Source – NetApplications.com

gWAVE Consulting has partnered with Cargoh.com, managing their social media strategies and assisting with the promotion and launch of the new Cargoh site.  Now, we are taking it a step further. Today’s agenda consists of launching a new campaign for Cargoh and one not just designed to drive traffic.

The goal is to build awareness specifically in the artist community and take on the competition by letting creative types know that they have a true home online.  Without giving away too many secrets (we can’t tell you everything!), just know that the Cargoh.com marketplace is a force to be reckoned with. Check it out for yourself and see just how addicting the Cargoh lifestyle can be. They were recently debuted in the Drupal Showcase.

We here at gWAVE cannot offer you a “fist bump”, but if you like this post, please share it with your friends!

Fan it is an effort to increase the presence of fans on social networking sites, and entice them by giving out points for things like watching shows on NBC.com, “Liking” shows, chatting and getting friends to join. The points can be traded in for things like NBC merchandise, show previews, virtual goods, entries into sweepstakes, etc.

This new platform acknowledges that TV viewers who have a social media presence are people with power, and NBC wants to keep these people close to them.

If Fan It becomes big, it could possibly serve as the forerunner for changing metrics around TV audiences. Data from social networking sites could become significant in measuring an audience’s engagement. NBC’s program could finally get the industry to officially recognize the significance of social networking.

Insight is what they received.

Facebook Western Region Vice President of Sales, Paul Ollinger, stated that Social Marketing is not new, the Internet is simply changing it to become enormously effective. He pointed out that Marketing is being defined by relationships and these relationships create power. Power is influential because it allows consumers to advocate for brands and brands to better serve consumer needs. The next era of Web experience will be marked by these relationships, according to Ollinger.

Jack Myers, founder of M.E.D.I.Advisory Group, said, “60 to 90% of organizations spending and budgets are invested in basic survival and maintenance, 10 to 40% on growth, 0 to 30% on innovation.” He concluded that every industry will be forced to change due to the rapidly shifting marketing landscape and the need to innovate is here. Over the last 100 years we’ve shifted from personal to mass to relationship marketing and social media leading the way.

Denny Reinert, Director of Sales for the Western Region of Placecast, discussed the importance of mobile media. His research shows that the mobile device is rated by users as the “most important way to reach me.” Placecast offers ShopAlerts, an Opt-in mobile service to engage with consumers while in the right “mindset”. The service can use any expression of location (address, city, wifi network, etc.) to create customized brand messaging and deliver it to the user. 65% of those who received the messages made a purchase.

The closing session of the event featured panelists: Heather Blank, Responsys; Torrey Lincoln, Linkedin; Brian Lynch, Yahoo! and Paul Ollinger of Facebook. They offered some awesome companies online to check out!

RapLeaf.com
Behance.com/Behance.net
GiltGroup.com
Foodista.com
Gowalla.com
Foursquare.com
Zebek.com

Which of these sites are you currently using?

For more details on the event or to review each speaker’s presentation, click here.

Zynga has a lot of different Internet games through Facebook. Some of which includes FarmVille, Mafia Wars, FishVille, Treasure Isle, and Friends For Sale. Zynga makes money by charging players for “energy” while they play the otherwise free games. The energy gives them an advantage over the other players.

FarmVille has over 80 million players, and is using some interesting ways to make money (i.e. brand-sponsored crops). The company’s plan is to expand into the mobile world with things like the iPhone, iPad, and the Android.

Do you play FarmVille?

What is not so clear is how this opportunity presented itself.  That is the story I will share with you.

Melani Gordon and I met a year ago when I reached out to her through Twitter about a Social Media breakfast she was involved with.  While I was unable to attend the event, I quickly recognized she was passionate about new media.  A month later, I had an idea to drive revenue through Twitter sponsorships.  Who would I turn to for brainstorming?  You guessed it.  Melani Gordon.  That particular opportunity did not lead to a sale for me, but it did strengthen a relationship.

Recently I vowed to not spend another summer in the 115 degree desert of Phoenix and set a personal goal to move to San Diego by July 1, 2010.  I began following (Twitter) and friending (Facebook) everyone I could possibly find in the SD area. A tweet ending in #influencesd lead me on a hunt to discover who was behind the Influence brand.  Again I found myself tweeting with Melani.

Visiting the career section of the gWAVE website turned up no available positions.  I decided to DM (direct message) Melani anyway.  A week later we did a phone interview.  Then another.  Then another.  Next, we did a Skype video chat and it too went well.  The natural progression was to meet in person (scary for a relationship that had been strictly online!).  However when I met with her face to face, I realized just how much we have in common.  We have the same goal: Use new media to create new ideas and do everything we can to grow your business.

Again, please keep in mind there was never a job listed.  This opportunity came about through social media and using my network.  Social media is a powerful tool and so much can be accomplished through it.  If you are not currently using it, I encourage you to try it.  You just might end up in San Diego.

Kevin Rehberg [come connect]

Have a unique experience using social media relating to a job search or business development? Share it!

YouTube has announced that it has surpassed two billion video views per day!

The announcement from YouTube is part of a bigger campaign. The company plans to retell the story of YouTube – its history and growth. This includes the launch of “My YouTube Story” and the YouTube 5 Year Channel.

The YouTube 5 Year Channel is the hub for the campaign. This channel encourages people to upload videos that discuss how YouTube has had an impact on their lives. There is also an interactive timeline and a group of videos from celebrities that discuss the five-year birthday.

YouTube’s numbers are extraordinary. There is currently more than 24 hours of video uploaded every minute, and even that is minuscule when compared to the new announcement of two billion video views per day.

What is your company or brand doing to celebrate a momentous occasion?

Cohen Szulc encouraged the audience (at the Ad:tech San Francisco 2010 conference in April) to stop thinking about the traditional ways of advertising and focus on using the digital platforms to get consumers engaged.

In Cohen Szulc’s Ad:tech speech, he discussed the fact that people submit more content on YouTube in a few months than television networks have made in years. He says that marketers now need to be more disruptive – and Levi’s has taken this approach with their “Go Forth” campaign.

This campaign asked the consumers to re-define what this country is about, and it used digital programs, which included a Constitution that users could “rewrite” (this can be seen on social networking sites). There was also a $100,000 treasure hunt and a Levi’s-sponsored road trip that was documented with blogs, social media, and videos posted online. Cohen Szulc called it a “refreshed look at Levi’s”, saying that it was about creating an experience for the consumers rather than just selling a product.

The Levi’s Dockers brand used a similar marketing approach with its “Wear the Pants” campaign. They used online platforms (social media, email, etc.) to promote a contest for free pants. To spread the word, Dockers ran a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl, and then used social media to promote it. After the Super Bowl ad ran, Dockers was held the number one and two spot for the most searched word on Google for two whole days, resulting in a sales increase of 240%.

Cohen Szulc says that marketers need to stop focusing on loyalty, and instead focus on advocacy. He says, “Loyalty is very passive… Advocacy is active.”

This study, done by Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies, found that 60% of fans on Facebook and 79% of Twitter followers (out of 1,500 consumers) are more inclined to recommend a brand since they became a fan/follower.

51% of fans on Facebook and 67% of Twitter followers are more inclined to purchase the brands that they are a fan or a follower of.

Vice president at Chadwick Martin Bailey Josh Mendelsohn says that, “While social media is not the silver bullet that some pundits claim it to be, it is an extremely important and relatively low cost touch point that has a direct impact on sales and positive word of mouth…”

This study also showed that people think of the brands that are not on Facebook or Twitter as being outdated.
When the consumers were asked “What does it say about a brand if they are not involved with sites like Facebook or Twitter?” they said the following:

- It is expected that a business have a strong digital presence, or you doubt the relevance of that business. (Female, age 50-54)

- The company is either uninterested in targeting social media’s demographic, or they don’t know how much more exposure they can get with this method. (Male, age 35-39)

- The company must not be in tune with the new ways to interact with consumers. (Female, age 18-24)

Give us your thoughts on this: Do you agree with the consumers from this study? Has Facebook or Twitter improved your company? If so, how?