Social Buying

This Tuesday, in class, we'll be discussing social buying.  Take a look at this infographic from Flowtown, shared by Techi.com for a great graphic on the size and history of some of the sites.

How to Make LBS More Than a Blip

This piece from Fast Company discusses some of the first measurements companies are taking after introducing location based social networks into their promotional campaigns.  Apparently, mosty companies find little lasting impact from such campaigns.

Key takeaways:
First, it is more important than ever to tie the LBS efforts to a larger campaign in order to sustain  the positive impacts that do occur. 
Second, there is little risk in trying some of the events and tactics to see what does happen.  A little bit of the guess and check model in action might be appropriate.

FourSquare

During class this week we will begin discussing the use of location-based social media and how brands are successfully using these tools to further their marketing efforts.  You know I love an infographic and here's a great one about FourSquare and who's using this network. 

Do you FourSquare?

More LinkedIn Fun

LinkedIn is making the most of its 100 million plus members.  I love the idea of the LinkedIn truck to promote the other services that LinkedIn provides beyond an "online resume".  The incorporation of Twitter to draw the truck to different neighborhoods is also a fun twist.

Reaching 100 Million

Next week we'll be discussing professional networks in class.  It turns out to be a pretty timely topic.  Recently, LinkedIn surpassed 100 million users.  While that number is small compared to other networks like Facebook and Twitter, the characteristics of LinkedIn members make it a rich marketing environment.

You know my love of numbers plus a visual and this piece from Mashable is no exception.  Take a minute to check out this infographic about who is using LinkedIn.

See you in class on Tuesday!

Influence

We talked at length in class, today, about the importance of influence, especially when it comes to Twitter.  This post from Flowtown does an excellent job of explaining the concept of influece on Twitter, but also how to use it.

Who can you influence today?

This Is a Game Changer!

We talked in class about major leagues sports and NBA's position as the frontrunner when it comes to social media.  This post outlines some of the terms of a proposed relationship between the NBA and YouTube for broadcast coverage of games with live streaming video.  Clearly the NBA is not ready to relinquish its title as Social Media Champion.

The possibilities for other social media tie-ins in the arrangement are tremendous.  The comments, the integration to other forms of social media, the connections to a long-distance team for a long-distance fan, and on and on.  This brings the essence of what it means to be a fan and why people like sports--competition, socializing, recliner coaching, everything.

Can not wait to see what happens with this one!