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…then we can all pack up and call social media conquered! Oh, I should point ot that “FTW” in the title is short for “For The Win”. I know that seeing this all over Twitter when I first started there made me think of old biker t-shirts from an earlier time. Seriously though, I’m wowed looking at the state (stats) of YouTube in this great infographic from the folks at Flowtown.com.

I mention Facebook because it was launched just one year prior to YouTube. The incredible growth of these two companies is near spooky to me. Regardless of how you may feel about these sites personally, the fact remains; if you’re not utilizing them both, you may be missing some the considerable pieces in your social media strategy puzzle!

(Click the image for full size)

Not every business feels like it can make great use of video.  If this sounds like you, perhaps creating a video from photos or screen grabs might be a good solution for you. While we’re on the YouTube topic today, here also are 10 Killer Tips for Creating a Branded YouTube Channel , which is a very good thing for a businesses to have!

Are the numbers represented in the infographic surprising to you? What are your thoughts about YouTube, have you had great success (failures too if you want to share them) from the use of video in a campaign or social media strategy? Do tell…the comments are yours!

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Oh yes, I Google me…you bet! Just for the record, and because I find it fascinating, here is a little tour of some James Ball people that I am not:

http://www.jimballvineyards.com/

http://www.rooftopcomedy.com/comics/JamesBall

http://www.jamesrb.co.uk/?page_id=2

http://www.onlinejamesball.com/

http://www.jamesballchimney.com/

http://www.darkergreen.com/

http://www.piloteh.com/james.html

No real lesson here today, save that you should grab control of as much “your name” & “your company name” real estate as you can online, including social media channels/profiles/url’s, etc. Be very aware of who you share search results with, and check back often. As for me, I’m pretty pleased with the folks I show up with. These guys give me interesting things to think about and tune in to!

p.s. Don’t stress trying to figure out why I did this post. There’s truly no reason for it. I’ve seen several people run posts like this…wondered why they did it, and just thought I’d do one myself.

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A wonderful new infographic from the incredible folks at Flowtown.com came out on Friday. I’m especially excited about this one because the topic, “Women In Social Media”, and the data contained in the infographic itself are very near-and-dear to me personally. Women have always been at the heart of my own marketing strategy because I choose to cater to them… whether based on demographic fact or by hunch. It is also a fact that I owe much of what I’ve learned about social media marketing to the influence and tutelage of some very skilled ladies from within this industry.

More to say after, but first check out the infographic! Click The Image To View Full Size.

The quoted sources for the data in the Flowtown infographic are Quantcast.com and SmallBizTrends.com, (check this post) both are sites that I frequent. I highly recommend that you connect with and follow along with the expert writers and editorial staff at SmallBizTrends. As for Quantcast, run over and set up a free account, “quantify” your own site, and begin to find out exactly who it is that you are(or should be) talking to!

Two more important resources for today:

• Who Rules The Social Web?
• Above was supported by Brian Solis in: Revealing the People Defining Social Networks
• Why Social Media Means Big Opportunities for Women

 From a marketing (traditional as well as digital) perspective, I have always attributed much of my success to the fact that I have a healthy respect and understanding of demographics. I said it above and it’s true, I tend to move forward with an acceptance that my target audience is made up of more women than men. Social media marketing isn’t any different for me; in fact the raw numbers support this attitude quite clearly. The infographic above speaks volumes about how many women are out there and how they are involved in social media! I can only suggest that you also do whatever it takes to find out as much about your actual audience as is possible.

Short true story: Once upon a campaign, and after discovering that the names on the credit card payments were predominantly women…buying a product that was specifically marketed to men (out of work and/or men looking to launch a new career direction), I changed the product’s background color to a pale pink and had a near 30% increase in sales. “Joe” sat at home and did his research online; when his wife/girlfriend got home he likely presented her with a few sites selling a similar product. I appealed to her because the final purchase decision was hers…based on what she liked when she looked at the sites. Marketing isn’t like rocket science all the time!

Just a few of the marketing and social media ladies that I refuse to do without:

• Amber Naslund
• Lisa Barone (& the whole crew at Outspoken Media)
• Liz Strauss
• Valeria Maltoni
• Please don’t overlook the talented ladies listed in my “I can’t get by without “my people” section in the right column…53%ish women, I do believe.

So how about it, are your forward facing (social media) marketing efforts considerate of/ tailored for the actual percentages of men vs. women in the marketplace? Of all those within your community who you would consider influential…how many are women? I’d love to hear your input and any related stories that you may have that are related to the topic today, please do give me your take in the comment section.

Related posts:

1. Managing Your Online Identity (Infographic), How Much Of This Do You Do…
2. Facebook Again – More, Bigger…Lots Of “ers”
3. Amazing Facebook InfoGraphic

I’m traveling down this road today assuming that you know what Twitter and Foursquare are…and that you use them. I’m throwing in TweetDeck here to tie these two together. I hope that it helps to make some sense out of how all of this can work together to increase awareness and traffic for your business.

TweetDeck is a personal preference and daily driver for me, and now that Foursquare is integrated into the platform, I’ll not likely stray. I use Tweetdeck to monitor nearly all of my social media accounts, from Facebook to Foursquare, and this for several different identities and/or clients.

Quickly, if you need to refresh:

• Foursquare Info, Video, Why’s And What For, Etc.
•  Some Interesting TweetDeck Video Tutorials

Working in a new environment (read: entirely different part of the great State of Georgia) has presented me with new challenges. Not the least of these is finding my way around and connecting with a brand new community online…socially.  I turn to Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare…all pulled up as columns in TweetDeck.

Using Twitter and Facebook, I search for local people and connect/follow/add/request/Etc. I use Twitter search and the “TwellowHood” tab at Twellow.com for Twitter, and on Facebook I simply type my city into the search box.  Find em’ and connect, that’s the quick and easy part. Listening and watching…the learning about these folks takes a little more time. I want to know:

• Who are the “connectors”?
• Who puts out the most/best local info?
• Who are the influencers and leader types?
• Which local businesses are present and actively engaging their audience?
• Who can I offer/guidance/friendship/support/ help to?
• Where I might fit in?

These answers are quickly realized. This is only scratching the surface though. With time and attention, the insights are increasingly more valuable and plentiful.

Now, enter Foursquare. Get yourself set up and using location based services and applications if you aren’t already doing so. Hurry, I won’t wait…nor will the rest of those that matter (read: your neighbors and competitors). ~Well, it’s true.

Now “find friends” on Foursquare.

All of the hard work you‘ve done on Facebook and Twitter really pay off here…we just move our “local” friends into Foursquare. Invite/Request them all!

• Now we watch where they check in, and we can see how active they are.
• Hint: An active Foursquare user is typically social media savvy across multiple channels.
•  Now drag your Foursquare friends into Tweetdeck as a column.

 Before we go on, add your venue on Foursquare, claim your business on foursquare, and put up a special. Here’s a great article about all of this.

At this point you’re pretty plugged in locally!

Let’s take it a step further. Imagine with me, I’m a local Deli, just getting into using all of this social media stuff, trying to make it work…make sense of it all. How does being plugged in like this help me out? Talk to me about foot traffic and more money!

• Watch how your neighbors and competitors are using all of these channels, and then do it differently and better.  Promote “Twitter Tuesday Tuna Specials” – Launch exclusive coupon clues to your Facebook fans – Become the most Foursquare friendly place in town. Be creative!
• Reach out and engage with all the activity you see. Users checking in on Foursquare across the street? Say hi, wish them a yummy lunch. “Hi Joe, I see you love sushi and Foursquare…me too! Stop by our deli the next time pastrami is on your mind! Enjoy your lunch!”
• Add that sushi bar’s name as a search column in Tweetdeck! Now you can wish every social media savvy visitor a yummy lunch if you want to.
• Don’t underestimate how much and how long lasting the buzz can be from an event such as a Tweetup or a Foursquare Swarm Party. Consider hosting one…promote it everywhere.

Put quite simply, pulling in all of these channels to TweetDeck is what enables me to effectively monitor and engage with my local community. Time management is critical to me, and this method of staying plugged in has served me quite nicely. I certainly don’t suggest that you do exactly as I do, but instead hope that this has enlightened you a bit as to the potential and possibilities of having a centralized monitoring station paired with a plan.

If you have a system or methodology that’s working for you and you’d like to share, or if you can add some input here today, fire away in the comments, it’s always welcome here.

Disclosure: I have not received any compensation for writing this content and I have no material connection to the brands, topics and/or products that are mentioned herein. “Ah Ha cat picture credit: icanhascheezburger.com

Related posts:

1. Still Bewildered About Foursquare? Chickie In Boots Explains.
2. Learning Social Media From LEGO
3. This Friday In Atlanta: Do You Want Some REAL Help And Input About Social Media?

Vuvuzela, say it with me:  Vu-Vu-Zela…not as hard as I imagined when I first saw it spelled out. Please don’t leave; there really is an important social media lesson here – anything can happen with social media…100+ re-tweets in 5 hours!? More lesson after the fun stuff. ~Scroll with me~

From Geek And Poke comes the toon for today, so obviously jumping on the same bandwagon; thereby making my shame more tolerable:

Seriously, thanks to social media for the education and value it brings. Admit it, until VERY recently, and only with the World Cup trending EVERYWHERE did you have the slightest clue what a Vuvuzela was?  These things have been around since Don’t Fear the Reaper was a hit…and now, all of a sudden everybody needs one?

I’ve been around longer than the aforementioned rock anthem, and social media has done much the same for me. It’s why we’re having this little talk today about a silly horn, why I’m working in my favorite niche, why I have the friends and clients that I do…and the list goes on-and-on. Thank you social media, thank you Vuvuzela, it’s already too late…I’ll never look at either of you the same from here on out.

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**UPDATE: This event has been re-scheduled to Sept. 18th! Stay tuned for new RSVP links, information, etc.

If you’re looking for some practical, actionable, and conversational insight and advice from social media professionals who work it everyday, then this is the event that you’ve been waiting for:

June 18th 2010 – 8AM to 4PM

Five Star World Conference Center – Towers at Wildwood

3200 Windy Hill Road

Atlanta, GA 30339

Located at the intersection of Windy Hill and Powers Ferry Roads in Marietta, Georgia.

The Atlanta Small Business (Biz) BarCamp follows closely the style of all Bar Camps in that it is an open forum for free engagement by all participants. The only structure to it is topical content, location and times.

**Click Here To RSVP Please!**

Designed to share successes with new media, social media and other techno-centric issues within the small business community SBBC is for anyone who owns, operates or manages a business with anywhere from 1 to hundreds of employees.

The open forum format and round table discussions lead by industry afficinados as well as a reasonable mix of short presentations by local leaders gives everyone to have a voice and have their questions answered by others who have already experienced the challenges.

Topics will include information relevant to marketing, customer relations and brand development using many tools available today. Our hopes are to have user experts and developers who are proficient in Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, WordPress and other only social networks and Content Management Systems. 

We will be discussing Best Practice in theory and application and have live demonstrations when possible. 

The core attendees will also be presenting and includes (at this time):

Lane Bailey of http://lanebailey.com/ – who is a veteran photographer and real estate agent who has been very active in the new media arena for several years.

Lisa Oden of http://lisaoden.com/ who’s prolific use of technology and social media makes her a prime suspect in success.

Taryn Pisaneschi of http://tarynp.com/ who’s use of social media is almost as long as she is old. Her knowledge of social engagements for business purposes and he way of communicating it in a live setting is first class.

James Ball of http://noteasytoforget.com/ a very knowledgeable user and developer of technology and direct interaction for small business.

We still need people who are knowledgeable in mobile technology, branding technology and customer relationship management. Let us hear from you! http://smallbizbarcamp.com/speak/

Dining

We will break for one hour from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM. There is a reasonable and tasty cafe in the facility as well as dozens of eateries in the area.

Accommodations

Hilton Garden Inn is walking distance from the venue.

3045 Windy Hill Road, Atlanta, Georgia, USA 3033

Phone: 1-770-953-8850  Fax: 1-770-953-88519 

Related posts:

1. I’m Local, So Are My Social Media Heroes
2. Still Bewildered About Foursquare? Chickie In Boots Explains.
3. Are You a Fan of Apple Trees and Honey Bees, and Snow White Turtle Doves?

Seriously…I’m headed out for a week in Florida. I may or may not post while I’m there. Some of you will remember my post “How To: Build A Social Media Drum Circle“, well that post idea came from the very same place I’m headed to today…one truly never knows where inspiration may arise! Have a great week everybody. Watch the HelloNorthGeorgia Twitter stream for daily pictures!

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 So yesterday was “Quit Facebook Day“…and I can’t help but to wonder how big the exodus actually was. I posted my own personal take on it all yesterday. In any event, and in this spirit, a quote and a toon:

“Probably the worst way to protest is to exit the conversation and shout from the sidelines. Will they exit Twitter and Google too for collecting private information? I suspect that would make them unemployable. At least, ironically, they’ll be easily identified by professional recruiters and HR folks through the standard tools and the digital trail they leave as they exit and discuss their position.” – Stephen Abram, Stephen’s Lighthouse

I got a kick out of Peter Broelman’s cartoon post yesterday. I can imagine:

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