Brandie Broihier | @brandienic

As you sit down this Sunday with your chips & dip, smart phone and wings, you’ll be joining the incredibly connected world that has become Super Bowl culture. Super Bowl Sunday, 2012 is leaps and bounds beyond the games of years past.

We will see brand engagement soar through social connectivity at the biggest television advertising event of the year. ”The big goal is to be the most connected Super Bowl ever, we think we’re going to be able to achieve that,” said Chairman of the Super Bowl Host Committee, Mark Miles.

Social Media Command Center

For the past two weeks, a team of nearly fifty social media experts have been working around the clock to interact in real time with fans arriving in Indianapolis for this year’s Super Bowl.  This Social Media Super Team will provide directions, Indianapolis local entertainment suggestions and other important information (such as what to do in case of an emergency at the stadium).

They will be able to pick up on keyword phrases like “parking is awful” and respond quickly with help. The command center has taken more than a year of planning to achieve and will run on over a mile of ethernet cable to fuel its success. From the main Super Bowl XLVI site, fans can access the social media command center’s activity through its management of the Super Bowl Facebook page, Flickr and Twitter accounts and the site’s blog.

Coca-Cola Polar Bowl

Coca-Cola’s famous polar bears have a new toy: a TV.   For the first time, Super Bowl fans can watch the polar bears react in real time to the game. Not only will the polar bears (who sport team scarves to support the Giants and the Patriots) comment about the game, the Coca-Cola polar bears will share their live reactions to the commercials, an event nearly as anticipated as the game itself.

RSVP at Coca-Cola’s website.  #GameDayPolarBears

Fan-Made Commercial Contests

Super Bowl anticipation has been underway for months, with the past few weeks gearing up to record-setting levels of communication about the “other” game: fan-made commercials that air in million dollar time slots.

Doritos hit the ground running again this year with Crash the Super Bowl.  As the pioneer of brand engagement via Super Bowl advertising, we’ve seen rejected ads go viral weeks before expected.

Take this already famous “rejected Doritos ad” for example:

The Super Bowl is, well, the Super Bowl of Advertising.  Brand engagement via contests continues to grow as an ingenious way to converse with customers and preserve the loyalty of consumers.

Social Media holds a sweet spot in the hearts of sports fans. 2011 saw record-setting tweets about Tim Tebow (9,420 tweets per second). And the only Facebook status that topped number of posts about the Packer’s win at last years game? The death of Osama bin Laden.

The 46th Super Bowl will take place on February 5, 2012 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 ET on NBC.

NY Giants vs. NE Patriots

References:
http://mashable.com/2012/01/21/super-bowl-xlvi-social-media/
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/162/super-bowl-ads-doritos-pepsi

By Rosalyn Eishen | @rosalynchoo

We’ve gathered and shared with you a list of top social media marketing professors on Twitter. You’ll recognize many of the names here from Social Media Magazine’s article  by @KentHuffman, and we’ve added a little more information about each professor. These professors each teach marketing, communications or something related and are all very active on Twitter.

	Eric Qualman – @EQualman Professor at Hult International Business School Socialnomics ☆ Author ☆ Keynote Speaker ☆ Spartan & Longhorn ☆ Superhero in name only – I do own a cape though Author of Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business.
	Mark Schaefer – @MarkWSchaefer Adjunct Professor at Rutgers University Chieftain of the social web’s most unique blog, {grow}. Consultant, college professor, author of Return On Influence and Tao of Twitter. Social Media Bouncer. Prolific social media blogger and author of several books.  In addition to his professorship at Rutgers University, he offers traditional classes and webinars through his website.
	Dave Saunders- @MadMain Adjunct Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University Chief Idea Officer @madisonmain Husband, Dad, Pee Wee Basketball Coach, Speaker, Advocate for small business….I wear a lot of hats. The man of many hats combines passions via social media platforms to connect with his followers.
	Patrick Strother- @PatrickStrother Visiting Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota Founder SCG PR. Teach advertising and PR at the University of Minnesota. Interests: PR, marketing, higher ed, public policy, playing the guitar. Patrick Strother has over 25 years experience in teaching marketing/PR.
	Crystal King- @Crystallyn Adjunct Professor at Boston University Social Media Maven @Keurig, Professor, PR pro, Novelist, Italophile, Bibliophile, Technophile. Follow me on G+ http://gplus.to/crystallyn Author and self-proclaimed foodie, oenophile, and geek.  Her website expresses her philosophy on social media and life.
	Dr. David Aaker- @DavidAaker Professor Emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley Vice-Chairman of @ProphetBrand, Executive Advisor to Dentsu, Professor Emeritus, UC Berkeley, Author of Brand Relevance: Making Competitors Irrelevant. Creator of the Aaker Model™ and has published more than 100 articles and 15 books.
	Jim Lyons- @JFlyons Professor at the University of Phoenix Printer industry participant and observer/writer/analyst; marketing and economics professor; technology fan. His monthly print column, “Observations”, appears in The Hard Copy Observer — a publication of Lyra Research.
	Kathy Magrino- @KathyMagrino Adjunct Professor at Rider University I’m Kathy Magrino – a writer, marketing consultant and adjunct instructor in the comm/journalism dept. at Rider U. I own my own biz: The Write Way, LLC. Kathy’s 15+ years of marketing experience have evolved with the times to include social media platforms.
	Michael Redwood- @MichaelRedwood Professor at the University of Bath Marketing guru and leather expert. Cradle to cradle enthusiast. Marketing specialist in the leather industry using social media to promote material versatility.
	Kelly O’Keefe- @KellyOKeefe Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University VCU Brandcenter Professor, Brand Builder, Cultural Observer, Creative Entrepreneur and Father of Four. Early web-pioneer and non-profit enthusiast, Kelly uses creativity and social media to further his passions.
	Joaquin Presas – @JoaquinPresas Professor at UniBrasil Diretor de Criação da pontodesign. Também sou professor universitário. In addition to being a university professor, he is also the Creative Director of a communications and design agency in Brazil.
	Kenneth Cossin- @Kenneth_Cossin Professor at Full Sail University Professor in Communications & Mobile Advertising in Internet Marketing. Hobbies are: amateur photographer, and artist. Alternative marketing guest speaker.
	Steve Shu- @SteveShu Assistant Professor at Irvine University Specialist in incubating new initiatives. Management Consultant, Business Development Professional, and Assistant Professor Focused on SLC (Sales Learning Curve) Advances. Over 18 years brand marketing experience.
	Johanna Skilling- @JohannaSk Adjunct Professor at New York University EVP/Strategy, Euro RSCG Life 4D. Adjunct Prof of marketing, brand strategy at NYU-SCPS. Author, speaker, redhead, chocoholic. All opinions my own. Naturally Frequently writes for @Life4D, a digital health agency that aims to simplify connections between people and health worldwide.
	Rob Croll- @RCroll Professor at Full Sail University Digital Marketing consultant, Program Manager for the Internet Marketing bachelor’s, master’s & certificate programs at Full Sail. Internet addict. Passionate about small business internet marketing & websites, SEO, pay-per-click, email, and social media.
	Dan Gorgone- @DanGorgone Professor at Full Sail University Web Design and Usability teacher – Internet Marketing programs at Full Sail University. Also: parenting podcaster, Red Sox fan. Internet marketing teacher, usability preacher, photoblogger.
	Doug Quintal- @BugSyph1 Professor at Emerson College Marketing/IMC Prof @ Emerson College. Punk musician & Rush (the band) fanatic. Hockey is my religion-Bruins & Canucks. Top Marketing Professors on Twitter (SMM) Frequently tweets about social media marketing and his favorite hockey team.
	Dr. Joann Wayman- @JoannWayman Professor at Columbia College Offical Twitter page for Dr. Wayman College Professor–Marketing,Consumer Behavior, Social Media, International Business Uses Twitter to share articles from the industry, trending topics, and valuable information for her students.
	Cindy McColley- @CindyMcColley Adjunct Professor at Michigan Technological University Work for GM as a Digital Marketer. Adjunct Professor at Michigan Tech University teaching Introduction to Digital Marketing. Cindy says she decided to create a blog to enable dialog and interaction between generations of new Social Media users. She believes participating in the media is the best way to learn how to become a great marketer.
	Dr. Raymond Fisk- @RayFiskTX Professor at Texas State University Professor of Marketing at Texas State University, service marketing scholar, service arts advocate. Service arts advocate in San Marcos, TX who tweets about current trends, news, and service marketing.

We want to hear from you how you use the most popular professional networking social media site, so we whipped up a short survey (only 10 questions, we promise) to get the low down on your LinkedIn profile practices.

Click Here To Take Our LinkedIn Survey Now

Curious about something we left out of the survey? Leave us a comment and we’ll be sure and ask in the next one!

Brandie Broihier | @brandienic

Last week, Google announced a new search feature called “Search Plus Your World.” Using Google+, the search engine will begin to filter your results using information obtained from your Google+ circles. So say you need to look-up your old friend Bob Smith. Normally, your friend would be hidden amongst thousands of pages because of his super common name. If you are logged into Google+, though, you will have a much better chance of finding the correct Bob Smith.

Sounds useful, right? Not everyone thinks so. Privacy watchdog EPIC filed a complaint with the FTC on Thursday, saying that “Google is using its search engine to create an unfair advantage for its social network. The report says Google is highlighting results from Google+ at the expense of pages that might be more relevant.”

Consider this in terms of profit. If your company is named Bob Smith’s Power Tools, and you primarily use Twitter to engage with customers, you could be in trouble when the guy with a Google+ account suddenly shows up pages ahead of you in searches. Google+ guy could snag your potential customers.

To illustrate the idea that the new search feature will not adequately serve consumers, Twitter general council Alex Macgillivray then tweeted an example of why he thought Google’s new results were inefficient: Google search results for the search term “@WWE” — yes, with the “@” symbol — that did not include the organization’s Twitter page.” The problem with this is the WWE has more Twitter followers than does Google+, thus making the results not optimum for most consumers.

Google responded that they have never indexed the @ symbol, and furthermore, Twitter is responsible for being excluded from Google search engine results as they let their contract agreement with Google end in July of 2011. Google denies intent to harm Twitter, while Twitter insists this is a strategic move to optimize Google+.

While Google+ is the newcomer to the Social Media scene, it is backed by the full power of the Heavyweight Champion of the Internet. So what does this mean from a Social Media perspective? Your business had better be sure you have a Google+ profile. Share every post on Google+ too, make sure you have Google+ buttons on your posts and, most importantly: keep building relationships with people!

Social Media Delivered (@socialmediadel) can help.

References: 
http://mashable.com/2012/01/13/ftc-google-plus/
http://mashable.com/2012/01/12/google-twitter-social-search-at-symbol/
http://mashable.com/2012/01/12/watchdog-ftc-google-social-search-unfair/
http://mashable.com/2012/01/11/twitter-google-smackdown/

Brandie Broihier | @BrandieNic

James Wood Motors was recently featured on the Faces of GM blog as a car dealership who knows how to effectively use social media to engage with customers. A Dallas based dealership, James Wood uses their online presence to talk with current and potential customers without using sales pressure. Their goal is to participate in conversations about vehicles they sell; not to say “hey, come buy a car here.”

This customer engagement has worked wonders for James Wood Motors. An especially involved group are the Chevrolet “Mommy Bloggers,” who get discussions going and really enjoy providing feedback on their vehicles, purchasing experiences, and motherhood in general. James Wood prides themselves on post-sale involvement by answering vehicle questions in the customer’s preferred platform; be it the phone, fax, facebook, or twitter.

By using social media as a platform for discussion, James Wood is able to inspire confidence in buyers and continue to build a loyal customer base. If a customer wants to talk about a car via twitter all the way up until signing the papers, the dealership will make that happen. Their mantra is “social media isn’t about technology, it’s about people.”

James Wood Motors is continually improving their game by staying on top of the social media trends and tailoring themselves to what really works for the customer. I see this as not only a great way to improve business, but a way to make business about more than just car buying. Through online communication, they are able to help customers with questions in the most effective environment: the one the customer chooses.

Find James Wood Motors on twitter @JamesWoodMotors

http://www.facesofgm.com/2012/01/03/amanda-williams-engaging-with-customers-online/

Brandie Broihier | @brandienic

Have you heard of Stella & Dot? Here’s the low-down:

Stella & Dot is the direct-sales organization based in San Francisco that fuses Mary Kay structure with Social Media to bring in a new generation of sellers.  Called “stylists,” women are showing off their selling finesse with classic product showings mixed with modern technology.  The basic concept is the same; stylists host trunk shows and attempt to sell products.

The twist is that each stylist is given an E-commerce website of her own (24-hour sales, think of the 3 a.m. shopping possbilites!) that she can then promote with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and more.  If Mary Kay is the grandmother of direct-selling, Stella & Dot is the granddaughter of the beauty supply mogul we love.  In fact, CEO Jessica Herrin and her Chief Creative Officer, Blythe Harris named the company after their grandmothers.

Stella & Dot is a clear example of how using social media to promote your business is not only beneficial, it is essential to pulling in customers.  Building a network of stylists is much quicker through the use of Facebook and Twitter. A “star stylist,” who has a network of stylists beneath her, is not regionally limited.  Whether your company sells jewelry or hardwood flooring, online platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc. will help increase profits as it draws in a new audience.  An audience which continues to grow every day.

Using the key concept of “social selling,” CEO Jessica Herrin’s company boomed in only 6 years to a valuation of $370 million.  I think Stella & Dot is doing it right.  “Stella & Dot leverages tools its predecessors didn’t have in their heydays: a powerful fusion of e-commerce and social media. Trunk shows provide face time and fun girls’ nights, but customers also can shop 24/7 on their stylists’ pages on the company website,” says investor  Alfred Lin.

Stella & Dot is clear in their message. Outstanding products and smart stylists are the heart of this enterprise, but social media is a must-have platform in which the company will continue to grow.  Mary Kay may be less focused on their online presence than S & D, but they aren’t far behind.

Stella & Dot has me thinking about the social media aspect of their design. It really does appeal to the tech savvy, socially connected crew. They are bringing in a whole new generation of women into the direct-sales, trunk shows and girls nights, wine, and awesome costume jewelry concept. Stella & Dot’s Star Stylists don’t drive a pink cadillac (unless they just want to), but do salute the Mary-Kay women of prestige.

References:
http://www.chron.com/life/article/Stella-Dot-jewelry-redefines-social-shopping-2132555.php#photo-1542842
http://allthingsd.com/20110110/sequoia-bets-37-million-on-modern-day-mary-kay-stella-dot/

Angelo Fernandez | @abfsra

Many companies, especially the smaller ones, don’t target the Hispanic and Latino audience. Some businesses choose not to because they don’t have research on the Hispanic/Latino base or aren’t sure how to specifically market to them. But probably the biggest reason is the language barrier which many companies don’t have the staff for. You have to have bilingual staff that can produce premium content in Spanish and interact with consumers in the language as well. But even those reasons shouldn’t be enough to deter companies from this potential goldmine.

Over the last decade the Hispanic population in the U.S.  grew by 15.2 million. To put that in perspective the total population of the United States has increased 27.3 million over the last decade, meaning Hispanics have accounted for over half the total increase. As of 2010 Hispanics/Latinos accounted for roughly 16% of the entire population of the United States.

The growth is identical online, Hispanics are connecting twice as fast (14% to 7%) as the general market. Over the years and after various studies it has also become evident that Hispanics spend more time on their social media channels than many other demographic groups do.

And as you see from the numbers above, social media is a wonderfully easy and cost-effective way to reach out to the Hispanic/Latino audience. There are over 8 million on Twitter and over 13 million on Facebook. What is really interesting is that the language preferences for both platforms were nearly identical. Nearly half of online users preferred English, about 1/4 had no preference and roughly 1/3 would rather have their content in Spanish.

The organization #LATISM (Latinos in social media) has been formed as a place for people who use any social media channels to get together and interact among themselves. And as you can see from their 2011 Award Winners there is an incredibly wide array of Latinos/Hispanics using social media across different channels.

Although I haven’t given any solutions on how to better market to Latinos/Hispanics, I hope that I have provided enough information for you and your business to begin going after that new audience. Every company, person and business will have their own solution and method but you can’t simply ignore the growing presence of Latinos and Hispanics on social media.

Brandie Broihier | @brandienic

Businesses are ringing in the new year with evolving social media marketing strategies. We are trending towards a shift in how companies increase revenue through online video, media sites, and web apps. While companies have focused on brand awareness for awhile, the time has come to fine-tune the paradigm and explore what exactly it is that their customers respond best to.

So what IS brand engagement? Intern Keegan Sidhu explains:

By shifting funds from basic brand displays to methods that encourage interaction like Facebook and Twitter streams, customers become engaged in daily banter with companies with whom they already do business. Agencies said boosts to online video budgets would most come at the expense of display (43%), indicating a general move away from less dynamic ad formats, such as banner ads, in favor of those with greater engagement potential.  Now you can directly reach your revenue base where they spend the most time: online social interaction. 

Why are companies shifting their advertising budgets? Simple. The benefits of using social media to increase profits are increasingly obvious. Brand engagement helps create a loyal consumer base, and this base is more likely not only to spend, but to continue to spend and increase profits exponentially. Using social media to interact with and engage customers is proven as an effective method to increase profits and consumer loyalty.

Advertisers are quick to mention that while an engaging online presence is vital to business growth, the idea is to complement TV adds, not to replace them all together. In fact, more agencies said they would pull funds from print advertising before TV adds. “Though findings appear to suggest advertisers and agencies are shifting budgets away from TV toward video ads, more than half (56%) of respondents viewed online video as a direct complement to—and not a replacement for—their TV ad programs.”

Many companies plan to use online video as a springboard to capture their audience’s interest, and then bring them into interactive mode via their media sites and mobile apps. While mobile apps are a growing area of interest, they are not as focused as online media as few publishers support the adds. However, businesses who combine social media, online video, print, TV, and mobile will spread their video footprint across as many screens as possible to increase brand engagement.

The way I see it, as more businesses begin to move away from brand awareness to social media engagement, they show acceptance of the web as a better way to directly engage viewers in a dynamic way. I think 2012 will bring evolving methods of engagement as businesses continue to grow revenue bases by interacting more directly with their customer base.

Sources:  http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008755&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4

CEO, Eve Mayer Orsburn (@LinkedInQueen) is scheduled to speak at the Pink Elephant Conference in Las Vegas in February of 2012. Known as “the world’s best IT Service Management conference,” the conference teaches attendees to go beyond just theory to achieve true business value and outcomes. Eve will be speaking on her book, The Social Media Business Equation.