Social Media Marketing

Social media in its simplest definition is communication turned to conversation through technology. As word-of-mouth has always been one of the most (and in some cases, the most) persuasive tools in the path to purchase, manufacturers and retailers alike have cast a global-sized net vying for collective attention and trying to morph social media into earned media. What's been fascinating of late are three curious trends impacting socialized purchase behavior: the evolving role of Facebook in the shopping process, the redefinition of media influence and the way retailers are "out-socializing" brands in the mobile space.

dressbarn has launched "Share your (MOM)ent," a social and interactive campaign for Mother's Day. Consumers are encouraged to upload their (MOM)ent — a photo, video or written memory of anyone who has ever given them a warm and fuzzy mom-like feeling — and to share it with others via social networks and a customizable e-card. Additionally, consumers can vote on (MOM)ents shared by others. Ten winners will be selected from the top 50 entries with the most votes and will each receive a spa day for two.

CEM and other innovative business intelligence tools significantly contribute to what's now known as a brand’s “social influence.” This means that brands are no longer talking ‘at’ individual recipients, but instead disseminating information through interactive social media platforms.

A large percentage of U.S. retailers have created Pinterest pinboards and are using this community to successfully drive web traffic and generate sales. While Facebook and Twitter users have considered business activities invasive in their social spaces, the Pinterest community is perfectly happy to view and repin the images posted on retailers’ Pinterest boards. In return for this enthusiasm, brands are trying to figure out how to reward the Pinterest community with exclusive sales.

At 18, Sahil Lavingia helped design the massively successful Pinterest, currently the third most popular social network behind Twitter and Facebook. Now he's starting Gumroad, a new service which he says will revolutionize social shopping and e-commerce — and maybe even alter the way people create.

Times have evolved from analog to digital for everyone except my mom. Even my grandmother is more technologically-savvy than my mother. Sorry mom. A string of usually charming emoticons and abbreviations simply won’t do the trick when speaking to my mom. HSIK what 2 get mom 4 Mother’s Day? WWMD?! How can I begin to thank her for everything she’s done, in a language we both understand?

Top toy makers Hasbro and Mattel are struggling through tough quarters, but smaller U.S. rival Step2 grew its toy sales over the past 18 months, in part by employing social media and web review software.

Our primary job as software vendors is to highlight the value of our products and convince consumers they're worth investing in. Twitter, currently with 140 million users, is an excellent place to market and find digital goods, as well as to educate and be educated in best practices.

Performics, the performance marketing firm owned by Publicis Groupe, has released  findings from “S-Net: A Study on Social Media Usage & Behavior.” The study of nearly 3,000 active U.S. social networkers highlights mothers as more versatile, present, active andengaged users of social networking sites, compared to other women.
According to the study, mothers are approximately 61% more likely than other women to own a smartphone.

In its ongoing attempt to win over women at every step of their fitness journey, Under Armour is introducing a goal-setting Web site called “What’s Beautiful.” Involving Twitter and Facebook, the site is “a competition to redefine the female athlete,” with an end result of three new “faces” for Under Armour, as well as seven brand ambassadors.