10 awesome Google features you should be using

Posted on by The Medialogist

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The reason the Google home page is so bare is that, way back when it was just starting out in a Silicon Valley garage, no one working there knew how to program a web page to make it look pretty.

In fact, even the word Google was a mistake. The founders really wanted “Googol” – the digit 1 followed by 100 zeroes.

Of course, Google is now a noun, a verb and a massive global company loved as much for its innovation as it is hated for its user tracking. It has many tricks and products that you don’t need to spend money on, some of which will make your life easier, and others that will just blow your mind.

Let’s take a look at 10 of them:

Google Flight Search

Need to find the best price on a flight? Google Flight Search is one of the easiest price-comparison sites around. Pick your start point and destination – or destinations – on the map, and then pick your dates. When you pick the dates, be sure to pay attention to the prices on each date and Google’s graph of days with the cheapest tickets.

Then you can filter the results by flight length, airline, price, stops and more. When you find a flight you like, you can book it directly on the airline’s site. Click here to learn three more secrets to getting the lowest airfare.

Atari Breakout

Need to take a quick break? Thanks to Google, you can play a version of the classic Atari Breakout game on your computer whenever you want. Simply go to the Google Image Search page – www.google.com/images – and search for “Atari Breakout.” Then wait for the fun to begin.

Google Public Data Explorer

Google’s normal search site is great for most searches, but Google has more specialized search sites as well. For example, the Google Public Data Explorer is a treasure chest full of information on public statistics.

Go to the Google Public Data page and type in a topic. Keep your searches simple, like “Unemployment in the U.S.” Google will return results from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. You’ll end up with an easy-to-read graph, and you can even tweak it with options like gender, age and state.

Google translations

Need a quick translation of a word? Go to the normal Google search page and type in “translate (word) to (language)” in the search bar. For instance, you could type “translate apple to French.”

Google will let you know in less than a second that “pomme” is the French word for apple. It also includes a small speaker icon that will let you hear the word if you aren’t sure how to pronounce it. For longer translations, check out Google Translate.

Google nutrition comparison search

What’s healthier, an orange or a banana? Type “compare” into Google’s search bar, along with the foods you want to look at, such as “compare broccoli and asparagus.” Google will do the rest.

Google definitions

When you don’t know what a word means, don’t reach for the dictionary. Type “define (word)” into the Google search bar, such as “define tintinnabulation” and you’ll have the definition instantly (it’s “a ringing or tinkling sound,” if you were wondering).

You’ll also get pronunciation and part of speech, and you can click the gray arrow for more information, including word origins.

Google Conversions

Whether you’re cooking or helping your child with math homework, odds are you’re going to have to convert units of measurement. On the Google search page, enter a search like “convert eight ounces to cups” or “convert 10km to mi.” You’ll have your answer instantly, and you can even tweak the numbers and units after the fact.

Google nGrams

Google nGrams is a great research tool that lets you search how many times specific words occur in more than 5 million books written since 1800. You can see how words get more or less popular over time.

You can put in multiple words separated by commas to compare two or more words at once. Google lets you adjust the time period and language of the books, and you can see what books contain the words.

Google Sky

If you think Google Earth is great, then Google Sky is going to blow your mind. It lets you search the heavens and see images of stars, planets and galaxies taken from telescopes, probes and satellites.

It includes infrared and microwave images as well as a historic map of the stars made by Giovanni Maria Cassini in 1792. If you don’t know where to start, the site has some suggestions that you’ll love.

Exclude search terms

Google’s algorithms are really good at searching the Internet to find the information you’re looking for, but sometimes you get popular results that just aren’t right.

Tweak your search using the minus (-) symbol. Just put it before any words you don’t want to show up. Say you want to search for “puppies,” but don’t want to see sites that sell them. Just type in “puppies -sales” and you’re set.

By Kim Komando @ http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/08/09/10-awesome-google-features-should-be-using/

4 Ways to Increase Employee Engagement with Internal Communication

Posted on by The Medialogist

Employee engagement seems like an ambiguous phrase. What does it really mean?

Pretend you are the CEO of a big company with thousands of employees. And just imagine that every single employee is fully engaged with their work, enthusiastic about their tasks, and does everything they can (because they are so happy) to further the company’s interests.

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This situation is what every manager dreams about but often never experiences, which is why the words “pretend” and “imagine” are most often used to describe scenarios like the one pictured above.

According to a recent article by the Gallup Business Journal, only 30% of American employees are engaged in their jobs.

“Given the proven links between employee engagement and financial outcomes, this low level of engagement is a drag on an already sluggish U.S. economy. Imagine the positive— even dramatic — impact on the country’s economic prospects if companies could double the number of their engaged employees.”  Gallup Business Journal

The good news is that Gallup studied a number of companies with higher engagement percentages (from 47% to 63%) and found four key areas where these companies deeply integrate employee engagement. If you want to graduate from the imaginary realm of ideal work environments and make them real, here are four areas you need to focus on:

#1: Strategy and Leadership Philosophy

There’s still a big disconnect between knowing that engaged employees increase profits and growth and implementing that knowledge into your mission and growth strategy. Knowledge without action accomplishes nothing. Making employee engagement part of a survey or human resources initiative won’t cut it either. “[The best leaders],” says Gallup, “take a strategic top-down approach to engaging leadership teams and then make sure engagement cascades through the ranks of managers to employees on the front lines.”

#2: Accountability and Performance

Companies with the highest percentage of employee engagement make managers accountable for both team engagement AND overall performance. Part of the “performance evaluation criteria” for managers is engagement. And are you getting tired of hearing about the importance of company culture? Too bad. Gallup says that companies with the highest engagement, “infuse engagement into their culture through the tone their leadership sets and through the way employees and managers do their work. Engagement permeates every conversation, whether it’s a one-on-one meeting, a team huddle, or a regional assessment.”

#3: Communication and Knowledge Management

Employee engagement is not a one-time event (like a holiday party or field trip) that you execute and then return to your usual hands-off management habits. Leaders must create a strategy that aligns employee engagement communication efforts and then fully integrate that strategy into the company culture and communicate its impact throughout the year. “Leaders use every opportunity, touchpoint, and communication channel,” says Gallup, “to reinforce and recognize the organization’s commitment to employee engagement.”

#4: Development and Ongoing Learning Opportunities

Too many organizations have onboarding procedures that basically cease after the employee’s first day on the job. Employees need much more than just an orientation to the office and directions to the restrooms. Gallup says that top-performing companies start engaging employees the minute they arrive at the office on their first day: “These businesses have well-defined and comprehensive leader and manager development programs, but they go one step further—they fully integrate employee engagement into these programs.”

The best companies take the professional development of their leaders and managers seriously and are committed to the growth of individuals, not just the “team.” One of the foundational principles of their “people strategy” is employee engagement. (This practice is exceptionally important if a company is serious about its succession-planning efforts. Companies need to focus on the professional development and mentoring of their current managers to be prepared for the future retirement/exit of CEOs and top leadership.

Baby Steps: Start with Good Communication

Feel overwhelmed by analyzing and implementing each of these areas all at once? Just take them one step at a time. The common thread in each of these four areas is effective communication, and if you are already committed to positive, two-way internal communication and feedback between you and your employees, you are well on your way to turning your dream of effective employee engagement into reality.

by  via http://vingapp.com

Launch like Steve Jobs: 7 Ways to Build Buzz for Your Next Product Launch

Posted on by The Medialogist

Steve_Jobs_Headshot_2010-CROP

Apple product launches have become the stuff of legend.

The iPad sold 300,000+ WiFi-only units on launch day. Within three days, the iPhone 4 sold 1.7 million units. The iPhone 3G sold over a million units on its launch weekend.

Clearly, Steve Jobs knows how to launch a product for maximum sales. You might even wonder if you can capture a bit of his magic to kickstart your own promotions.

And I believe you can. While Apple’s reputation and sometimes-rabid fanbase obviously plays a large part in the success of their launches, there are also a number of strategies virtually any company can employ to make their own product launch a huge success:

1. Put the Focus on the People, Not the Product

Rarely do you hear Steve Jobs talking about the various features of Apple products. Standing on stage, he doesn’t push the speed of the iPhone’s processor or the screen resolution, for example. He knows most people don’t care, and the ones who do can easily find that information on Apple’s website or product literature.

Instead, he goes out of his way to emphasize how the product affects you. He talks about how annoying it is to carry both a phone and an MP3 player and how, with an iPhone, you’re condensing them down to one easy-to-carry device. It’s about simplicity, productivity, style — all things he knows people are interested in.

And it takes discipline. When you launch a product, everyone in your company is probably excited by the technical specs, and all of the different ways your product pushes the envelope, and it’s easy to assume your customer feels the same way. But they don’t. They care about their problems and how your product is going to fit into their life

So, that’s how you have to frame your marketing. Don’t just talk about what your product does or why it’s superior; show them a compelling picture of how it’s going to make their life better. That’s what gets people excited.

2. Get Opinion Leaders On-Board Early

Apple has a knack for getting bloggers and other thought leaders on board before their product launches. What really sets them apart, though, is they get everyone talking months before the product launches, usually before there’s even a demo for anyone to see. No one is talking about what the product does; they’re talking about what it might do.

Obviously, their history helps. Journalists and bloggers know that Apple has a history of releasing innovative and useful products, and they bet on the fact that subsequent product releases will be just as innovative and useful.

But it’s a strategy anyone can use, even if you don’t have a history like Apple. No, you might not have the New York Times and CNN arguing about what your upcoming product is going to do, but you can start working with the media inadvance of your product launch. Even if it doesn’t get you much coverage, it’ll give you something to build on. The media will know who you are, so come launch day, at least you’re not starting cold.

And that can make getting press a lot easier.

3. Be Revolutionary

When Steve Jobs takes the stage, the whole world watches. It’s not just because Apple is a huge company. It’s not just because there are billions of dollars on the line. It’s not just because Steve is a great speaker.

It’s because they know Apple isn’t afraid to change the world. Their products aren’t incremental advances; they are revolutions. They change the way we think about the entire product category, and whole industries have to shift just to keep up. And people talk about it, not just because Apple decided to stage an event, but because it’s real news.

Can you do the same thing?

I think so. Maybe your company doesn’t have quite the reach Apple does, but every company, no matter how small, has the opportunity to revolutionize their business. Do something none of your competitors have ever done before, take a position that’s bold and imaginative, paint a picture of the future that your customers wantto live in, and then put your whole company into motion creating that vision.

It’ll inspire people. Right or wrong, the world loves visionary companies with the courage to lead. Instead of fighting to get people to talk about you, they’ll be chasing you to find out what’s going to happen next.

4. Turn Your Product Launch into an Event

When Apple launches a new product, you don’t see some PR lackey trundling out onto the stage to read a press release. They stage an entire event around it, going so far as to even close their online store, so that everyone knows something important is happening and they need to pay attention.

And who do you have at center stage? None other than the CEO of the company, Steve Jobs. He isn’t so much a speaker as a showman, spending days or even weeks leading up to the launch planning his every word and gesture so that it leaves the audience spellbound.

And it works, not just for Steve, but for everyone. If you have the budget for it, throw a big press event for your product announcements. If not, at least have some kind of online event. If you make a big deal about your product launch, both your potential customers and the media are likely to take it more seriously, and it’ll be reflected in your product sales.

5. Take Pre-Orders

This is probably one of the most overlooked launch strategies out there.

Every company that’s been around for a while has a set of customers who will buy anything they release. As soon as you announce the product, they’ll be lining up in droves, eager to get their hands on the first units to be released.

So why not let them?

Apple almost always offers pre-ordering of their new products, and because of that, it’s not uncommon for them to sell hundreds of thousands of units within a week or two of launch. Pre-orders generally aren’t counted until the product actually ships, meaning the orders that came in over a period of weeks all get counted on launch day.

Of course, it’s not always possible. You can’t offer pre-orders until you know what your final pricing will be, for example. But you can still harness the enthusiasm. Until you know your pricing, make sure you at least have a way for prospective buyers to sign up for updates. Then make sure those updates offer a link to pre-order as soon as it’s possible.

6. Release a Product Your Customers Will Want to Show off

Apple knows their image is vital to their success.

That’s one of the biggest reasons they place such a high value on form. People know and expect that Apple products will be aesthetically pleasing. If Apple suddenly stopped launching beautiful products, they would almost certainly see a huge drop in market share.

Don’t underestimate the importance of your product’s appearance. If it’s ugly, your customers won’t want to share it with their friends and colleagues, hiding it away regardless of how useful it is. At the same time, a professional design makes peoplewant to talk about it, and online or offline, it can have a big impact on your product sales.

7. Draw out the Suspense for As Long As You Can

While Apple always makes a big deal about announcing new products, prior to those actual announcements their product lines are shrouded in secrecy. And Apple will do almost anything to protect that secrecy.

Look at what happened when a late prototype model of the iPhone 4 was found by some bloggers. First, Apple denied they had any knowledge of the product, and then when details were made public, they pursued legal action against the bloggers who wrote about it, setting an example to deter future leaks about other products.

To make use of this strategy in your own company, take your hottest product and deliberately release very, very few details about it. The mystery will drive your customer base into a frenzy.

When the iPad was getting ready to launch, the rumor mill was filled with speculation about Apple’s new tablet, but no one really knew anything about it. People went so far as to create realistic 3D mockups of it, hoping to get more readers for their websites and blogs. By the time it actually launched, its reputation had grown to mythic proportions.

The Bottom Line: Plan Your Product Launch

The point of this article isn’t to imply that you have to have as big of a launch as Apple, or transform yourself into as big of a showman as Steve Jobs. No matter how tempting it is, being a copycat is never a sound marketing strategy.

The point is that you need to think through your product launches. Deliberately plan what information you’re going to release and when, who you want talking about you, and how you can turn your product launch into something worthtalking about.

That’s what Apple does. No, you may not have whole departments of marketers and PR aficionados strategizing it for you, but you can plan a launch that will impress people, even if the only person working on it is you.

via KISSmetrics

Global Best-in-Class Employee Communications Research

Video posted on by The Medialogist

“Public relations should start within a company,” is a philosophy shared among companies considered globally ‘best-in-class,’ according to Colleen Learch, Vice President of KRC Research. This is a preliminary finding Learch highlighted after interviewing 10 global companies on their global employee communication practices. Learch presented her initial takeaways on behalf of the IPR’s Commission on Organizational Communication at the Trustees Research Symposium on November 8, 2012. The final report, based on interviews with employee communication leaders representing GE, Cargill, Toyota, McDonald’s, Johnson & Johnson, Petrobras, IBM, Unilever, Chevron and FedEx, will be released in the coming weeks.

Keith Burton, former president of Insidedge and now partner with Brunswick Group leading its global employee and change communication practice, said the research was commissioned for IPR’s Organizational Communication Research Center (OCRC). “Every effective organization has a central process through which employees share information, create relationships and help build understanding for how their organization may be changing,” Burton said. “As it evolves, the OCRC will provide practitioners with a comprehensive source for game-changing employee communication research.”

The research found that global best-in-class companies share four principal qualities in the way they communicate with their employees:

  •     They have an employee-centric focus that drives communication strategy
  •     They set benchmarks and goals that align with corporate goals
  •     They measure performance and success toward goals, while tracking employee attitude
  •     There is a deep-rooted desire to always improve communication with employees and build upon current success

Another similarity with the global best-in-class companies is that they believe good employee communication and transparency are ethically correct principals. According to Learch, while outcomes aligned with performance goals are essential to the companies, those interviewed say the main reason for employee communication is that it is “the right thing to do” for employees. This employee-centric focus manifests itself by keeping employees up-to-date on the organization and changes that may affect their work and performance.

“If you have an informed employee, they’re probably knowledgeable about the company,” said Colleen. “If they’re knowledgeable they’re more likely to feel engaged and potentially valued.”

By: Sarah Jackson on Monday, January 28th, 2013 at 8:53 am @ http://www.instituteforpr.org

11 Reasons a 23-Year-Old Shouldn’t Run Your Social Media

Posted on by The Medialogist

Sure, he/she understands Instagram. But do you really want a new grad controlling your brand online?

Pardon the generalization: I don’t mean to attack 23-year-olds specifically. Nor do I believe there are no young people capable of managing a business’s social-media responsibilities.

I am, however, trying to make a point: Just because you don’t understand social media doesn’t mean you should forfeit all common sense and hire your niece, nephew, or any other other recent college grad (say, your best friend’s sister-in-law’s kid) because “they’re really good on Facebook.”

If your business targets the young and hip, most definitely look to a recent grad or young social-media nerd to help your business. But don’t assume, either, that you need to hire someone young to manage your social media “just because.”

Frankly, this kind of logic makes me crazy–and yet I’m seeing it more and more these days. But you really shouldn’t be entrusting your entire social-media efforts to a newly graduated intern. Here’s why.

1.  They’re not mature enough. Compared with young people 50 years ago, who were eager to enter adulthood and settle down, today’s youth are not only not eager to do so, but most do not feel that they’ve reached adulthood until late into their 20s or early 30s, according to research from Clark University. Instead, they tend to feel unstable and self-focused and would rather explore who they are and how they can transform their lives. This is great for them but not so great for you, their employer–particularly because social media is all about communicating with your audience in mature and accountable ways.

2.  They may be focused on their own social-media activity. Because of the above, if you hire a young person to manage your social media, you may also need to need to worry about how he or she is actually spending his or her time. Will you need to be monitoring the person?

3. They may not have the same etiquette–or experience. Your recent college grad may have experience with Facebook and Instagram, but make sure you check out the substance of his or her updates and posts. You need to make sure your posts reflect your brand–and that you don’t wind up with a late-night smartphone photo landing in the wrong account. At the very least, ensure you have a social-media policy in place.

4.  You can’t control their friends.  This isn’t exclusive to recent grads, of course, but it’s a risk to consider: Even if you hire a real winner, be sure that his or her friends won’t post inappropriate content to your company’s social-media accounts.

5.  No class can replace on-the-job training.  Social media for business is really so many things wrapped into one: marketing, customer service, public relations, crisis management, branding. How deep is the experience of a young person in delivering any of these things?

6.  They may not understand your business.  You are handing the keys to your social-media kingdom to a newcomer, but there’s plenty that he or she needs to understand beyond the social tools themselves. What are the nuances of your products or services? What makes you stand out in the marketplace? What are the typical expectations of your customers? How do you troubleshoot issues or cajole customers into working a bit more with you? What does your company stand for? No new hire will be able to absorb these issues overnight, of course–but a brand-new graduate will have an even steeper learning curve.

7.  Communication skills are critical. Communication is critical to solid social-media execution. Before you let a young hire take over your company blog posts, take stock of his or her writing skills. Also: Many young people have not yet learned the “art” of communicating. Make sure they know how to read between the lines, rather than taking things too literally.

8.  Humor is tricky business.  People like to be entertained, on social media as well as elsewhere. Will a young hire understand the boundaries of humor and entertainment appropriate to your target audience, or could your audience wind up being offended?

9.  Social-media savvy is not the same as technical savvy. Good social media requires a combination of both. Successful social-media management involves production requirements, tools, analytics, and other aspects of work.

10. Social-media management can become crisis management. The real-time nature of social media can quickly turn fun engagement and conversation into apublic relations disaster, especially if the person behind the wheel isn’t thinking a few steps ahead. Are you really willing to take that risk?

11. You need to keep the keys. If you do go ahead and hire a new grad, make sure he or she sets up the social-media accounts using your company’s email and shares the passwords with you. Otherwise, you could wind up with no access to these social-media accounts–and no way to take them over.

Social media is not the be-all and end-all. It’s a marketing tool–part of an ever-growing arsenal of ways to bring your company to your prospective customers’ attention.

Thinking of it this way, you will perhaps slow down and consider more closely whom you’re hiring–and why.

By  at 

Using Social Media at Trade Shows [Infographic]

Posted on by The Medialogist

It’s not surprising that some of the hottest trade show marketing trends revolve around social media. In the new age of social networking and technology it may seem like trade show marketing is a thing of the past. But with the use of social media tools like Facebook and Twitter, businesses can be even more successful with their trade show marketing.

Trade shows are a great way to connect with prospective customers while manning your tradeshow booth, marketing partners, new employees and influentials in your industry. Learn how to use social media to get the most out of attending your next trade show by following along in the Infographic below. See how Pre-show, during the trade show, and post-show you can use social media to engage with event attendees. How do you use social media in your trade show marketing? 

BY  at Eventmanagerblog.com

6 Reasons Why Companies Should Embrace CSR

Posted on by The Medialogist

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is not going to solve the world’s problems. If it were that easy, the problems would have been solved by now. Rather, CSR is a way for companies to benefit themselves while also benefitting society. When I define CSR to the uninitiated, I typically get three reactions. To a few, it evokes a response that asks, “Isn’t that a bunch of greenwashing?” And sometimes they use a not-so-nice word to describe male bovine excrement instead of greenwashing.  To some, my definition sounds like an inspiring call to action to soothe the ills of capitalism. And to others, CSR is like a begrudging call to Woodstock to sing Kumbaya – something only “hippies” could dream up.

So what’s a CSR professional supposed to do when faced with such a varied response? Typically, I step on top of my soapbox to declare the six business reasons why companies should embrace corporate social responsibility. Companies that “get it” are the ones that are using CSR (or sustainability as I prefer to call it) as a way to push the following business processes into the organization:

  1. Innovation – I know, I know, it’s an over-used term. Just typing the word into Amazon will bring up nearly 150,000 items. But in the context of CSR, innovation is a huge benefit to a company and society. For example, I recently watched a video of a brief talk by Geoff McDonald who is the Unilever Global VP for HR, Marketing, Communications and Sustainability.  Using the “lens of sustainability” as McDonald described it, Unilever was able to innovate new products such as a hair conditioner that uses less water. Without sustainability, the company’s research and development efforts possibly wouldn’t have led to such a product.
  2. Cost savings – One of the easiest places for a company to start engaging in sustainability is to use it as a way to cut costs. Whether it’s using less packaging or less energy, these savings add up quickly. For example, General Mills is on a path to reduce its energy savings by 20% by 2015. According to its 2011 CSR report, after installing energy monitoring meters on several pieces of equipment at its Covington, GA plant, the company saved $600,000.
  3. Brand differentiation – In the past, brand differentiation was one of the primary reasons why companies should embrace CSR. Companies such as Timberland were able to find their voice and incorporate the company’s values into their business model. However, as CSR has become more commonplace, using CSR to differentiate your brand is getting harder to do. For example, the “Cola Wars” is one of the longest running rivalries in business. Coke and Pepsi are constantly looking to grab as much market share as they can from each other. Yet they are both adopting similar, although slightly different, approaches to CSR. Both Pepsi and Coke are pursuing strategies of zero net water usage. Both companies offer water bottles made from sustainable packaging as well. In the end, although neither company is necessarily going to see strong differentiation benefits, I see the diminishing returns on brand differentiation as a sign that CSR is taking hold and is not just a fad.
  4. Long-term thinking – “The only reason we’re doing sustainability is to drive the growth of Unilever,” McDonald said in the video mentioned above. Indeed, CSR is an effort to look at the company’s long-term interest and ensuring that the company’s future is… well… sustainable. Hence, that’s why I prefer the term sustainability to CSR. It is a shift from worrying about the next fiscal quarter’s financial results to the impact business decisions today have on financial (and social) results ten years from now.
  5. Customer engagement – To some extent, what’s the point of doing CSR if no one knows about it? For the past few years, Walmart has established itself as a leader in the environment. Yes, you read that correctly, Walmart is a leader in environmentalism. In 2008, Walmart ran an ad campaigndesigned to raise awareness about the environment and the product choices consumers could make. Using CSR can help you engage with your customers in new ways – and since the message is about something “good,” it can often be a more “permissible” way to talk to your customers. This is actually an underused tool for business-to-business companies.
  6. Employee engagement – Along similar lines, if your own employees don’t know what’s going on within your organization, you’re missing an opportunity. Companies like Sara Lee created a cross-functional, global Sustainability Working Team to help create a strategy for sustainability. At a more grass roots level, the Solo Cup Company created the Sustainability Action Network to activate employees in community service focused on the company’s CSR priorities.

To be clear, these are the reasons why most companies should enact CSR. In truth, companies often become involved in CSR for different reasons, which I’ll write about in future posts.

This isn’t to say that companies are perfect. Or, as I stated at the beginning of this article, that CSR is the panacea to the world’s problems. But it certainly does start to move the needle toward an economy that is much closer to one where I would like to conduct business.

by James Epstien-Reeves at citizenpolity.com

James Epstein-Reeves is the president of Do Well Do Good, LLC – a strategy consulting firm focused on corporate sustainability, social responsibility, cause-marketing, and philanthropy.

7 Reasons to Embrace Social Media in Business

Posted on by The Medialogist

Social Times

In my line of work, I get to meet with new clients almost everyday, supporting these clients improving a corporate or a brand communications and PR amplification, hoping to get the word out. Yet, it is surprising to me that most of these new clients are still asking the question; Do you think it’s time to use social media? and the first thing that comes to mind: WHY NOT!

If your target audience, customer, clients, even your own employees are already there socially networking, perhaps actively talking about your company or brand in a way or another, so what’s the hold up for! All you need to do is to get the fair out of the way and join the conversation, socialize with your publics.

If you’re in then that’s great, keep it up and build on your social influence, if you’re not then you’re out, it is social times!

Social Media ROI

It’s all well and good signing your brand up for Twitter or emblazoning your logo on a Facebook Page, but if you’re not actively engaging with your customers, listening to their complaints and delivering first class support, not only are you wasting your time, but you might actually be hurting the reputation of your business.

Yep. The key word in social media is and always has beensocial. Can you afford not to communicate with your customers?

With two billion people now online, being active – and proactive – on platforms like Twitter and Facebook has never been more important. However, it’s not enough to simply show up – you have to put in the miles. And with a recent study showing that some 71 percent of complaints on Twitter are ignored by brands, it’s very clear that we still have a lot to learn.

7 Reasons to Embrace Social Media

2 billion people are online. 85% of customers expect businesses to be active in social media. Word of mouse = word of mouth. Online culture is THE CULTURE. You can hate social media BUT you can’t ignore it. Here are 7 reasons and some thought provoking questions to get you loving Facebook, Twitter, emarketing, blogs and more…

80% businesses are NOT passionate.

Show you’re human. Business is built on relationships. The more people feel they know & like you, the more you will succeed. Your web presence must show you are passionate. It’s the brands that are the most HUMAN, add VALUE & CARE about their customers that succeed.
Does your online activity show how much you love your business, industry & customers?

55% more web visitors & 67% more leads for businesses that blog.

Are you blogging?

68% Email subscribers & Twitter followers are likely to buy.

51% Facebook fans are likely to buy. Are you using social media to encourage purchase?

20-30% Emarketing response rate.

Compared to an average direct mail (post) campaign 1-2% response rate. Email marketing can also be easily tracked for ROI. Are you using email marketing effectively?

30% customer questions & compliments get no reply.

Behind every comment, is a real person. Would you NOT answer the phone 30% of the time?

77% customers read brand posts but don’t comment.

17% comment & share experiences. 13% post about your brand. Do you inspire interaction or just push sales?

71% complaints on Twitter are NOT responded to.

Of the 29% that were contacted, 83% liked that they got a response & were satisfied with it. Negative reviews don’t kill brands. Not replying or inappropriate responses can. You can kill negative comments with kindness. Do you use social media to convert angry complaints into happy customers?

Don’t count likes & followers.

The only number you should count in social media is the number of interactions you have with customers. How often do you interact online?

You need a plan.

Don’t tweet & post just because everyone else is. You need to invest in social media in a sustainable way. What is your action plan?

Sources: j6design.com, mediabistro.com

Saudi Arabia Facebook Statistics – March 2012

Posted on by The Medialogist

Saudi Arabia Facebook Goes Above 5 million Users

Facebook monitoring helps to improve your business and social media marketing strategy in every country. Currently, there are 5148240 Facebook users in the Saudi Arabia, which makes it #30 in the ranking of all Facebook statistics by country.

Engagement Analytics – monitor the situation on the market, track and analyze your fans’ engagement on your Facebook page, identify key influencers, response rates, and much more. Easily generate the data, compare them with your competitors or with the top brands in your field.

Saudi Arabia General info

Total Facebook Users: 5148240
Position in the list: 30.
Penetration of population: 20.01%
Penetration of online population 52.53%
Average CPC: $0.29
Average CPM: $0.12

Users & Demography for the Saudi Arabia

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    Our social networking statistics show that Facebook penetration in Saudi Arabia is 20.01%compared to the country’s population and 52.53% in relation to number of Internet users. The total number of FB users in Saudi Arabia is reaching 5148240 and grew by more than 993380 in the last 6 months.
    Comparing these nearest countries by penetration of Facebook users shows that Saudi Arabia has 1.06%higher FB penetration than Suriname and 0.98% lower FB penetration than Brazil.

    User age distribution on Facebook in Saudi Arabia

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    Saudi Arabia Facebook demographics is other social media statistics we monitor. The largest age group is currently 25 – 34 with total of 1 904 849 users, followed by the users in the age of 18 – 24.

    Male/Female User Ratio on Facebook in Saudi Arabia

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    There are 69% male users and 31% female users in Saudi Arabia, compared to 48% and 52% inRussia and 31% and 69% in South Africa .
    On the graph below you can see that the biggest gain in the last 3 months was recorded by the age group of 25 – 34.

    Age Growth on Facebook in Saudi Arabia

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    Suggested ad prices by FB Ads Tool in Saudi Arabia

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    The PR Industry’s Death-Defying Pivot

    Posted on by The Medialogist

    For 99% of the history of the Public Relations industry, what good PR pros excelled at (and what they wereknown for) was exploiting SCARCITY.

    Throughout the 20th century, and into the 21st, there were merely a few hundred publications, broadcast outlets and reporters who “counted,” when it came to getting a company’s message out to the masses.  PR was a gatekeeper to those resources.  PR pros could tout genuine relationships with those mass media channels and contacts, and/or could claim the hard-won experience of knowing “what would sell” to them.

    With the rise of Social Media, what was scarce is now abundant.

    Superman_Clark_KentArguably, too abundant.  For every mainstream news outlet there are a thousand relevant and legitimate news and op-ed blogs. For every mainstream lifestyle publication, there are five-thousand or more relevant and legitimate mom– and dadblogs, design blogs, shopping blogs, etc.  For every mainstream journalist there are thousands upon thousands of relevant and legitimate influencers on Twitter.

    The PR industry needed to convince itself and others that the relationship-building expertise (and let’s face it, consummate ass-kissery, when necessary) forged via the 20th century media model was appropriate to the task; that MANAGING ABUNDANCE was no more tricky than LEVERAGING SCARCITY.

    Add to this earth-shaking muddle the fact that Social Media also invited Paid Content campaign creators (a.k.a. advertising folks) and Customer Service concerns. Then blend in the prospect of adding workaday employees to the outbound communications duty roster, guided (or not) by newly-drafted “community managers” who might not know a thing about PR (but whose efforts fundamentally impacted PR).

    See how hairy this situation got?  It’s still working itself out.  It will take years.

    Yet by and large the PR pros I talk to in 2012 are way more enthused, engaged, enlightened and fun than the PR pros I supped with circa 2000.  They have been energized by the challenge; they have risen to it; it is literally revitalizing the industry.  Times are good.

    There were those who thought Social Media (and before that, AdWords, if you can believe it) would end this industry.  Those doomsayers were right to suggest that PR needed a wake-up call (and they’d be right even today to suggest “not everyone gets it, yet”).

    But it’s gratifying to know, even in these still-early days of transformative change, that PR pros won’t go the way of the buggy-whip manufacturers.

     This post is by PR-Squared Todd Defren.