Over the summer I had the privilege of working under a dialled in VP of Marketing. He’ll remain nameless in this post, but to say the least, he is an outspoken social media expert (in my opinion) with the ability to convince any sceptic of the power of digital. We debated Google+ on occasion, him pointing out the benefits and power of the new platform…me, the stubborn sceptic…

The benefits are clearly articulated by Ian Schafer in this Ad Age Digital commentary. Schafer describes the ability to seamlessly incorporate Youtube video, Google Music, and Google Photos among other Google products, all thanks to the Cloud. Schafer also promotes Google+ for its ability to allow brands to share even MORE content than Facebook, resulting in more views. He acknowledges that Facebook will remain a portal for customer interaction, but Google+ will take the main stage for brand search and discovery.

So here I am, end of the year, and Google+ has launched their brand pages. Many of my friends and contacts have joined Google+, but are very inactive. Moreover, the brands that have established pages, such as Pepsi, do not appear to be offering anything mind blowing at this point. More pictures, more random status updates, and the pages look similar to Facebook. I acknowledge the fact that Google+ has incredible potential, but why am I less than impressed?

It’s obvious. Network effects. I believe that even though Google+ as a platform has great capabilities, until they create a solution to a REAL social media problem, people won’t fully commit. Clearly, people don’t care enough about filtering their status updates. Until the market is there, brands won’t put the needed effort into establishing compelling Google+ pages. Network effects are too “sticky”. This eMarketer graph helps to see the power of Facebook as a platform. Google+ has a lot of catching up to do. I remain a sceptic.

We only briefly touched on B2B marketing on the world wide web in class, but it peaked my interest so I wanted to explore a little further. I consulted a few online articles by Marketingprofs, and it appears that there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the effective use of social media to sell to businesses. I can see two reasons for this. One is that there are few case examples of successful strategies for B2B via Web 2.0. The second is the fact that on Facebook or Twitter, it is not always transparent as to the mind behind the social media. So for business development managers focused on targeted marketing efforts, they may be sadly conversing with a web intern who is not a decision maker in the organization. Before getting too disappointed, read this blog on a great B2B success story for Avaya who managed to secure a contract via Twitter in ’09. The main thing I took away from the case is the importance of listening online. So long as you are actively listening to conversations about your product or service, you will be in the position to uncover opportunities to engage or potentially make a sale. Sweet!

Are marketers overestimating their ability to strengthen brands through social media? I start to wonder when I see articles like this one published recently by the National Post. Journalist Hollie Shaw describes a recent Nielsen survey indicating that US consumers use social media primarily for bargains and promotions. In fact, 60% literally hunt for deals on Facebook and Twitter, hoping to score a coupon or find out about a new promotion. So why spend so much time engaging customers through interactive social media platforms? If at the end of the day, the consumer just wants a promo, might he or she just as easily switch to your competitor offering a better deal the next day? If brand building exists for the ultimate goal of creating loyalty, is social media working in its favour?

I think it is important to consider the context: These are US consumers and the economic crisis should not be negated. More and more families are relying on coupons to make ends meet. I certainly believe in the value of engagement and interaction with consumers, particularly for the purpose of listening and then improving a product offering based on feedback. But if you only aim to attract customers purely through promotion on social mediums, you might find it difficult to keep them. I’m learning that the social media journey is a marathon, where ongoing connectivity, fresh content, and surprising incentives help to keep customers interested. Check out Jelly Belly’s Facbook Fan Page if you get a chance. A good example of creative customer engagement through social media without the use of coupons and promotions.

On Monday, Sive and I stumbled upon this amazing internet phenomenon called haul videos. According to Wikipedia, these are user generated videos endorsing products or services. I had never heard or seen anything like this before, but as we searched for Youtube content on Aritzia, we came upon pages and pages of “haul” style uploads featuring happy shopping pop tarts endorsing the Vancouver based retailer.

Here is an example of a haul video by the original haulers themselves, Elle and Blair Fowler (I admit, I couldn’t watch the entire thing). This video received well over 1.2MM views, and generated unprecedented exposure for Forever 21.

Meanwhile, according to a recent article by MarketWatch, BzzAgent is developing a new iPhone app which will allow people to upload promotional videos instantly. No longer will satisfied shoppers have to wait to be in front of their desktops to upload a video of their shopping experience. Rather, they’ll be able do it right in store with their smart phones! This app will help expedite online word-of-mouth, undoubtedly. With the advent of apps like this, I think we’ll see growth in the haul phenomenon. If combined with incentives to participate (provided advertising regulators don’t intervene), social shoppers will have a unique influence on our purchasing decisions.

My first blog post. In an attempt to write something interesting, I consulted a Mashable.com article: http://mashable.com/2011/09/16/blog-content-sticky/. What a great start! I’ll comment on a few take-aways from author Shane Snow.

“Content Strategy: 7 Tips to Make your Blog Stickier”

First, mix “stock” content which is your main text with “flow” content which is a collection of regurgitated stuff from around the web. I think this makes sense as fresh content helps to generate interest and keeps people coming back for more. Good tip.

Next, Snow discusses customization which is well beyond my ability at this point. So I move on.

Snow then recommends retweeting your blog posts or directing people to your blog on social media sites. A great suggestion! We know from eMarketing that a well integrated website (i.e. social media connection on sites and vice versa) is most effective.

Another suggestion: email your blog out to subscribers. I am NO WHERE near ready to share this blog with a list of subscribers, but I think that makes good sense for a firm with a growing following. Plus, it would help establish top of mind awareness and encourage sharing.

Ok, now he suggests “linking internally like mad”. Not sure I agree. Mind my stupidity on this subject, but I am not one of those people Snow describes as someone who gets lost on Wikipedia jumping from link to link embedded in content. I’m a skimmer and I imagine there are others like me out there. I want the meat. Also, as a firm with a social media and online campaign, I think you have to be careful not to inadvertently engage in cross-promotional activity by linking to other sites. You never know what could pop up or be posted on a linked site that does not align with your brand . I think http://aritzia.com/blog does a good job of creating a lifestyle blog, while limiting the connectivity with other sites and brands.

I learned a few things reading Snow’s article. Mainly, your style and content depends on the blog context. Personal and corporate blogs have different objectives. Having a sensitivity for your audience is important.