Teaching Social Media Marketing At UCLA Extension

2011 Told Through Twitter

2012-01-03T13:13:00.000-08:00

Very cool video.

10 Historical Events Affected by Social Media

2011-12-04T11:06:00.000-08:00

Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, Princess Diana’s death — these three events might have played out differently had social media been as strong as it is now.
That’s not to say they wouldn’t have happened. But if nonprofits then had been able to access the same technology resources we have today, perhaps the aftereffects of Hurricane Katrina wouldn’t have been so painstakingly slow and devastating. Families wouldn’t have waited nearly as long to be reunited after 9/11; not to mention, those who couldn’t turn to real-life support could have relied on digital communities. And today’s technology would have made it a lot easier to personally contact British friends as they mourned the loss of Princess Diana. Read the whole article here

5 Tips for Creating Shareable Blog Content

2011-11-16T09:16:00.000-08:00

Great info from Social Media Examiner:

By Amy Porterfield
Published November 16, 2011

Is your blog feeling a bit flat? Are you looking to attract more of the right kinds of people to your content?

If you struggle to attract a steady stream of quality readers to your blog, you’re not alone. The good news is that your blog isn’t a lost cause.

There are many smart strategies you can use to create compelling, bite-sized content your readers will devour—and share like crazy.

The secret is to tap into the power, speed and instant accessibility of social media. Here are 5 simple, foolproof ideas you can put into action TODAY: Read the rest here

GaryVee's 4 Random Thoughts About The Future in Tech

2011-11-14T14:29:00.001-08:00

State of the blogosphere 2011: Using social networks for self-promotion

2011-11-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

From VentureBeat

For its annual look at the blogging world, Technorati surveyed 4,114 bloggers in 45 countries. This year, the focus was on why and how they blog, their connections with brands and how they use social media.

Meet the bloggers

Those surveyed are mostly hobbyists (61 percent) who don’t post daily. In fact, only 11 percent of surveyed bloggers were posting on a daily basis. Thirteen percent of bloggers are doing it for extra income on the side, and only 5 percent are bonafide professional full-timers bloggers. Of the pros, 37 percent say it makes up the majority of their income. The remainder of the bloggers are doing it to promote a brand or company — 13 percent are entrepreneurs and 8 percent are corporate.

For the most part, the bloggers are educated, married parents between 25 and 44 years old. Though still mostly male (59 percent), there was a gender shift from last year when 64 percent were men.

Eighty percent have been blogging for over two years, and half for over four years. Bloggers are juggling an average of three different blogs, up from two last year. It’s interesting that bloggers are maintaining or increasing the amount of time they put into their blogs after launching, instead of losing interest or moving onto the next new thing. read the rest here

Facebook Complaints To Stores Go Unanswered 65 Percent Of Time, Study Shows

2011-11-06T12:46:00.000-08:00

Interesting article from Reuters:

By Brad Dorfman
(Reuters) - Store chains use Facebook pages to reach out to customers, but when customers reach back with complaints, many go unanswered, a new study shows. Read the rest here.

Also, a cool and relevant video the summarizes some quick tips for social media beginners:

Snooki from "Jersey Shore" builds a brand. - Nov. 2, 2011

2011-11-05T14:32:00.000-07:00

We'll discuss this in #SMMUCLA class!
Snooki from "Jersey Shore" builds a brand. - Nov. 2, 2011

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- When most people think of Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, businesswoman is not the first word that springs to mind. It's usually not the second or even the third.

But that's exactly what the pint-sized breakout star of MTV's "Jersey Shore" is.The 23-year-old has capitalized on her screen time by creating a brand that boasts everything from Snooki sunglasses and flip-flops to mobile games and apps.

Two years ago, Polizzi was unknown until she was cast in the reality TV show "Jersey Shore," which followed eight housemates. Her ditsy manner and signature pouf hairdo quickly gained fans. But her fame soared after an episode aired of her getting punched in the face by a guy in a bar.

The Twenty-Five Most Valuable Blogs In America – 2011

2011-11-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

We started our class out with the assignment to start a blog. Why? To learn what it takes to run a blog, what it means to build and manage a community, etc. This is an interesting post about profitable blogs:

After years in the shadows of major media sites, blogs have come into their own.

They now compete directly with the most well-funded online content sites, many of which are owned by the largest media companies.

With the rise of several blogs that are extremely successful both financially and editorially, the mainstream content corporations have tried to either flank or buy them.

Here Are The Most Valuable Blogs In America →

Many mainstream companies like The New York Times have started dozens of blogs of their own.

25 Twitter Chats Every Entrepreneur Must Know

2011-10-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

IMPORTANT for #SMMUCLA students to check this out! A tweet chat is a great personal branding tool. It is also a way to establish regular engagement with your community and to continue adding to that community.

FROM Under 30 CEO

If you are an entrepreneur one of the premier tools for personal branding and networking we have available to us is Twitter. One of the best ways to utilize this tool is through online discussions with other people on Twitter surrounding certain topics or hashtags. These interactive Twitter chats are usually question and answer style, where the host asks a question and the attendees answer/discuss. It’s also common for the host to bring in an industry leader to interview and field questions for attendees as well.

While many of these chats seem similar each have a different feel to them once you participate. Just like there are many great places to start a business or great events for entrepreneurs that seem similar, there are lots of different Twitter chats. Go out and figure out where you fit in, learn something and make some new friends to collaborate with.

Check out our list of 25 Twitter Chats Every Entrepreneur Must Know…

The Anatomy of a Successful Facebook Page

2011-10-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

Great info from Hubspot (as usual)! We'll discuss NEXT WEEK when we focus on Facebook for Business in class.

Posted by Pamela Vaughan

Wed, Oct 19, 2011 @ 02:30 PM

Successful inbound marketers understand the value of an effective Facebook presence complete with an engaging business page that attracts a lot of 'Likes' (By the way, have you liked HubSpot on Facebook yet? ;o). But for those just getting accustomed to Facebook business pages and all they have to offer, the experience can seem daunting.

To give you a good sense of the various elements of a Facebook page and how to use those elements effectively, let's dissect the anatomy of a Facebook business page. We'll use HubSpot's Facebook page as our subject. (Note: No Facebook fans were harmed during the dissection of this Facebook page.)

The 13-Part Anatomy of a Facebook Business Page

Read the rest HERE

How To Find And Attract Leads Using LinkedIn

2011-10-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

PERFECT article for our conversation this week at class on LinkedIN! Read the whole article here.

Quentin Aisbett

LinkedIn has been touted the most powerful social media tool for professionals. Unlike other social media platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn keeps professional connections just that—professional. You’ll be hard pressed to find business owners chatting about their kids or weekend plans on LinkedIn. Instead, you’ll find businesses looking for other business owners; making connections and generating business and sales leads.

LinkedIn allows you to find and connect with decision makers for companies in virtually any market or genre. You’ll find businesses looking for goods, services and new products. If you’re looking for leads like this, then LinkedIn is the place you want to be. So, how do you go about finding and attracting leads on LinkedIn?

Take a look at these six steps for lead generation to get you started. Read here

7 Ways Universities Are Using Facebook as a Marketing Tool

2011-10-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

This post is an excellent intro to our discussion on Facebook next week #SMMUCLA Read the whole post here

The Facebook Marketing Series is supported by Buddy Media. Power your connections and turn fans into real connections with technology powered by Buddy Media. Download Buddy Media’s free guide for Successful Retail Social Posting to learn how to drive results with your social postings.

Social media use by universities has become ubiquitous. When earlier this year, researchers from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth asked a representative sample of U.S. schools whether they use some social media, 100% of them said they did. Four years ago, just 61% of them said the same.

Facebook is the most prevalent social media tool in higher education — 98% of the universities in the study said they had a presence there.

“Prospective students, parents, current students, alumni — one common area in which they are all present in one way or another is on Facebook,” says Kevin Morrow, the executive director of public affairs at Syracuse University.

For this and other reasons, schools are pretty much unanimous in their use of Facebook. How they’re using the tool, however, varies greatly.

“The book hasn’t been written,” says Michael Kaltenmark, director of web marketing and communications at Butler. “We’re still figuring it out on a daily basis.”

Here are seven ways schools are leveraging Facebook. Read the rest here

5 Cool Ways of Using Twitter In Classrooms

2011-10-14T15:02:00.000-07:00

I hope you'll read the whole post - great stuff in line with our class this past week.

Here is a collection of dozens of projects and ideas to get teachers started using Twitter to build a better learning experience for everyone, divided into five categories:

Expand Learning Possibilities
Build Writing Skills
Use Twitter’s Research Potential
Get Creative!
Improving Classroom Efficiency

The Dos And Don’ts Of Tweeting About Your Job

2011-10-04T11:11:00.000-07:00

We'll be discussing Twitter in class tomorrow night. Here's a very timely post we can discuss:

by Lilit Marcus

With many employees being plugged in to social media from their desks, it’s easy to blur the lines about where work ends and the internet begins. A new study from Cornell University tracked what workers were saying about their jobs on Twitter, and the results aren’t surprising – most of them used Twitter as a platform to complain about work, and tweets during the workday were much more likely to contain negative words like “fear” than tweets from other times of the day. Though social media has become so entrenched in our culture that it seems normal to tweet about work, doing so can be dangerous for you and your job. Here are a couple of ways to make sure that you tweet responsibly:

Read the rest here

Watch Advertising Week 8

2011-10-03T11:30:00.001-07:00

Advertising Week - Times Center Hall by advertisingweek

The Latest ‘Hot’ Facebook Marketing Trend

2011-10-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

This is from Jeff Bullas - good blog to follow. We'll discuss in class when we get to Facebook Marketing.

Conan O’Brien has been an active social media user for well over a year. When he joined Twitter he quickly gathered well over 1.8 million followers (today his follower count is over 3 million) that provided him with a platform to launch the next stage of his career after his highly publicized breakup with NBC.

Since then he and his team have extended their social media marketing beyond Twitter and now have several social media channels that leverages his brand and provides an enduring and continually growing online asset that continues to build.

Blog
Facebook (with over 1.5 million fans)
YouTube (15 million views)

Read the rest here

Facebook F8 Video September 22, 2011

2011-09-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

f8live on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

A Beginner’s Guide to Blog Monetization

2011-09-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

Excellent post on BlogWorld - just in time for this week's class on Blogging! #SMMUCLA

I’ve already written A Beginner’s Guide to Twitter Basics and A Beginner’s Guide to SEO Basics, and someone much smarter than me wrote about podcasting basics, so today I wanted ton continue this theme and write about monetization. Now, there are people who write entire blogs about monetization, so believe me when I say that this is a quick overview. If you’re new to blogging, though, this post can help you figure out how to make money from your blog.

Monetization Methods

Bloggers who want to make money from their blogs have five main choices for monetization. Under each of these categories, you have multiple options as well, so I’m going to list as many as I can. The great thing about blogging is that bloggers are always finding new and innovative ways to make money! Read the rest here

What Facebook’s Changes Mean for Marketers

2011-09-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

Facebook’s bold list of changes, announced Thursday, will put more pressure on advertisers to come up with compelling content and integrate themselves further into consumers’ lives. The big loser? The “Like,” which will have a smaller role in marketing, industry analysts say.

One big change is that Facebook has added a control in the top right of each story that users can check to unmark a top story. Facebook will use that information over time to automatically edit the feeds. Since users now have more control over their news feeds, brands with boring or irrelevant updates will have lower visibility. (They will still show up in the Ticker, however.)

Marketers, who have been told for years that they’re actually publishers now, will have to put that into practice, says Ian Schafer, CEO of Deep Focus, a digital marketing firm. “Facebook is a channel, albeit a collaborative one, that needs to be programmed,” says Schafer. “We need to get people to share and interact with more content.” Read the rest from MASHABLE here

Here's The First Example Of The New Facebook News Apps

2011-09-20T16:46:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, Facebook is expected to announce a new family of news apps that let users read and share news stories from sources like CNN, without ever leaving Facebook.

But it looks like one publisher jumped the gun.

The Wall Street Journal has just released the beta of WSJ Journal, which arranges WSJ stories in a grid on a special Facebook page.

When users click on a story, they'll see commentary about the story from other Facebook users who have read it. Users can also select specific editors from the Journal to see what stories they recommend, which will change the arrangement of stories on the home page.

Social Media Week

2011-09-20T12:58:00.000-07:00

Social Media Week is a multi-city global conference connecting people, content and conversations around emerging trends in social and mobile media. With over 75 events hosted at locations all over the city, the September 2011 conference attracts CEO’s, entrepreneurs, journalists, bloggers, brand managers, CMO’s, social media strategists, artists, activists and the technology/media digerati.

The depth, breadth and quality of events across a wide range of topics, industries and causes has generated tremendous positive feedback. We’re excited to be back in Los Angeles in September 2011, and thank all the participants for making it a success. Social Media Week Los Angeles is being produced by SocialRadius.

Welcome FALL 2011 Semester!

2011-09-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

Karl and I welcome each and every one of you to the Fall Semester 2011 of Social Media Marketing!

Congratulations for signing up for this class. You are already ahead of the game and many of your peers. As social media changes the way we communicate, market, shop, think, buy, consume, etc., brands and agencies are trying to find the right formula for success. How do you target and retain new consumers? What's social media, anyway?

Companies are looking for talented employees who can think critically and easily navigate these fluid waters. This class will set you on that path.

See you Wednesday!

The NEW GaryVEE and the "Morton's Steak House" Story

2011-08-24T09:45:00.003-07:00

Great example of brand differientation and of Gary's continued use of VIDEO to get his message out. Well done!

Acclaimed News Anchor and Journalist Rick Sanchez Added as Keynote Speaker for Gravity Summit FutureM on September 12th - CBS Atlanta News, Weather, Sports, Traffic - WGCL 46

2011-08-23T07:31:00.000-07:00

Acclaimed News Anchor and Journalist Rick Sanchez Added as Keynote Speaker for Gravity Summit FutureM on September 12th - CBS Atlanta News, Weather, Sports, Traffic - WGCL 46

In a Race to Out-Rave, 5-Star Web Reviews Go for $5

2011-08-20T07:08:00.000-07:00

This is an important article from the NYT and we'll discuss in today's #SMMUCLA class!

In tens of millions of reviews on Web sites like Amazon.com, Citysearch, TripAdvisor and Yelp, new books are better than Tolstoy, restaurants are undiscovered gems and hotels surpass the Ritz.

Enlarge This Image

Is That Review a Fake?

Or so the reviewers say. As online retailers increasingly depend on reviews as a sales tool, an industry of fibbers and promoters has sprung up to buy and sell raves for a pittance.

“For $5, I will submit two great reviews for your business,” offered one entrepreneur on the help-for-hire site Fiverr, one of a multitude of similar pitches. On another forum, Digital Point, a poster wrote, “I will pay for positive feedback on TripAdvisor.” A Craigslist post proposed this: “If you have an active Yelp account and would like to make very easy money please respond.” READ THE REST HERE

Sustainable and Green Marketing.

2011-08-12T15:34:00.000-07:00

WELCOME Sustainable Social Media Summer 2011 Class!

Green Business News

Analysis: Japanese rare earth consumers set up shop in China

TOKYO/TORONTO (Reuters) - Japanese manufacturers concerned about China's restrictive export quotas on essential rare earths may have found a way to resolve their supply concerns -- relocate production to China. Read here

All Location - The blog all about Location

2011-07-31T19:44:00.000-07:00

Great blog on Location Based Services we'll discuss in class this week

API highlight: check-ins for the common good

There are lots of amazing things that can happen when you check in… but not many things bring more joy to us than when check-ins serve as a tool for the common good. We’ve been thrilled to see a recent batch of services that encourage giving back to your community, especially when it comes to improving the quality of education.

Two of the top projects at a recent hacking education showcase hosted by DonorsChoose.org utilized the open foursquare API to help potential donors discover classroom projects based on data generated by check-ins. More here

5 Killer Social Media Tips for PR Pros

2011-07-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

From Mashable:

So you’ve got the social PR basics down, and you’re following and engaging with relevant media and influencers. Maybe you’ve even developed a few social media campaigns for your company or clients. What are some other ways you can give your PR efforts an added social boost?

Here are five social media tips for PR professionals. Read the rest here

Could you pass a Facebook background check?

2011-07-26T08:48:00.000-07:00

We will discuss in class today!

Employers are running social-media searches on job applicants

By Jennifer Waters, MarketWatch

CHICAGO (MarketWatch) — The next time you apply for a job, don’t be surprised if you have to agree to a social-media background check. Many U.S. companies and recruiters are now looking at your Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and other accounts and blogs — even YouTube — to paint a clearer picture of who you are.

“Almost all employers do some form of background screening because they have to avoid negligent hiring,” said Max Drucker, chief executive of Social Intelligence, a consumer-reporting agency. “An employer has an obligation to make the best effort to protect their employees and customers when they hire.” Listen to audio: Your Facebook page is part of your resume.

Read the rest here

Wendy Clark Connects "Liquid and Linked" at the 2011 IAB Annual Leadership Meeting

2011-07-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

Excellent overview of growing business with Social as part of the Integrated Marketing Mix. We will discuss in class today #SMMUCLA

Infographic: The history of F-commerce

2011-07-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

We'll discuss in class Thurs. #SMMUCLA

From SMI

Brands have been hawking product on their Facebook fan pages for no more than two years now and yet the promise of F-commerce has the retail world buzzing. One prediction says social commerce will top $30 billion globally by 2015 with Facebook-generated sales one of the primary drivers. Certainly brands like Gap, Delta Air Lines and 1-800-Flowers.com have seen some returns on their early investments in setting up a shop window on the world’s busiest social network.

Social Media HOW TO Magazines

2011-07-18T16:42:00.000-07:00

Excited for the Summer Semester of UCLA SMMUCLA 2011 to learn about these new publications! Mari Smith is amazing and she's just launched FREE magazines!

Social Media's About to Get Down to Business

A Video from Student Shih Jo Lee

2011-07-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

This week's assignment is to start a blog. Shih Jo's blog contains this video. Great work!

Best Tumblr Blogs: 33 Tumblrs You NEED To Follow

2011-07-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

Perfect article! We're discussing blogs tomorrow in class:

Tumblr continues to grow and new features just keep coming -- the latest being an an Android app and third-party iPad app.

And now this for the social network based in New York: Tumblr hit 1 billion posts today.

Its staff acknowledged the mark in a Tumblr post, stating, "The things you do with Tumblr continue to blow our minds. :)" Read the rest here

Facebook Commerce: Privacy Big Hurdle To Success

2011-07-11T07:47:00.000-07:00

Privacy and security are early themes in this semester's class. Our guest speaker, Karl Kasca, will present on this tomorrow. Here's a MediaPost article about these concerns as a barrier to adoption:

How is the rise of Facebook commerce, whereby retailers sell directly on the social network, affecting the online and retail ecosystems? Maybe not as much as you think, according to a new trend report from WPP's JWT.

Why isn't the success of F-Commerce guaranteed?

For one, privacy concerns appear to a big hurdle for Facebook commerce. Nearly eight in 10 American and British adults expressed worries about the privacy implications of shopping directly on Facebook. Read the rest here

A Campaign That Honors, Empowers, Respects Mom

2011-07-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

We'll be discussing Mom Bloggers tomorrow - great info on how the movement is evolving from MediaPost

This week, the Marketing to Moms Coalition, a professional industry organization of which I am a proud founder, awarded its fifth annual H.E.R Award to Quaker Oats for its "Afterschool Rocks" campaign for Quaker Chewy Granola Bars. In the event you aren't aware of the coalition or its award, let me fill you in. The coalition is an independent organization dedicated to supporting and promoting an understanding of mothers as the most powerful consumer group in the United States. It serves as a resource for industry professionals and is dedicated to providing insights, identifying trends and connecting members. Membership is free and you can learn more here.

CONSTANT CONTACT FREE SEMINAR

2011-07-06T12:48:00.000-07:00

We discussed this yesterday in class. They give very effective FREE seminars on Social Media and email marketing. You may want to take advantage of it!

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Social-Media-and-Email-Marketing-Events-in-Santa-Monica--SGV-and-OC.html?soid=1102136716643&aid=m05eWojrdMU

President Obama Answers Questions in Twitter Town Hall [LIVE VIDEO]

2011-07-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

JOIN THE LIVE CHAT

VISIT WHITEHOUSE.GOV

President Obama is set to answer questions from Twitter users during a town hall moderated by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey. The live stream, embedded above, kicks off at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT.
Users are able to submit questions via the askobama.twitter.com website or by using the hashtag #AskObama. Twitter has also setup an account @townhall for tracking the event.

10 Brands That Will Disappear In 2012

2011-07-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

Good for discussion in class!

24/7 Wall St. has created a new list of brands that will disappear, which includes Sears (NASDAQ:SHLD), Sony Pictures (NYSE:SNE), American Apparel (NYSE:APP), Nokia (NYSE:NOK), Saab, A&W All-American Foods Restaurants, Soap Opera Digest, Sony Ericsson, MySpace (NYSE:NWS.A), and Kellog's Corn Pops. (NYSE:K).

Each year, 24/7 Wall St. regularly compiles a list of brands that are going to disappear in the near-term. Last year's list proved to be prescient in many instances, predicting the demise of T-Mobile among others. In late May, AT&T (NYSE:T) and Deutche Telekom announced that AT&T would buy T-Mobile USA for $39 billion. The deal would add 34 million customers to the company and create the country's largest wireless operator. Read the rest here

Welcome Summer 2011 Semester!

2011-07-03T20:38:00.000-07:00

I look forward to meeting each of you. This blog contains useful information for this class and beyond. One of the first things you'll learn is that there is literally TOO MUCH information for any of us to digest.

Learning to curate your information flow is critical. This is true for your personally and for companies you work for. I've listed a number of sites I think are useful on the Blog List - Mashable, AllTop, MediaBistro and more. We'll discuss this topic in class on Tuesday.

Below is a great article from Mashable. I suggest you start a file to collect great links.

42 New Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed

No doubt your summer celebrations this weekend will leave you little time to catch up on reading. To help you out, we’ve compiled a handy roundup of this week’s most helpful, informative and inspiring stories.We’ve celebrated iPhone’s birthday, we’ve pondered celebrity impact on social good, and we’ve laughed over geeky gadgets. This week Mashable overflowed with engaging content. Find out what you missed! Read the rest here

8 Essential Tricks For Publicists Using Facebook

2011-06-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

8 Essential Tricks For Publicists Using Facebook

Great article for Summer Semester #SMMUCLA students to review!

12% of Americans Cite Social Media in Purchases

2011-06-16T16:35:00.000-07:00

New Summer Semester class starts July 5 - still room!

by Erik Sass, 89 minutes ago

The social media ROI discussion is heating up with a spate of new research drawing connections between social media, brand perceptions, and purchase behavior.

That includes a new study released earlier this week by Knowledge Networks and MediaPost's very own Center for Media Research, showing that the number of Americans who say their brand consumption choices are influenced by social media has increased substantially in the last year. Read the rest here

How to Market Anywhere with QR - Quick Response - Codes

2011-06-07T07:31:00.000-07:00

From Karl Kasca's IOP Newsletter - terrific information on QR codes and more!

Video: How To Shorten Links and Generate QR Codes

How to use Goo.gl

First, sign up for a free Google account (note: if you have Gmail, then you have one already)
Then go to http://goo.gl/, sign-in and enter or paste in the long web address, e.g., http://www.increaseonlineprofits.com/.
Then you receive your shortened web address: http://goo.gl/ZEhL.
Click on "Details" and you'll see the QR code for the link you shortened.

Not only that, but you'll also see analytics for the link:
How many people clicked on the link, what websites they came from ("Referrers"), as well as their Countries, Browsers, and Platforms.
So you're getting some aggregated info about who's attracted by your link which might be useful in formulating or tweaking your marketing strategies.

How to use Goo.gl

First, sign up for a free Google account (note: if you have Gmail, then you have one already)
Then go to http://goo.gl/, sign-in and enter or paste in the long web address, e.g., http://www.increaseonlineprofits.com/.
Then you receive your shortened web address: http://goo.gl/ZEhL.
Click on "Details" and you'll see the QR code for the link you shortened.

Not only that, but you'll also see analytics for the link:
How many people clicked on the link, what websites they came from ("Referrers"), as well as their Countries, Browsers, and Platforms.
So you're getting some aggregated info about who's attracted by your link which might be useful in formulating or tweaking your marketing strategies.

Social Influence in Real-Time

2011-06-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

Check out my new post on Huffington Post

Celebrities on Twitter. Reviews are the new advertising. Social CRM.

These are the topics du jour for most expert marketers these days. But isn't a celebrity on Twitter just like the old-fashioned 'spokesperson'? Do reviews really count, or are companies just flooding Yelp with 'good' reviews of their own brand to ward off the negative comments? And what is Social CRM anyway? These days, CRM systems aren't even connected to marketing, so how does that work?

And what about the elusive and somewhat mis-understood role of social influencer? Defining what that means, where they are, and how to engage these new arbiters of cool opens up a whole new playing field.

These are top-of-mind questions in most corporations I consult with these days. The ensuing conversations are robust and lively because senior executives are slowly realizing that these issues affect the entire enterprise. And learning to think about them anew, through the impact of real-time social channels, is challenging for most companies.

Social Media Pokes Around With IPOs

2011-06-04T07:25:00.000-07:00

Your instructor, Beverly Macy, on NPR's Weekend Edition!

by NPR Staff

Listen to the Story

Weekend Edition Saturday

[3 min 46 sec]

June 4, 2011

This week, the online coupon provider Groupon and music streaming site Pandora announced they would be going public. These announcements come after the successful initial public stock offering of the business social networking site LinkedIn two weeks ago. Host Scott Simon speaks with social media marketing expert Beverly Macy about what just may be a new wave of Internet companies entering the market.

How to Format Blog Posts Effectively

2011-05-31T09:57:00.000-07:00

Part of the ongoing class assignment is to maintain a blog. Students started that blog on week two. Here's a great recap of what makes a good blog post from ProBlogger. Click here to read the whole article.

“Beyond writing good quality content, how can I format my posts so that they communicate more effectively?”

I was asked the above question by a reader earlier today on Twitter and shot them back a series of DMs with the following suggestions that I thought might interest others (I’ve expanded them here).

Image by Kailash Gyawali

Of course, as the question implies, the most powerful communication strategy for bloggers is quality of writing—but beyond that, here are a few things I’ve found helpful over the last nine years of blogging.

Social Networking Media ROI Calculator

2011-05-30T17:55:00.000-07:00

This week we'll be discussing Measurement and ROI in class. Here's a fantastic ROI Calculator from Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff of Groundswell.

Teaching Executives About Social Media

2011-05-25T09:31:00.000-07:00

Fellow-student Tiffany Peralta is quoted in US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT!

The goal of the Social Media Marketing course at the University of California—Los Angeles Extension, a continuing higher education provider for working adults, is to equip students with social media tools of the business world, says Beverly Macy, author of The Power of Real-Time Social Media Marketing and professor at the UCLA Extension.

"There's a complete shift in how we're doing business," Macy says. "People are now getting their [information] from LinkedIn and Twitter and Facebook."

The course, which Macy calls "social media for executives," teaches students how to act and react in real time by implementing social media practices. Macy live blogs during her class, and students are encouraged to live tweet notes and ideas using classroom hash tags to create Twitter conversations.

Though her classes are normally a mix of older students who are wary and skeptical of the value of real-time social platforms, "by the middle of the class they get it," Macy says.

The course has been "nothing short of life changing" for Tiffany Paralta, one of Macy's students. "I've been introduced to an entirely new world," Paralta says. "[I] realize that this class is a serious game changer in my career and in how I consume information in general."

5 Unique Uses of Twitter in the Classroom - US News and World Report

2011-05-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

5 Unique Uses of Twitter in the Classroom - US News and World Report

2011-05-22T10:22:00.001-07:00

2011 Edelman Trust Barometer: Global & Country Insights

View more presentations from Edelman

50 Most Inspired Facebook Pages

2011-05-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

Great timing! We just discussed this in class last week - businesses turning to Facebook, and the concept of f-commerce. Here you go! Click here to see ALL - from Inspired Mag

World’s Best Brands

Those are the guys with enormous budgets, that can afford to hire the best designers and Social Media Marketers. Some of their pages really impress, while some of them could really come up with something more exciting.

Coca-Cola

Intel

Nokia

Toyota

Disney

McDonald’s

Mercedes-Benz

From MediaPost: Malt-O-Meal Campaign 'Bags' The Box

2011-05-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

Malt-O-Meal is launching a campaign called "Bag the Box" to promote its packaging in a bag instead of the traditional cereal box.

The Minneapolis-based company has launched a Web site (http://bagthebox.com/) and blog where users can view fan-created videos and exchange ideas on sustainable packaging and green initiatives. Included on the site is a "Think Green" video that showcases why bags are a smarter packaging solution.

Read the rest here

Facebook and Twitter Tips from Simon Mainwaring

2011-05-10T14:54:00.000-07:00

The Spring 2011 class of #SMMUCLA supports Simon's efforts in We First 100%. Here's some great Facebook Do's and Don'ts from Simon:

Top five Don'ts for Facebook:
1. Don't participate if you do not intend to invest time and energy into long-term relationships with your fans.
2. Don't participate if you are not willing or capable of moderating the conversations you start on a daily basis.
3. Don't measure success by the number of fans or followers you have, but rather, how deeply they are engaged.
4. Don't treat social media like direct mail where you simply talk about yourself tirelessly in shorter sound bites.
5. When you make a mistake, don't get defensive or self-righteous, but rather, accept responsibility, apologize and do what you can to make up for it.

Top 5 Dos for Facebook
1. Do bring consistent creativity to your Facebook 'Like' page to inspire engagement.
2. Do respond to negative comments in order to turn a brand critic into a brand advocate.
3. Do recognize your brand loyalists and reach out to them to build them into brand ambassadors.
4. Do keep up to date with the latest applications and plug-ins that add new dimension to your 'Like' page.
5. Do recognize that your are effectively bidding for people's attention in an overcrowded marketplace and that their time deserves to be rewarded.