Graphite: A New Social Commerce Platform

Yesterday brought the arrival of a new social platform for S-Commerce or what most refer to as Social Commerce. This new platform is called Graphite and is being brought to us by the 8^thBridge Technology Company under the direction of Wade Gerten. Graphite, in its simplest form is a monthly fee based Suite of plug-ins, built for the new coming Social Commerce, which enables brands to leverage social media without giving up any sort of brand control.  By using Graphite, Brands can better tailor their content to create Shoppable stories, promotions, and Ads for particular products on Facebook. (more…)

OH CANADA! How our neighbors to the north feel about Social Media!

Looking to expand your business “near shore”? Canada is a great market to start. Our neighbors to the North are more like us Americans then many think. Here’s the run down – InternetWorldStats.com estimated Canada’s total population in 2011 at 34,030,589 million and about 79% of those Canadians are Internet users (26,960,000 million internet users). Canada’s high online activity, cultural similarities to the U.S., and close location make it a great market for your business to connect with Canadian consumers, but that’s just it. A recent report by Edelman.ca shows us that although trust in social media has increased in Canada, it is still low. Companies should use Social Media as a way to bring Canadians together around a common interest and not a channel to implement traditional marketing campaigns. (more…)

Why Using Social Media Is Essential for Today’s Business

In the ever-increasing age of Information Technology (IT), using social media for business has become a quintessential part of marketing products and services. According to an estimate, only a couple of popular social media sites have as much as 800 million users. Facebook alone has this many! So, you can imagine the extent to which you can reach customers in a quick and cost efficient manner through social media. I recently came across somebody that very beautifully compared social media with a shopping mall. A social media site is just like a virtual mall and if you are present in that mall with your products and services then obviously you are making your presence felt amongst your potential buyers. (more…)

Connecting Australia: Social Media “Down Under”

Australia is a great emerging market for businesses who are looking to expand globally.  According to InternetWorldStats.com, Australia has an overall population of approximately 21,766,711 people with about 19,554,832 of them being Internet users. This means that nearly 89.8% of Aussies are connected online. With these numbers, Australia ranks 5^th on the list of top Internet penetrating countries. For this reason, marketing online and through social media would be a brands best bet to connect with Australian consumers. (more…)

Facebook: What Are People Talking About?

In the past, many people would judge a Facebook page based on the number of likes that it had. This is still sort of true today, but the fact of the matter is that likes alone doesn’t make your page successful. What makes your page successful is having an engaging fan base. What constitutes an engaging fan base you ask? Don’t worry you came to the right place to learn more about it. I will go over what Facebook analyzes to come up with that pesky # of people talking about number! (more…)

Use Social Media to connect with your audience in Singapore

Singapore is an international hub for businesses. Singapore is a prime location that has attracted many foreigners and expats – making this city a melting pot of cultures, ideas, and much more. This melting pot made Singapore into one of the most technologically advanced countries in Asia. Singapore is one of the most “evolved” social media markets around the world because of the technology infrastructure in place; how people use Internet for daily activities; and a population that stays globally connected. These factors have driven Singapore to evolve so quickly into the most online active markets in South East Asia.

Singapore has the highest level of Internet penetration in Southeastern Asia, as   consumers in Singapore are frequently accessing the Internet more than any other of the Southeast Asian countries and through various channels. The use of social media and online interaction is increasing, Singaporeans trust consumer opinions posted online very high. Online product reviews and discussion forums are one of the most trusted sources of recommendations in purchase decision making, second to recommendations from family and friends. As its very easy to publish and read customer opinions about your products, it is important that companies are present, active, and sensitive to what their buyers are saying about their products.

Social media plays big part in Singaporeans lifes

Social media has become an important part of the new Singaporean lifestyle. Singaporeans discuss social issues, gather news, share family memories, organize social events, express creativity,  create professional networks, do comparison shopping and find places to eat, and things to buy.

Here are some statistics from the Nielsen’s 2011 report about digital consumers in Singapore:

• 45% have an active YouTube profile
• 77% maintain an active Facebook profile
• 85% an internet capable phone
• 23% now have a tablet computer in their homes
• 70% use a smart phone
• 69% of Internet users connect with brands via social networks. Singaporeans are becoming increasingly “connected” through pc and mobile devices.
• 5.9% of all Internet traffic in Singapore is now coming from non-computer devices.

This active audience on social media is huge for brands and businesses that are looking to enter and connect with a Singaporean market. It is important for companies to create an online presence that their target audience can connect with. Creating an online identity through social media channels will increase your company’s brand awareness and engage consumers to become loyal brand ambassadors. With Social media, companies  put a face and a personality to their brand, they humanize it and give consumers a real personal relationship. Social media is an influential and important channel of communication for consumers in Singapore and around the world.

Facebook Fan Page Timeline Tutorial [Infograph]

As most of you know, all Facebook Pages will be converted over to the Timeline format by the end of the month.  Recently, I came across a great info graph that covers all of the changes along with some of regulations that Facebook will be enforcing with the new changes. I will break each one down to make them easier to understand so that Facebook doesn’t take it upon themselves to change up your page without your knowledge. (They have recently done this to one of our clients with out warning!) (more…)

The Costs of Facebook’s New Timeline for Pages

In a recent survey conducted by Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the American Marketing Associaiton, Chief Marketing Officers are planning on scaling back on traditional advertising by 0.8%. According to previous results from a survey held in August 2011, CMOs were planning to increase their spending on traditional ads by 1.3%. On the other hand, digital marketing is expected to increase 12.8% over the next year. (more…)

How Starbucks Built an Engaging Brand on Social Media

Starbucks has a big brand presence online. Not because they have millions of dollars for Marketing and Advertising, which they do have, but because they are one of the most engaging companies online. If you are fan of Starbucks coffee, and a bit Internet savvy, then chances are you have come across one of if not all of Starbuck’s Social Media Pages. Starbucks has made it a point to take its successful offline branding strategies and implement them online. Its online image and messages have stayed consistent with their brand values, which are honesty, sincerity, and connecting with its consumers on a level unlike any other brand. The offline Starbucks Culture has taken to the airwaves of the Internet and Social Media. Lets take a look at how they became one of the most engaging brands online. (more…)

How to Make Social Media Marketing part of your overall Marketing Plan

Social Media Marketing Equation

“Retweeting”, “liking”, and “blogging” may sound like many of the unintelligible words that come out of your teenager’s mouth. However this new jargon is representative of the way the world of marketing is headed. Online marketing isn’t just about banner ads and e-mail campaigns anymore. The world of the web is becoming more social. Building a strong presence with social media is now more important than ever. However, social media is relatively new; in fact only 11% of businesses have been practicing social media marketing (SMM) for more than 3 years[i]. If you’re not sure how to use social media for your business, you’re not alone. It can be difficult to define the role of SMM in your company’s marketing plan. (more…)