ROI = $ not #
Return on Investment (ROI) measurement is something that is hard to define, especially on the social media front. The following presentation, by Olivier Blanchard, provides a humorous, yet effective means of clarifying what ROI is and how it can be measured.
Don't Forget the Face Behind the Name
On Friday I had the opportunity to attend the Social Media Business Forum in Durham, N.C. The day-long event featured not only great speakers, but great conversation among attendees (conversation not only in person, but on Twitter too! #smbf) Check out the event site for a glimpse at the impressive line up.
Having the opportunity to finally meet several people in person that I had already been following on Twitter further drove home one of my favorite takeaways from the keynote panel session:
Marketing is no longer categorized as B2B or B2C – P2P (person to person) marketing has re-emerged through the use of social media for open conversation and relationship building.
Panelists emphasized that businesses now have to re-learn how to talk to people. They cannot build their brand simply by providing stats or information; they must build their brand through relationships.
“With P2P it doesn’t matter what company you work for, you don’t sell to or buy from a building or logo, you interact with a person”
It is important to remember that there are real people behind each and every Twitter handle, blog and Facebook page – people who can influence the success of your personal, professional or product brand name.
La Familia is an Institution – Part 1
What comes first in your life?
For some people, it could be their career.
Their ambitions.
Their dreams.
Their goals.
For Latinos, family comes first.
It shapes the way we look at the world.
The way we look at ourselves.
The way we make our decisions.
Especially the big ones.
How do you feel about the following statement?
“When it comes to important things in my life, I almost always seek the opinion of my extended family members.”
50% of all Hispanics agreed, compared to only 33% of non-Hispanic whites.*
How about this one?
“In my family, we discuss everyday things together before making a decision.”
60% of Hispanics agreed, compared to only 45% of African-Americans and 48% of non-Hispanic whites .*
Family is an important part of how Hispanics define themselves.
That’s why it can often be more important to target and market to la familia, rather than strictly to individuals.
:: :: ::
Next time we’ll continue talking about targeting la familia.
And provide a couple of examples of how savvy advertisers have done so successfully.
Stay tuned.
*Source: Yankelovich Monitor Multicultural Marketing Study, 2006.
NC State Fair – Favorite Food?
Yesterday was the last day of the North Carolina State Fair, which had a record attendance of 877,941 this year.
I made it out last night to stuff my face with some delicious unhealthy food that you can only get at the fair. My favorite? Woody’s Buffalo Chicken Rangoon. It was amazing.
What was your favorite food at the fair this year?
And the crown goes to…
Our very own social media guru, Sarah Findle, will be passing down her crown this Saturday as the 2008 Elon University Homecoming Queen.
Good Luck Sarah!
Google Analytics Adds New Features
Google Analytics has added some new features that enable tracking of mobile websites and mobile apps, the ability to set engagement goals, the ability to filter based on different metric conditions and use multiple custom variables. Another new feature is called Analytics Intelligence. It will provide automatic alerts of significant changes in the data patterns of your site metrics and dimensions over daily, weekly and monthly periods. Very cool stuff! Check out the video: 
Read the entire article here.
Living the Hispanic Dream
How do you define the American Dream?
According to Wikipedia, it’s “a national ethos of the United States of America in which democratic ideals are perceived as a promise of prosperity for its people.”
James Truslow Adams is credited with having coined the term in his 1931 book The Epic of America, in which he states that it’s “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.”
And some have defined it a bit more succinctly as “success, fame, and wealth through thrift and hard work.”
Turns out Latinos believe in the American Dream.
They come to the United States for the same reason every wave of immigrants before them did.
Including the Founding Fathers.
To build a better life.
The U.S. offers them the opportunity to make that dream come true.
That’s why, like the Founding Fathers and every other wave of immigrants before them, they have been willing to serve — and even die for — this country.
Remember the ship’s captain who shouted, “Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead!“? The guy who went on to become the U.S. Navy‘s first admiral?
Sure, you do. But did you know he was Hispanic?
Sí, señor.
David Farragut‘s father Jorge was born on the Spanish island of Minorca and had served in the American Revolutionary War.
And the admiral and his father aren’t the only Hispanics the U.S. military can boast of.
Did you know that more than 1.1 million Latinos have served honorably in the U.S. armed forces?
Or that 41 Hispanics have won the Congressional Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest military award for valor in action?
Twenty of them posthumously.
Latinos believe in the American Dream.
And have been willing to lay down their life for it.
:: :: ::
Next time we’ll talk about what comes first for Latinos.
And we’ll continue to talk about why understanding their values is important.
Stay tuned.
Video: B2B Social Media Panel at Blog World Expo 2009
I shared notes on my Blog World Expo panel about B2B Social Media. Originally I thought about about sharing my detailed notes as a follow up post, but I was able to have the entire panel recorded! Check out the panel below:
Thanks to everyone who attended the session!
Howard, Merrell & Partners Promotes Curtis to Senior Account Executive
Curtis is the agency’s public relations lead on two major accounts: outdoor efforts for CORDURA® brand fabric and Georgia-Pacific Professional Food Services Solutions, best known for the DIXIE® line of products. Since joining Howard, Merrell & Partners in early 2007, Curtis has also serviced key accounts including: Colonial Bank, O2 Fitness, MVP Baseball, Vaco and CleanWater Scientific.
Curtis has served on the board of directors for the American Advertising Federation – Raleigh-Durham Chapter (AAF-RDU) and the Interfaith Food Shuttle. She also volunteered on the public relations committee for Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities toast benefit, and the planning committee for Hospice of Wake County’s Big Bad Ball. Just last year Triangle Catalyst magazine named her one of the Top 10 Young Professionals Under 35 in the Triangle.
Blog World Expo Panel: Using A Blog As A Community Spring Board
Blog World Expo had many great panels. I was able to to get some video clips from some of the better discussions. Below check out the video for the “Using Your Blog As a Community Springboard Panel”.
If you are looking at building a community of your own or leveraging a community for your business, then the panelists had some helpful information to share.
