Search & Social focuses on how search engines are weighting social media influences, share signals and user rating data to provide users with a more ‘personalized’ set of results. In addition to exploring the growing intersection of search and social networks, columnists provide insight on how to integrate search marketing and social activities for optimal results and more targeted traffic from these channels working together.

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Blind Social Sharing & Its Effect On Personal Credibility

Aug 23, 2011 at 3:31pm ET by Jordan Kasteler

Social media may seem like ‘information overload’ for some, especially since there are now thousands of tweets sent per second and millions of people with a Facebook account. But how is this information created and sent? What is the ratio of actual unique information compared to the amount of re-tweets and Facebook posts about it? These types of questions lead to the question of how much content is actually consumed versus how much of it is being shared. Sharing content to share it is a legitimate strategy for some — just look at Guy Kawasaki. As a co-founder of news aggregation webs [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Search & Social

The Power Of Facebook-Only Content And Contests

Aug 16, 2011 at 4:49pm ET by Jim Belosic

Not only is it important to make sure your tabs are interactive, but you need to give users reasons to keep going back for more. Facebook-only content and contests help drive users back to your tabs time and time again. What’s even better, these techniques can also help drive new users to your Page. The second piece of this two part series gives you some advice on how to do just that. Creating Facebook-only Content Reward your fans for liking your Page by offering them something they can’t get anywhere else. Coupons and special discount codes are often the first ideas that come to mind, [...]

Utilizing Social Media To Celebrate Milestones As Marketing Opportunities

Aug 9, 2011 at 12:16pm ET by Kelsey Jones

Social media was created with the idea in mind that people were going to use it to connect with friends, family, and even strangers from around the world. It has now grown into not only a personal networking opportunity, but also a marketing opportunity for businesses wishing to promote their products and services. When marketing on social media, whether it is Twitter, Facebook, or another site, it’s important to "go back to the source" and remember the reason why social media became so popular in the first place — to create personal connections. One of the best ways to do this is to he [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Search & Social

Why Interaction Is Not The Same As Engagement

Aug 2, 2011 at 1:32pm ET by Ciarán Norris

If there's one thing that the social media sector has in spades, it's statistics. We've all seen the videos, most, it seems, with a Fatboy Slim soundtrack, that list the mind-bending figures about the continued growth of social platforms and devices. Facebook has over 750 million active monthly users Those users share over 4 billion pieces of content a day More than 24 hours of content are uploaded to YouTube every day Someone joins LinkedIn every second If Wikipedia were a book, it would be over 2 million pages long* It's not just numbers, many of those writing about social m [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Search & Social

Effects Of Choice Positioning On Social Purchasing Behavior

Jul 26, 2011 at 9:03am ET by Jordan Kasteler

As I discussed in How Prototype Theory Influences a Social Strategy, they way that people influence others and their decisions is based on their associations with certain words and phrases. For example, the word tree will most likely bring up an image of an oak or maple tree in a person’s mind, versus a less common tree, such as a birch or weeping willow. The way that people associate words and phrases and let them influence his or her decisions is something that is related to both prototype theory and the types of information sharing discussed in Colleen Roller’s well-written article, [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Search & Social

When A Welcome Tab Isn’t Enough: Use Custom Facebook Tabs To Give Fans More

Jul 19, 2011 at 5:54pm ET by Jim Belosic

When it comes to custom landing tabs, all the big brands have them, all little businesses want them, but just how effective are they in engaging your Facebook Page’s following? Since landing tabs primarily target those who don’t already "Like" your Page, what’s in it for your fans, and are your fans even aware of the stuff you’ve got tucked away in your sidebar? Creating a worthwhile Facebook tab is an art, and using it effectively, both before and after a visitor has Liked your Page, can be a challenge. In the first installment of this two-part series, you will receive some tips [...]

The Power Of Hashtags On Twitter

Jul 12, 2011 at 1:12pm ET by Kelsey Jones

Hashtags are the world’s chat room. Where else can you hop on the phone or computer and have an instant, passionate conversation about something that shares a hashtag? When it comes to primetime television, current events, or sports events like the Olympics or the Super Bowl, hashtags allow anyone with a Twitter account to take part in a universal conversation about a group topic. [caption id="attachment_84409" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Photo Courtesy of PRSarahEvans.com"][/caption] Besides TV shows, news, or sports stories, harnessing the power of hashtags can lead to se [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Search & Social

What Does Google+ Add To The Social Graph?

Jul 5, 2011 at 8:45am ET by Ciarán Norris

Is there anything else that this week's column could have been about? After months & months of rumours, leaks, presentations and high-profile talent grabs, Google finally launched its Facebook competitor™*. After the farce that was Wave, and the let-down that was Buzz, Google+ seems to be Google's big push to date to get into social. However, outside the reams of press about how it looks a bit like Facebook, or acts a bit like Friendfeed, or isn't as good as Twitter, the one question that I haven't seen asked, is exactly why Google would bother to launch a social network? [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Google: +1 | Search & Social

How Information Is Socially Shared

Jun 28, 2011 at 12:29pm ET by Jordan Kasteler

The mystery of how and where articles, information, graphics, and more are shared online has been something to plague both marketers and content creators alike. Catering your information towards your target audience and where they share it most is crucial to producing content that spreads like wildfire online. Linkbait tactics would be without effectiveness if it wasn’t for the social media networks that make it irresistible to share. Even though some linkbait-crafted content spreads fast without preference to a certain social network, it is a fairly common fact that different social [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Search & Social | StumbleUpon

Comparing Facebook Like vs. Google +1

Jun 21, 2011 at 12:43pm ET by Benjamin Vigneron

Google’s new +1 feature was one of SMX Advanced Seattle most engaging sessions and, as a speaker, I have received a wide variety of feedback and questions. It seems this feature has fomented a great deal of speculation and inquiry. Here is a bit more food for thought. Like vs. Google +1: What Are The Main Differences? As Google product manager Daniel Dulitz mentioned, Google +1 is an annotation system which reinforces the interactions between organic and paid results, web pages, and your Google contacts. That being said, your Google contacts are not necessarily your friends… and, you [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Facebook | Google: +1 | Search & Social

15 Tips For A Successful Facebook Ads Program

Jun 14, 2011 at 1:34pm ET by Adam Riff

If you’re a marketing or advertising professional, then lately you’ve probably been running ads on Facebook or have heard the phrase ‘paid social’ or ‘Facebook ads’. That’s because according to eMarketer, social media is the fastest growing digital media channel. As impressive as that is, it doesn’t tell the whole story. First, let’s consider some statistics: "More than half of 25 to 34-year-old social network users say they can’t live without their social media sites" – eMarketer 2011 "9 out of 10 Internet users visited a social networking site each month in 201 [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | How To | How To: Facebook | Search & Social

5 Truly Creative Uses Of Social Media

Jun 7, 2011 at 9:30am ET by Ciarán Norris

The biggest news in the world of social media over the last few weeks has been the IPO of LinkedIn, the upcoming Groupon IPO, and the slew of floatations these two are likely to herald. And, of course, underpinning all of this has been the simple question of whether the valuations these companies are receiving mean that we are in a bubble. Whilst I'm in no way qualified to answer that (though I tend to agree with the analysis by multi-media consultancy Broadsight that all of this activity suggest that we definitely are in a bubble), what I can say is that nearly all of these companies rely [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Search & Social

The Difference A Company’s Size Makes In Social Media

May 31, 2011 at 11:24am ET by Jordan Kasteler

Maybe the size of a company has never been pondered by the employees or consultants who are managing their social media campaigns. However, whether or not a company is considered a small business or a big company can make a significant difference in overall strategy, timeliness, and overall presence on social networks like Facebook, FourSquare, and Twitter. Small businesses may automatically be thought of as the "underdogs" when compared to large brands and multi-million dollar companies. But when it comes to social media, this isn’t always the case. Many small businesses have used their [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Search & Social

How To Use Paid Discovery On StumbleUpon To Kickstart Social Campaigns

May 24, 2011 at 9:14am ET by Greg Finn

While StumbleUpon might not currently be the most talked about social site, it still can be one of the most powerful mediums for jumpstarting your campaigns. StumbleUpon has always been a favorite of mine due to its broad range of categories and its diverse user base. The recent transformation of StumbleUpon Ads into StumbleUpon Paid Discovery is a sexy change that features some robust new targeting and tracking features, and making campaigns more effective. [vimeo]http://vimeo.com/21370462[/vimeo] Paid Discovery allows you to create and submit a page or site to StumbleUpon and drive tra [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Search & Social

How To Avoid A Social Media One Track Mind For Businesses

May 17, 2011 at 11:32am ET by Kelsey Jones

For many individuals, social media is fast becoming a way of life. Tweet about lunch. Check into lunch restaurant on FourSquare. Post a photo on Facebook wall of co-workers waiting for food to arrive. Show restaurant server the electronic certificate bought from LivingSocial for $20 worth of food purchased for $10 last week. Leave a review on Yelp with 4 stars. However, these types of experiences are meant to be social events, not electronic milestones that are captured solely by profile updates and number of likes. So how can businesses find the "fine line" between embracing those [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Search & Social

Social Profiles: It’s Quality, Not Quantity

May 10, 2011 at 9:15am ET by Ciarán Norris

A couple of weeks ago, I spoke at the excellent SMX Sydney conference. As usual, it was a great show with any number of fantastic speakers. Before my last session, I was preceded by the also very excellent Rand Fishkin from SEOmoz; his presentation on Social Media For SEO was, as with most of his content, must-have info. However, for once, I found myself disagreeing with Rand on at least one point. Towards the end of his deck, Rand showed the names of 15 different social platforms and said that every brand or company should be using, at a minimum. He felt that it was essential that bra [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Search & Social

How To Get News From Social Network Aggregators

May 3, 2011 at 11:36am ET by Jordan Kasteler

Each day there are billions of posts on social media sites, and places like Facebook and Twitter allow users – with virtually no filter – to post whatever they may please. If babygurl14 wants to lay our her game plan for the day, she can (including pictures or Glitterfy links). If your grandpa accidentally posts his gym membership contract, no one is stopping him. However, with the growth in popularity of social media, comes the growth of social media content aggregators, websites that filter content for a user and their unique interests of how they want to spend their time online. W [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Search & Social

Why Google Latitude’s Check In Deals Is A Few Degrees Off

Apr 26, 2011 at 9:14am ET by Greg Finn

In the past month, Google's +1 has been the most hyped Social feature that Google has launched to date, as it has the potential to compete with Twitter and Facebook. A less noticed launch during this same time included social changes to Google's Latitude product, which have also been launched to help Google compete with Foursquare. Google took its cutting edge "Latitude" product and appended a deals/check-in element to it. Much like Foursquare, these new updates allow for users to gain status at different locations as well as "unlocking" offers. The Basics One main component to k [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Search & Social

How Viral Marketing Has The Potential To Promote Or Destroy Your Brand

Apr 19, 2011 at 12:33pm ET by Kelsey Jones

Everyone wants every piece of their content to go ‘viral’, whether that means a tweet is re-tweeted 500 times, a YouTube video has 2,000,000 views, or a blog post has 300 comments. Many companies believe that social media and online marketing isn’t "Worth it" if they aren’t getting high numbers. While this isn’t always the case (especially if the target market is small or the content isn’t right for their industry), viral success can greatly benefit a company, especially if it is built around a new product that can experience increased sales. While going viral doesn’t have [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Search & Social

With +1, Advertising Is Getting Social

Apr 12, 2011 at 1:23pm ET by Ciarán Norris

Anyone willing to bet on Google's attempts to get social would have to have deep pockets and a short memory. For years, Google crowed about the fact that Orkut outweighed Facebook in two of the most important developing markets (Brazil & India), but that is likely to change soon (Facebook is gaining in both), whilst Buzz hasn't exactly set the world on fire, and Wave is now just a distant, confusing memory. That said, Google's new +1 is worthy of attention, even if it's only because of what it tells us about the evolution of advertising. For years, online marketers sold their prod [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Search & Social

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