Some businesses say otherwise. Wixon Jewelers Online Marketing Director Jayme Pretzloff thinks that social media is going to be more important for sales than any other metric in 2013, as the platform continues to receive user acceptance and integrates into the overall marketing strategy.

70% consumers suggested that social media didn’t have any impact on their purchase decision in 2011, a percentage that was cut in half in 2012. Such statistics provide helpful insights to marketers as they look to make the most out of their time and investment.

Policies of social media companies also had a significant impact on referrals. There was a time when a post on Facebook fan page was seen by every follower/fan of the brand, but after policy changes, any post shared by a brand today is only seen by 10% of the total number of people following the page. Unfortunately, and fortunately for Facebook, you now need to pay for greater outreach.

This also shows that just because a particular social network has a huge user base doesn’t mean it’s an ideal place to get referrals. For example, tech sites usually concentrate a lot on Facebook, but they would be better off with Google+.

Likewise, a DIY jewelry brand may not get any retweets, but drive loads of traffic from Pinterest. Trying and testing the engagement ratio (the percentage of fans responding/number of fans present on the page) on different sites can help your brand to create a better online experience.

It is also important to note at this point that though referrals through social media are crucial for brand awareness, you shouldn’t give a wide berth to other referral resources. Doing so would be a BIG mistake. This is because social media doesn’t have the same level of intimacy as other sources of referrals like face-to-face networking, phone call, live chat etc.

The right approach

Some brands are smart enough to use all sources. For example, Blinds.com, told us “We encourage customers to refer Blinds.com on social media, and we also invite customers to contact us via phone or live video chat if they have any questions about our products. Referrals are important to us, as is customer retention; over 60% of our business comes from referral or repeat customers.” Food for thought.

However, other forms of referral networking can turn out to be inefficient, which is the main reason why social media referrals have a future in business marketing. It’s not a surprise to see businesses, especially new ones, struggle at networking events. The end result can be hours spent at a networking, only to walk away with a couple of business cards (Zoinks).

Social media, when being used as a major referral tool, should be supported by creative and relevant content. Businesses that establish themselves as credible and trustworthy providers of fun, inspiring and highly engaging content will be able to reach thousands of prospects through social channels. It requires a significant amount of time and investment, so it’s time that you take a closer look at your customer preferences and content sharing strategy.

Photo Credit: Social Media Referrals/shutterstock

Source: socialmediatoday.com

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The update will allow verified users (those with the blue check marks) to filter their Twitter mentions within the “Connect” tab above their feed.

Verified users can now view their mentions in three separate categories: all, filtered, and verified. The idea is to help those users identify the conversations that may be most important to them by sifting out the spam.

Viewing connections in the “Verified” category will only show mentions by other verified users. Users who view mentions under the “Filtered” category will see posts “based on an algorithm we use to filter out spam,” wrote Product Manager Ed Gutman in the company’s blog post.

The new perk is another way to encourage Twitter’s most popular users to stay active on the platform. Last month, Facebook confirmed that it was also working on a VIP-only app to encourage celebs to engage more regularly with fans.

On Twitter any user can, in theory, get a message in front of any other user on the platform. Making it easier to sift through those messages may encourage the verified users to interact more readily with others through tweets — or it may mean that VIPs will be more likely to stick to themselves.

For now, the new feature will only be available on the site’s web version, although Twitter plans to bring it to mobile at some point in the future, wrote Gutman.

Do you believe this will increase engagement on Twitter? Tell us in the comments below.

Images: Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images, Twitter

The post Twitter Unveils Exclusive Feature For Verified Users – Twitter Verified Profile appeared first on Digitrock.

The country will witness Lok Sabha (Lower House) elections in 2014. Once again we would see the politicians coming out on the streets, knocking the doors of the common man and begging for their valuable votes. Political party promotions would see a lot of investments made for social media. The All India Congress Party, that has been ruling the country for the last two terms, has finally started scouting for a suitable digital or social media agency. The story was reported by Excahnge4Media.

The call for a pitch from various digital and social media agencies would be monitored by Deepender Singh Hooda, Member of Parliament, Haryana, and Vikramjeet Singh, President, Punjab Youth Congress. However, Digvijay Singh, Congress General Secretary will be taking the final decision for assigning the duties to the chosen agency.

With less than a year’s time, the AICC has pulled up its socks to create a better presence, impress the youth especially from urban areas and to manage its online reputation along with counter attacking its biggest rival party. The move is nothing to be appreciated for two reasons – 1) It is a late move, and 2) Politicians think that social media is still a supplement and has a long way to go before it becomes main stream.

The last time we had heard from AICC was when it had planned to rope in Twitter influentials like Shashi Tharoor, Shah Rukh Khan, Shabana Azmi and other techno savvy leaders to spread its message. The idea is to have these eminent personalities who have a great presence on social media, to drive the AICC party’s message. These would not only deal countering negative sentiments but also disseminate information about the party’s stand on trending issues and also the accomplishments of the party.

Getting a specialized agency would definitely change things but will that be enough to save the soul of AICC online or compete against a party like BJP who have been the torch bearers at least on social media. Furthermore, how would AICC handle the situation if there is an early election in 2013?

Image courtesy: www.ndtv.com

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Sick of your car? Use #wantnewcar to tell us why and you might get a special one of these: https://t.co/TwIHMFUfzV

— Honda (@Honda) July 15, 2013

The videos will be filmed and uploaded on the same day and customized to each user’s feedback. “If a user mentions needing a new car to pick up a pizza, that Vine video response may feature a Honda dealer offering a great deal … with a mouth full of pepperoni,” Susie Rossick, a senior manager at Honda, said in a statement.

Here are a couple early examples:

Hey @bwidow752006, head to the Honda Summer Clearance Event & stop wondering: https://t.co/Tw83GrkWpX #WantNewCar

— Honda (@Honda) July 15, 2013

Hey @that_zguy, stop by the Honda Summer Clearance Event and meet some new friends: https://t.co/GxPuctq4Z2 #wantnewcar

— Honda (@Honda) July 15, 2013

Other companies like Urban Outfitters and Marc Jacobs have also turned to Vine for marketing. Nissan, another car company, recently asked for Vine and Instagram video submissions for a TV commercial.

What do you think of Honda’s new ad campaign? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Image courtesy of YouTube, Honda

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Statistics suggest that the amount of time the average person now spends on Facebook exceeds the amount of time he/she spends watching television. This would imply that the opportunity for seeing advertisements on Facebook is potentially larger than it is on television. This especially holds true today, in the age of digital television, when commercials can be very easily skipped by users, who simply fast-forward them.

Another important fact is pointed out by Adam Berke, president of retargeting firm and FBX partner AdRoll, who say that News Feed ads are basically bought on a per-insertion basis. That is, if a user sees a News Feed ad when checking Facebook on their work computer and then the same ad again when checking Facebook on their home computer, the advertiser only pays for the initial impression, no matter how many times the same user sees it. This is significant, because costs involved in television advertising are very high, as each repeat airing of a TV commercial costs as much as the first. Moreover, there are length constraints in television advertisements, they are short and do not convey much about the product.

A further advantage of Facebook advertising is the ability to reach smart-phone users.

Nutella is employing the decades-old marketing mix model (MMM) – a nuanced sales attribution system for integrated campaigns – to measure the effectiveness of Facebook ads. They combined Facebook ads with TV spots and other paid channels in Germany during December 2011, attributing 15 percent of sales from the yuletide campaign to its Facebook ads. In terms of RoI, the brand told ClickZ that Facebook ads outperformed the TV spend, according to its MMM data.

Socially multiplied advertising, the core of which is contagious brand-owned content on social platforms, is roughly 100 times more cost-efficient for brand advertising than primetime TV on a cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM) basis. – Kirk Cheyfitz, Wallblog, UK

One key piece of research that must not be ignored is the Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising survey. The survey’s 2012 edition revealed that 92% of consumers worldwide trust recommendations of friends and family when making purchase decisions and 70% trust recommendations from strangers online. The same survey showed that, at most, only 47% of consumers trust traditional ads—TV, newspaper and magazines. Trust in such traditional ads has gone down the slope in the past three years, according to Nielsen.

Considering human psychology, Nielsen’s data suggests that having a friend or stranger deliver a brand message online through social media is 1.5 to 2 times more likely to influence behavior than delivering the same message in a TV ad.

Do you agree that Facebook advertising is the way to go in the current market? Share your thoughts with us.

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The new design is simpler, cleaner and more intelligible. Stats that were previously rolled in together (i.e., “People Talking About This”) have been broken down into separate charts that allow Page owners to individually measure the reach and engagement (likes, comments, clicks and shares) of individual posts. Additional charts make it easier for users to see what kinds of posts — say, those with videos, or ones targeted to certain groups — have better reach or more positive engagement than others. Owners can also now break down demographic behavior on individual posts to see, for example, if one was their Pages are better at engaging women ages 18 to 24, or men older than 65.

No changes are being made to the Page Insights export or API for now, Gayln Burke, a product marketing manager for Facebook, told Mashable in a phone interview Tuesday. Once Facebook has taken and incorporated feedback from the beta testing period, Insights will be rolled out to other Page owners, but Burke could not confirm whether that would happen before the end of the year.

For a visual overview of the changes, check out the before and after screenshots below

Old overview tab:

New overview tab:

Old post analysis:

New post analysis:

New “people engaged” tab (by demographic):

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Twitter is becoming an increasingly important platform for online communication and, yes, conversation. TechCrunch reported that Twitter is receiving 8 million unique visitors per month and about 3 million messages are posted daily.

• Twitter As A Learning Tool

Over 3 million messages are posted everyday. Are you mentioned in any of them? What about your company? This might be a good time to find out. Twitter provides a search engine that allows you plug-in company names, brand names, topics and even personal names. How is your buzz level? Are there any negative comments out there? If I were you, I’d use the search engine to check in a regular basis.

• Use Twitter as a Media Outlet

You can use Twitter to post news or updates about your company or products. However, please don’t do this before you become familiar with the format and etiquette of Twitter. The best way to do this is to post a link to the full content of the news or update. Think of what’s valuable to your consumers and let them hear about it first on Twitter. You’ll be amazed how your following will grow.

• A Promotional Palace

It’s not uncommon for companies to post promotions, sales, or specials on Twitter. An example would be Dell, they do it well. It’s important to remember that Twitter is about conversation and breaking news, so be sure if you are posting promotional information that you make it conversational and personal. If I want an ad, I’ll turn on TV.

• Create Character in Your Brand

Twitter is a fantastic tool in giving your brand a voice and a personality. Being successful in Twittering, you will have to put forth your personality and a unique style. That’s what makes the difference and can increase your Twitter following and make it a successful marketing tool for you.

• Customer Service and Chit Chat

As you begin to use Twitter you will notice that it’s all about conversation. It’s about talking to your prospects and consumers, interacting with them. If you are not going to do this, don’t use Twitter as a marketing tool, it simply won’t work. Make friends, be a friend and reply. Show your followers that you want to engage and be involved with them – this provides optimal customer service and that you are, in fact, personable.

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But in this Sunday Comic, our friends Nitrozac and Snaggy at The Joy of Tech show that Google CEO Larry Page doesn’t agree. Should Page fear a Facebook OS?

Comic illustration provided by The Joy of Tech. All rights reserved.

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