, instead of marketing being a monologue, digital technologies have made it possible to have conversations with your customers: a proposition which can be frightening if the company in question isn’t a good “conversationalist.” According to Denise, if that happens to be the case and said company embarks on a social media strategy without anything interesting to talk about, it’s likely that few customers will engage (as has happened to some brands).

Denise explained that a social media strategy is much more than making use of some tools. It involves thinking about what your brand stands for and what you want to communicate. More importantly, it’s about being authentic and building trust and conversing with your prospects and customers where they happen to be. This is quite a change from traditional media where companies have been accustomed to controlling a specific message, which is relayed through a few well-established channels (e.g., print, television, etc.) to a mass audience. There’s only one problem as Denise pointed out, customers are listening less and less to these mass messages.

Thanks to her unique background which includes a degree in Sociology, a Masters in Business and stints as a Vice President of Marketing for companies such as Sun Microsystems, Denise brings her own distinct perspective to the intersection of marketing and digital technologies. Specifically, she finds the current convergence of people’s behavior and the state of technological development truly exciting. Even more, according to her, technology is actually allowing companies to behave more like real people.

When I brought up the Latin American market, she was quick to mention the fact that a country such as Brazil is known to have speedily adopted social networking technologies. Indeed, studies have shown that Latin Americans and Hispanics have great adopters of social networking and are among the most active networkers once they adopt these platforms.

User adoption is great, but why are so many companies in Latin America basically ignoring their users by not engaging them more on these platforms? When I asked Denise this, she relayed her observations from about seven years ago in the US, when social media was just ramping up. At that time, there was a notable generational gap between company directors (including CEO’s) and their younger workforce. While younger workers were blogging and adopting these technologies, many C-level executives were almost oblivious to the changes taking place. From what I’ve observed, a similar situation (there are some differences) is playing out in Latin America.

As Denise explained, the Internet offers an incredibly cost-effective, measurable platform for engaging customers. Ignoring this runs the risk of tarnishing your reputation, which is exactly what happened to Dell several years ago when customers filled the social networking “air waves” with tales of the company’s customer service failures. Back then, Dell was ill-prepared to respond to such communications and its image suffered as a result. Such situations have a way of hitting the bottom line relatively quickly and the company has since improved markedly in this area.

As Denise points out, there is a convergence of how people behavior and the maturation of digital technologies, which can only serve to accelerate the changes already underway. Even companies that one would not normally associate with the digital technology adoption such as Indium Corporation, a metal alloy and solder manufacturer, are engaging more deeply with customers through a well thought out blogging and online strategy. It’s up to Latin American companies whether they, too, wish to take advantage of these tools. The alternative is to bet exclusively on traditional media while their customers flock to digital media looking for interesting conversations.

Alan Colmenares is an entrepreneur and editor of http://TropicalGringo.com/english, a blog dedicated to Digital Innovation.

I absolutely loved David Meerman Scott’s book The New Rules of Marketing and PR and he doesn’t disappoint in World Wide Rave. ~ Creating Triggers That Get Millions of People to Spread Your Ideas and Share Your Stories.

This book has become a trusty reference guide and source of inspiration. Dog-eared pages & multiple sticky notes peek out to remind me of new projects and ways to really engage and build relationships with social media.

While I’m not going to give you all of the content, I will share some points that really stuck with me and I encourage you to add this to your learning library. Especially if you’re still mystified by social media. Trust me, you need to dive in NOW. To start, my personal tip is to be you and be authentic. With that being said, here are some things I love about what Meerman-Scott shares.

First, I love the use of the word “rave” in the title. Think about it…do you want people to “rant” or to “rave” about your business? While it’s true that people share negative stories regarding customer service and brand experience far more often than they share the good things – I think we all strive to be a business person that receives the “rave.”

Some of the key points Meerman-Scott shares:

• Nobody cares about your products except you (it’s true – they care about what you or your product will do for them).
• Offer something for nothing (not a new concept but a new approach – ditch the “opt-in” in some instances & be of service).
• Engage your audience – don’t talk at them – talk with them (incorporate video, conversations and feedback in what you do).

These points are crucial to your social media success. Often traditional marketers, both Internet and ad agency types, jump on the bandwagon of social media and damage their brands and reputation by using traditional or direct response techniques. This not only alienates people you should be building relationships with (potential clients, customers and colleagues), it’s a clear sign that you haven’t done your homework. Not a slick way to win new business or build relationships.

I’ve actually received a lot of flack for giving away a free press release template, too. My traditional mentors say I should be selling. I say it’s a relationship building, lead generation tool that comes from the heart. The bottom line?! Do what feels right to you. Grab a copy of this book and start building social media relationships the right way. And, most important, be of service.

Lisa Manyon is a Professional copywriter and Marketing strategist. Her work has been featured by the National Association of Women Writers, Absolute Write, Copywriting TNT, Lewiston Tribune and more.Get a Free Copywriting Action Plan & discover 7 Power-packed Insider Tricks of the Copywriting Trade to Dramatically Increase Sales of your Products & Services http://www.lisamanyon.com

What do you think? Will these tips work?

They worked with Intuit creating two very different ideas. The task was to take the popular international brand name of Quickbooks away from simply “accountancy software” and bring it more towards “the software any small business can’t be without”.

They created two solutions, the first being the production of a quirky animation, making a hero of Quickbooks who changes the life of one rather depressed small businessman. The second was a set of short videos, supposedly captured for real at a pitching session full of wacky characters trying to sell their own ideas for adverts to the Intuit executives.

Integrating a selection of finished videos into over 25 social networking platforms, they became instantly viewable around the world. Intuit were also able to monitor click-thru’s and view count to bounce-rates, creating invaluable feedback for their marketing.

A viral campaign like this can work wonders, because in a really cost effective way you are creating brand awareness and driving traffic to your website.

What do you think? Is this something that you can integrate into your business marketing strategy?

Author: mwsmedia00

As the title suggests this resource is about how can maximize various social media platforms by spending just a little bit of time each day. The book is jammed pack with great content, tips and techniques. The book first starts with a basic overview of the various forms of social media, from MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and others.

The book is written in a conversational tone and it is easy to follow and understand. My wife read it and absorbed it all and she is one of the least technical people I know. The best part of the book is the format. Each chapter starts off with summarizing a key point and then ends with an exercise. This is the first book I have seen that is designed to be a planner and a workbook. It was very helpful to devise a plan and create easy to follow action items to get started.

The one criticism I have, is that there was no discussion of Twitter at all. Instead there was a chapter devoted to Socialvibe. I have never heard of Socialvibe and I just skipped right over that chapter. In closing, I would recommend this book to anyone that is looking to promote and market their product or service over the Internet.

Dan Keller is a pro blogger and runs a blog that teaches people How to Blog and also runs a site that helps bloggers increase awareness.

Online business hints will also feature strategies for internet marketing, including, but not limited to search engine optimization, article marketing and social media strategies.

We look forward to bringing all of this goodness to you as soon as possible, so please check back regularly!

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