That’s right, Ford. While other automotive brands seem to relegate their social interaction to Facebook and Twitter, Ford has created its own community that allows Ford enthusiasts to interact with each other, share stories and even submit their own suggestions for improvements.

Ford Social has a great layout that is inviting and easy to navigate. It’s clearly become its own entity, too, and is so much more than a brand-based blog. Yes, there are plenty of posts about upcoming Ford models and company-focused stories (all of which fall under the ‘Our Articles’ tab), but there are other posts with lighter content that have proved to be engaging and continue to bring users back again and again. The ‘Your Stories’ tab is just that. Users get to post their own experiences with Ford and share them with the rest of the community.

If you find yourself without a story to share, but with some suggestions for improvement, there’s a section for that, too! The ‘Your Ideas’ section lets users submit suggestions for improvements for vehicles and then allows other users to share them or vote them up or down.

Finally, the ‘Videos’ and ‘Images’ sections gather items from Ford articles, users’ stories and Flickr to make it easier for users to go back and find multimedia.

Why do we like Ford Social?

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We broke the updates down into 10 essential changes:

Timeline

Obvious change number one: Pages are now in timeline format and revolve completely around the story of your brand. If you don’t have a good story, you’ve got until March 31 to write one. Pictures, videos and Milestones can all personify your brand, so get to it.

Cover photo

Another format change that you’ll notice right off the bat is the introduction of cover photos. Instead of the small profile image in the upper left corner of your page, you get an 851 by 315 pixel banner right on top, plus a mini version of your profile picture that hangs out in the bottom left corner of your cover photo. It’s a canvas for creativity, minus a few semi-predictable restrictions from the powers that be at Facebook.

According to Facebook terms, you can’t encourage people to upload your cover image to their personal timeline (listen up, barackmytimeline.tumblr.com) or display a call to action like “Like Us” or “Download This.”

Image sizes

Apps icons, profiles pictures and general images within Timeline all show up in slightly different proportions. Just be aware and ready to make adjustments in case your photos look a little screwy. This is a good set of edits to take care of while you’re still in Timeline preview mode.

Apps

Before the big changes, Facebook apps resided in the lefthand column of the page. Now you’ll find them just under the cover photo on the righthand side. There are 4 tiles available, and the first is permanently set to photos. So now you’ve got the chance to show off 3 apps – anything from videos to events or personalized apps. We reserved these spots for our jobs page and our RSS feed app here. More apps are available under the collapsible arrow.

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But amid the outcries of “search will never be the same!” and “what’s Joe doing on my Google results page?” we were busy taking an objective look at the implications of Google Search Plus Your World (or GSPYW if you prefer super secret SEO speak).

Google Search Plus Your World

Google’s mission, as they regularly remind us, is to make search more relevant for YOU. Whether or not Google’s frequent updates actually make search better – well, that’s subjective. And that’s also why they included this handy-dandy button to turn GSPYW off.

The concept is such: GSPYW integrates the search and social experience by making your Circles’ online actions more relevant in your search results. For example, when I search “Chicago” with GSPYW turned on, I get content from Crain’s, Techweek, my coworker and other G+ connections who at one time or another have mentioned, +1′d or shared something concerning Chicago. This comes in the form of 1) personal results that have something to do with the topic I searched, 2)relevant images from my Google+ Circles, and 3) relevant content that my circles have shared.

When I switch GSPYW off, the results are a bit different in that they don’t include any input from my G+ network. But it’s not just images and icons that are missing; beyond the top-ranked link, the results are completely different. I’d classify this group of results as more “general” with a smattering of links to Wikipedia, cultural organizations and trip planners – the stuff you’d expect to see from a simple Google search.

The +1 Button

The effect of the +1 button is essentially the same as above. When I search  “Community Manager” I get a page full of results, but what sticks out to me is the link with a familiar face next to it. Google’s assumption (and an accurate one at that) is that we as humans are more likely to trust something that a friend or connection recommends.

GSPYW indirectly leads to better page ranking because users are more likely to click on content that the people that they trust (friends, influencers, colleagues) share or endorse. Indirect or not, the SEO implications of GSPYW can’t be ignored.

Google+  and your organization

Theoretically, the more employees you have engaging on Google+, the more influence you have in search. As we see it, there are two key advantages to having employees promote content on Google+: numbers and trust.

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In the meantime, here’s a thought to ponder: will Facebook users adopt branded cover photo images for their own profiles? Not everyone is a budding photographer, wants to take the time to look up the dimensions of a cover photo, or is willing to put in the effort to find a worthy image. Throw in the Facebook community’s general distate for change of any kind, and we’ve got a major pain point for the world’s social media users.

So what if brands addressed the issue by providing the images for users? Think free, high resolution photos that are beautiful, cute, witty – you name it – but also incorporate a bit of subtle (or not so subtle) branding.

One “brand” taking advantage of this idea is the Obama campaign. This election year has seen presidential candidates turning to digital platforms as they never have before. Twitter, Google+, Facebook – you name it and the candidates are on it.

Barack my Timeline is a simple yet fairly inventive approach to drumming up digital support. The Tumblr site offers 20 volunteer-created, Obama-themed pictures, pre-cropped to the perfect size for your Facebook cover photo on the new timeline layout.

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Do or die mentality and “must-read” articles aside, let’s take a look at the facts.

Yes, the data shows that Pinterest is gaining in popularity especially among 20-something females, but does that really mean your brand needs to hop on board? We’ll be honest: probably not.

But in case you’ve got the ever-so-contagious Pinterest itch, we’ve laid out some tips for the up-and-coming platform and provided a few real-life examples of  companies using the site to build followers and develop brand personality in an innovative manner.

Why does Pinterest matter?

Search is on our side

Pinterest is a goldmine for inbound links. Users see a cool image on your board and if they’re intrigued enough, chances are they’ll click through to your website. We should point out here that if you want a visitor to end up on your website, you should link there rather than to a jpeg.

According to some search experts those happy inbound links on Pinterest will someday be replaced with NOFOLLOW links much like social predecessors Twitter and Flickr. But for now, why not take advantage of another way to drive traffic to your site?

Positioning

Pinterest is very much a niche platform – people come to find and share very specific types of content. This is your chance to frame yourself as an expert in your obscure field of research, a part-time funny person, or an accountant with a keen since of style. Embrace your weirdness on Pinterest.

Be nerdy

On a similar note, Pinterest caters to the crafty/creative/techy people of the world, so try to publish content that lends itself to these interests.

Stop talking about yourself already

In addition to pins directly related to your products or services, mix it up by posting images only remotely related to your industry, shots in cool spots around your city or even images that inspire you and your team. Showing that your company is comprised of interesting individuals rather than salesmen is means more eyeballs.

Don’t forget your keyword etiquette

Use good keyword text to describe your pins, but as always don’t stuff key terms in a nonsensical manner.

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There’s just one problem…

Clients aren’t impressed with agencies’ digital skills. According to a recent CMO Council Report, just 9% of marketers say they believe agencies have been good at migrating to digital, and 51% of marketers see agencies as playing catch-up with regards to new technology.

That confidence gap can create tensions and result in mismatched agency client relationships. It’s also a key differentiator for agencies willing to invest in the digital space. And data supports the idea that a more open, transparent marketing firm with a strong digital presence captures leads and closes deals more often than competitors that do not execute a focused digital marketing strategy.

Solving the issue of client confidence may be as simple as helping marketing firms practice what they preach. The goal of this white paper is to show how marketing firms can use social media and content marketing to overcome the assumption that traditional agencies don’t do digital.

This white paper includes:

• Raw numbers showing how top US marketing agencies rank in social media.
• lonelybrand Custom Research showing how consistent social media presence, blogging and content marketing help accomplish agency business goals.
• Solutions to close the issue of client confidence in an agency’s digital competence.

Companies aren’t happy with the level of digital proficiency they’re seeing from agencies, but at the same time those companies have haphazard systems for appraising work agencies are doing in the online realm. It’s not surprising. After all, “you don’t know what you don’t know” right?

How can brands expect to hire the right agency when they have no way of identifying and evaluating the right skill sets? We believe the way that agencies represent themselves in the digital world says a lot about the work they do for their clients.

Clients aren’t happy…

Results highlighted in a new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council report dubbed “More Gain, Less Strain” show that clients are disappointed by agency performance, most notably because they feel agencies are not keeping up with developments in social media, mobile marketing and other digital whizbangery.

In fact only 9% of senior marketers believe traditional ad agencies are doing a good job of evolving and extending their service capabilities in the digital age.

51% see their agencies as playing catch-up with regards to new technology, or acquiring but not integrating digital marketing capabilities.

Long story short, agencies aren’t cutting it when it comes to digital.

But no one is keeping score

Unhappy as they may be, most marketers don’t have a documented process for evaluating the work that agencies do on their behalf. Only 44% of marketers say they have a formal scorecard for rating agency performance on an annual basis while 52% have no such mechanism.

As the CMO Council’s executive Director Donovan Neale-May notes, “there’s an underlying level of frustration among senior corporate marketers worldwide when it comes to agency contributions to business value creation, strategic thinking and digital marketing development.”

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Studies show that among the general public, women have a slightly larger presence on social networks. A recent comScore survey revealed that 83.9% of female internet users belong to a social network, versus 81% of the male online population.

At lonelybrand we wanted to know whether gender affects the way agency executives view social networking, so we took a look at our survey of over 300 top agency executives to find out.

Who’s more old school?

We wanted to see whether one gender prefers more traditional business development tactics over social media, so we asked the executives whether meeting prospects at conferences, conventions and events is very important for lead generation.

It turns out that women are more likely to turn to in-person business development strategies; 70% said that these tactics are important for lead gen. Meanwhile, just 64% of men said that meeting prospects in person is of the utmost importance.

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1. Learn the Art of Googling from Santa

The Google team created a rap (if you can call it that) teaching Santa how to Google in preparation for his trip. Goofy? Yes. But also full of some pretty legit tips for the amateur Googler.

2. Get Crafty…Or At Least Buy Crafty

Finding the perfect gift for that special someone can be tricky. But never fear - Etsy has come to the rescue with a little help from Facebook. The eCommerce website for crafts and vintage items created a Gift Finder tool that examines your Facebook friends’ activity to find the perfect gift for each and every one of those social connections. Check out the Etsy Gift Finder here.

3. Where’s Santa?

Track the elusive man in red’s journey with NORAD’s Santa Tracker. Or if you’re craving 3D, follow him using Google Earth.

4. Social Decor

If you’re worried that you won’t be able to pull a certain family member away from their Twitter feed during the festivities, try distracting them with these handmade social media ornaments.

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In the first installment of our four-part 2012 prediction series, we’ll take a look at what’s next for social media and content marketing.

1. Brand Page Explosion

Brand pages on the big three social networks are in the midst of a sizable evolution. Google+ and Twitter rolled out brand pages in late 2011, and once Facebook’s legal issues are settled, they will release their Timeline Interface for brands.

Marketers will begin executing strategies around new features. With Google+, it will be about using Circles for segmentation purposes. Facebook Pages will need to take advantage of the sleek new design and Sponsored Stories. The new Twitter brand pages will allow brands to have a Promoted Tweet that remains on the top of their page. All in all look for better and more trackable uses of social networks for digital marketing.

2. Niche Content

Content marketing will continue to overtake B2B and encroach into the B2C realm. Relevance and quality contribute to more views and better conversion rates. Marketers will cater to niche crowds in new ways. Better social segmentation in the aforementioned prediction will help deliver the most relevant content to the right audiences. Expect to see more in-depth articles and videos that provide real value.

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