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| The Game Mechanics of Customer Loyalty | | 1:14:03 AM | Gabe Zichermann |
|  Gabe Zichermann is a public speaker, designer, and author of the books Game-Based Marketing and Gamification by Design. Follow him @gzicherm Most of the interest in gamification and user engagement for startups centers on customer acquisition. This is partly because of the short time around startup planning, but also the strong need to show and grow traction as quickly as possible. With startups like Foursquare, Codecademy and StackOverflow using gamification to build unprecedented early customer engagement, it's no wonder so many founders want to talk about virality. SEE ALSO: How to Maximize Your Facebook Engagement But while some startups exit within 12 to 18 months without having to prove revenue models or market opportunity, many other breakthrough entrepreneurs are still running their companies after three or four years in increasingly crowded markets. These organizations must get serious about marketing, especially when subscription drives their revenue. And nothing is more important to serious marketers than loyalty -- or its new-school proxy, engagement. By definition, loyalty is expressed when a consumer chooses your product/service when other options are mostly equal. It's a form of incremental affection whose balance can be easily disturbed. A new way of thinking about loyalty is in the framework of gamification. After all, if loyalty is about driving incremental user action in a crowded environment, gamification is able to do that and deliver viral user growth, improved satisfaction, and revenue. Here are five ways to develop loyalty, based on some of the principles of gamification. Define the Grind Choose a clear and easy-to-understand action as the core of your product and loyalty effort. Think checking in or tweeting. Repeating this activity regularly is called a "grind", though it need not feel negative at all. Sometimes your experience may have multiple grinds, like posting a photo and commenting (Think Instagram or Pixable) but it's important to think of the smallest unit of energy for users and make that as commonplace as possible. Once users are doing the grind regularly, you can begin to build other, more complex behaviors on top. Lay Down an XP System Next, you'll need a point system to understand the behavior of your users. Start with what's called XP or experience points. This is an incremental point system that tracks the behavior and knowledge of your users over time. Start by assigning each grind activity one point in your XP system. Create Five Social Actions Think of the top five social actions you want your users to take, and use verbs to describe them. Don't use "buy" or "subscribe" because those are outgrowths of good engagement rather than ends in and of themselves. Concepts such as "like," "comment," "argue," or "challenge" are good examples. It's critical to think of them as social actions because they will also help you attract new users. Now, assign XP point values to each of those social actions. Consider what the relative values should be. Is creating a profile worth 10 times the commenting, or just five times. Remember this initial table of values is just a starting point and will change as you test your system. Develop a Social Loop With Appointment Mechanics Consider the actions you just described. How do they fit into a social loop that includes a place for emotion, expression, positive feedback and return? If they don't contribute to this social loop, you can use this moment to try and expand or revise your design. Now, include an appointment mechanic that has users make a commitment to check in or come back on a regular basis, preferably every day (consider the power of Gilt Groupe's noon release schedule). Because of the signal-to-noise ratio in the market, appointment mechanics can be extraordinarily powerful, and you should build notifications into your product as soon as it's practical. Have a Reward System Based on SAPS Beyond the intrinsic rewards of your experience, users will expect to receive a tangible benefit for their good behavior. Now's a good time to start thinking about what that looks like, but turn the model on its head. Use SAPS: Status, Access, Power and Stuff to drive your design. This list is in order of stickiness and cost-effectiveness as tools for behavior change. Tangible rewards like merchandise, discounts, and cash equivalents are a default concept in loyalty program design but are increasingly becoming less relevant in the gamified world. Offer your users emotionally meaningful rewards. Think of experiences like Nike Plus and StackOverflow as good examples of stuff-free reward models. Obviously, many concepts that are critical to good gamified engagement aren't included in this discussion, including the importance of a redeemable point system (potentially used to redeem for rewards in SAPS models), monetizing loyalty itself (by selling virtual items or points to third parties) and demonstrable status items - e.g. physical loyalty cards. But as with all elements of good startup design, the first step is to get the core design and iterate in an agile fashion. With Gamification, startups can give major loyalty programs a run for their money, focusing on great design, user engagement and scalable, non-cash rewards. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, hocus-focus |
| Pinterest Users: Find Out When Your Items Are on Sale | | Thursday, May 24, 2012 11:24 PM | Lauren Indvik |
|  Want to know when items you pin on Pinterest go on sale? Now you can -- up to a point -- thanks to a new feature launched this week at a site called Lyst. Lyst, a London-based startup, is a little like Pinterest. The site invites you to follow designers, stores, bloggers and your friends, from which it creates a feed of clothing and accessories you can add to your own "lyst." If an item on your lyst is discounted, you'll be notified by email. Now, if you connect your Pinterest account, you'll receive an email notification when an item you've pinned on Pinterest goes on sale, too, so long as that item is also indexed on Lyst. Lyst's index is limited largely to fashion brands and retailers -- so if you mostly pin books or furniture, this tool isn't going to be terribly useful to you. To see which of your pins are recognized by Lyst, check out your "Collections" under "My Lyst." A bonus: If an item you've pinned from one retailer (say, Neiman Marcus) goes on sale somewhere else (at Nordstrom, or Endless), you'll still get notified. Lyst also offers a Runway Tracking tool that lets you know when your favorite runway looks arrive in stores. The tool was launched during New York Fashion Week last September. The London-based startup is currently exploring additional methods for tracking the fashion goods you may be interested in purchasing. |
| In-App Ads: Balancing the Needs of Advertisers and Publishers | | Thursday, May 24, 2012 10:38 PM | Lauren Drell |
|  Watch previous episodes of Behind the Launch here! In Mashable's new video series, Behind the Launch, we're taking cameras behind the scenes at Vungle, an in-app video advertising startup. New episodes air every Monday and Wednesday, but we're running bonus footage throughout the series to provide a deeper look into the startup experience. This week, Vungle hired David Oh as director of business development. Now, David and Colin Behr -- who joined Vungle as "the closer" a few weeks ago -- are fleshing out the business model and forecasting revenues for Vungle. "I'm very bullish on all of this," says Behr. Check out the extended footage above, and join the conversation on Twitter, #BehindTheLaunch. About Vungle Vungle is a San Francisco-based company that purveys mobile video ads to promote apps. Just last week, Vungle announced it had raised $2 million from big Silicon Valley and Alley names: Google Ventures, AOL Ventures, Crosslink Capital, Ron Conway's SV Angel, Dave McClure's 500 Startups, Charles Hudson's SoftTechVC's, Maynard Webb, Scott McNealy and Tim Draper. Vungle also has offices in the UK and Pakistan. Zain Jaffer, CEO and Co-Founder -- A successful and zany entrepreneur since age 15, Zain launched his first Internet company and built-up an impressive list of clients, including Google, Mozilla Firefox, MTV and Hilary Duff, before his 18th birthday. British. Jack Smith, Co-Founder -- Self-described lunatic marketer and hacker. Started his career as a freelance web designer at age 13, founded a video startup, MediaRoots, in college. Met Zain at King's College London University in 2009. British. Bryant Chou, CTO -- Full stack engineer and software architect with more than five years of experience developing mobile apps. He's an enthusiastic traveler who'll share his travel tales with you over a cold beer. American. Marta Bulaich, Chief Yoga Officer -- Marta's first job was with the masterminds behind the TV infomercial legends Chia Pet and Clapper. After a career of working with various startups and venture capital firm, she came to Vungle to do public relations and center their chi in full lotus. American. Ben Lindsey, Senior Software Engineer -- A veteran of four Silicon Valley startups with experience in Internet advertising, large scale databases and agile programming. When not slinging code, you cam find him cooking organic food, listening to electronica, backpacking around the world or running marathons. Colin Behr, Director of Business Development -- Previously founded an Internet company, CyberPlanet Ltd, with Zain in 2004, and then moved to San Francisco to start another venture. Colin eventually went to University but dropped out after speaking with Zain about his new venture, Vungle. Ray Myers, Software Engineer -- 25-year-old Linux geek who loves robotics and has been programming since he was 7. Ray is a Shotokan karate third-degree Black Belt, but you can usually find him at his computer, trying to make robots bend to his will. American. David Oh, Director of Business Development -- David has over 11 years of Jedi experience working in the video game industry. By the power of the Force, David trained and honed his skills in marketing, game production and business development. His large head contains an enormous brain that allows him to craft complex business models and strategic partnerships. He has traveled all over the galaxy crafting business deals with leading brands such as Ubisoft, Google, HP and Humana. David enjoys mountain biking and hiking in Tatooine, with his sidekick Sarah, Empress of Chihuahuas. Sarah Vungle, Resident Pooch -- Sarah spends her days guarding the Vungle fortress and keeping peace amongst the engineering and business tribes. She enjoys battling the evil empire and licking the soles of her paws. Series presented by Internet Explorer Behind the Launch is presented by Internet Explorer. Learn how IE is building a more beautiful web through hardware accelerated graphics and modern web standards like HTML5. Get IE9 today or download the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, which features the new IE10 to see where we're headed. Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, JTSorrell ? |
| Dish Sues Fox to Protect Its Ad-Zapping DVR | | Thursday, May 24, 2012 8:33 PM | Kate Freeman |
|  Dish Network fired back at Fox Broadcasting on Thursday -- by filling a suit of its own to protect its Hopper product that lets users fast-forward through ads. In the initial suit filed by Fox, the network claims Dish's Hopper -- which lets users stream shows commercial-free -- infringes on its contract with the satellite company. Dish Network filed a suit asking a federal judge to rule that the ad-hopping product does not violate any copyright laws. Included in Dish's suit is CBS, ABC, and Comcast Corp., the Los Angeles Times reported. Dish sent a statement to Mashable explaining that the company's subscribers fees include "significant retransmission fees" that Dish ends up paying to the networks. "Although the broadcasters have made much of their content available for free using sites such as Hulu, they have continued to demand substantial increases in their retransmission fees," the statement notes. "Consumers should be able to fairly choose for themselves what they do and do not want to watch," David Shull, DISH senior vice president of programming, noted in the statement. "Viewers have been skipping commercials since the advent of the remote control; we are giving them a feature they want and that gives them more control." Fox responded back to Mashable saying, "We were given no choice but to file suit against one of our largest distributors, DISH Network, because of their surprising move to market a product with the clear goal of violating copyrights and destroying the fundamental underpinnings of the broadcast television ecosystem. Their wrongheaded decision requires us to take swift action in order to aggressively defend the future of free, over-the-air television." Deadline reports that the product also lets users record a show and skip over the advertisements two hours after the recording. Clearly, this would be a problem for broadcasting companies that make a huge profit from ad slots. When television executive met with advertisers in New York this month, Paul Lee, the president of ABC Entertainment Group, reportedly said the company is "not supportive of anything that doesn't support our advertisers." Numerous TV executives echoed that statement, essentially saying ads pay for their programming. What do you think about this lawsuit? Tell us in the comments. Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, courtneyK |
| Booming iPad Sales Dominate Mobile PC Market | | Thursday, May 24, 2012 5:38 PM | Joann Pan |
|  Apple is dominating the mobile PC space with 22.5% of the market share. The company sold more than 17.2 million mobile PCs in the first quarter of 2012 alone, according to a NPD DisplaySearch report. The quarterly report analyzes the global tablet, notebook and mini-notebook market. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company sits atop the mobile PC leaderboard, followed by HP, Acer Group, Lenovo and Dell. Dell sold 5.6 million units in Q1. This season, the iPad is Apple's MVP -- making up 80% of Apple's total mobile PC sales. More than 13.6 million units were sold, contributing to a 162% year-over-year growth. In one quarter, Apple sold about 62.8% of all tablets sold worldwide. March's successful debut of the new iPad surely contributed to the gain. Samsung followed Apple with 7.5% of all tablet shipments. SEE ALSO: Tablet vs. Notebook: More Consumers Still Plan to Purchase a Laptop/a> The report also created rankings for the notebook and mini notebook and tablets separately. Leading the way in the strictly notebook sector were HP, Acer Group and Lenovo. The report notes Acer group moved up to number two in notebook and mini-notebook sales (excluding tablets) with stellar numbers in China. "The China region had sequential quarter shipment growth, achieving 13% for mobile PCs overall, 12% for notebook and mini-note PCs, and 16% for tablet PCs," said Richard Shim, NPD DisplaySearch Senior Analyst. "This is noteworthy given the sequential declines in all other regions as well as the declines in other product categories including TVs and monitors." What will it take for tablet PCs to gain on Apple? Sound off in the comments. |
| 3 Deadly Sins of Social Media Marketing: Facebook, Groupon, and Pinterest | | Thursday, May 24, 2012 5:04 PM | ClickZ |
|  Social media marketing is what most chief marketing officers (CMO) have at the top of their lists for spending increases this year and next. Indeed, social media holds the promise of wild viral effects, socially infused search results, and virtually infinite possibilities for targeting. But as many marketers dive into using social media, some are learning lessons the hard way; some lessons are costly and others may cause irreversible and permanent damage. Facebook -- Perpetuating the Myth of Reach and Frequency Doing social media shouldn't mean sticking ads on Facebook. Unfortunately, most of the early adopters ended up doing just that. They are still asking for "reach and frequency" -- how many people did we potentially show our ads to -- because of their TV advertising mindset. And Facebook is more than happy to take their money, by throwing off several hundred billion impressions per month by displaying up to nine ads per page and charging on a cost per thousand (CPM) basis (see: The Facebook Ad Scam). But as budgets shift from TV advertising to digital and social, the metrics of success must also be updated. After several quarters of experimenting, advertisers are left scratching their heads and wondering about return on investment (ROI) and business impact. Some big advertisers are realizing that the banner ads simply don't work -- General Motors, for example, publicly stated that it is cutting its $10 million of Facebook ad spend and the associated $30 million of agency, content, and creative costs. The "soft metric" called "branding" is just not good enough anymore, especially in light of click-through rates being a "rounding error to zero." Awareness alone is no longer enough to get modern consumers to take action. Fortunately, there are better ways of "doing" social media marketing that are not only more valuable but also longer lasting. Users are on Facebook to socialize. Most people don't "friend" Lipitor or boring brands on Facebook; they friend their friends. Their conversations aren't media that can be bought or sold. In fact, this kind of media doesn't exist ahead of time like television airtime per a schedule of TV shows. People's conversations happen when they happen. And most advertisers don't have a right to speak to them, yet. It's like a thief breaking into your house at dinnertime and shouting at you to buy their products; or getting so-called influencers to do the shouting for them. Instead, advertisers need to earn the right to speak and be in the conversation with knowledgeable consumers. This takes time and persistent work - like providing something of value, insights, something sharable, etc. Truly understanding your community of fans takes time; but once the relationship is built up it can yield continuous payoff; and these conversations are free. Groupon -- A Quick Fix Leads to a Lifetime of Regret The exact opposite of persistence and patience is a quick fix called Groupon. Thousands of local businesses rushed headlong into doing Groupons to drive traffic to their restaurants, retail stores, etc., with the promise of repeat business to make up for the "loss leader." As it turns out, actual experience has shown that those repeat visits and purchases never materialized -- why would they, when the user just got your product or services for 80 percent off? Some businesses didn't even live to tell about their horror stories -- remember the little cupcake store that had to make 20,000 cupcakes at a tremendous loss to fulfill the Groupon campaign? Not many would live to tell their story after something like that. Instead, how about a free solution? If every restaurant would politely ask its patrons after their meal to write them a Yelp review -- good or bad -- they would start to accumulate reviews that would be useful in helping the next potential customer make a purchase decision. Modern users are so savvy they will look at the number of reviews, the recency of the review, and whether anyone else thought it was valuable. Or how about having patrons "check in" on Foursquare with pictures of the food they are enjoying (of course, all of this depends on the food and service being solid or stellar). While these approaches won't drive the hordes of people beating down your door (after all, it isn't as sexy as 80 percent off), they will yield the long-lasting benefit of real advocacy by fellow restaurant-goers, not the advertiser. Pinterest -- Just Because Everyone Else Is Doing It Doesn't Mean You Should Too The latest shiny object that all advertising "moths" are chasing is Pinterest. It has been widely cited in the media as the "fastest growing social network in history" and tagged with irresponsible claims like "the top social referrer." While accurate, the key term is "social referrer" -- it is comparing Pinterest with Facebook and Twitter. And in certain instances like magazines it is the top traffic driver among social networks. But when compared with all referrers actually driving traffic, including Google search, it is a mere 1/50th -- not terribly large (see: The Myth of Pinterest). There are certain instances where Pinterest is brilliant -- visually driven sites and products like home decor, design, furnishings, etc.; food and beverage; and fashion. Pinterest was also great when a handful of curators carefully selected a small number of beautiful items -- thus simplifying the decision-making process for other users. Now with practically every image from the Pottery Barn catalog posted to Pinterest, the value of curation is lost and the user must choose from 15 sofas just like they would in the catalog. Instead, how about a free solution? If images on a website are properly named and even tagged with proper "alt text," then search engines can find them. Google images can bring them up in search results and even comingle them with results on the first page. This not only provides a shortcut to page one of Google results; it also provides a longer lasting search engine optimization (SEO) value. Note that Pinterest images are served from Pinterest and the linkbacks are "nofollow"-ed, thus giving no SEO power. So Google image search optimization would yield more direct and longer term benefits than chasing the latest shiny object. Social media is about attracting actions and conversations, not shouting at people. The moral of this story is that social media is about slow and consistent relationship building, where trust is earned over time and dialog is cultivated through an exchange of real value. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Nelic |
| Your House: The Next Great Digital Network | | Thursday, May 24, 2012 4:21 PM | Sarah Kessler |
|  If you want your washing machine to email when your clothes are clean and your basement to tweet when it's flooding, you can pick from a growing handful of startup products to get the job done. Connected boxes Twine and Ninja Blocks, card-like Electric Imp, and stand-alone sensor hub Knut all use sensors to communicate information about objects or the environment around them to the Internet -- a concept known as "The Internet of Things." The Internet of Things has been around for a while. It includes gadgets like connected scales and the Nike+ shoe, as well as identifying technologies as simple as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. Over the last few years, however, the hardware involved in putting objects online has become more accessible -- and The Internet of Things has made a beeline toward the mainstream. SEE ALSO: Refrigerator Magnet Lets You Order a Pizza in One Tap/a> Startups are creating hardware that makes it easy for anyone to connect an object. Users of startup gadgets like Twine and Knut, for instance, can typically program software to activate actions based on information they gather: "When sensor gets wet, then send text message that says 'The basement is flooding!'" or "When sensor is dry, tweet 'your plant needs to be watered!'" In the case of the Electric Imp, appliance manufacturers can install a card-reader that, when the user inserts a card, gives their products smart capability. Users could, for instance, turn on their sprinklers when the weather gets hot. Twine is one of several startup gadgets that uses sensors to collect data from the real world that can trigger an online action. But the concept has greater potential than simply watering your plants. "Think about a commercial user that has 200 greenhouses," says Scott Lemon, the creator of a software that helps connect objects to online services. "It's a much, much different world when you look at it from a non-toy approach." Pay-as-you-drive car insurance, smart metering and shipping systems that track temperature and other potentially damaging conditions are just a few of many ways the Internet of Things has already started to change the technology landscape. But Lemon's company, Wovyn, wants to make it easier for developers who aren't backed by governments or big companies to integrate with the real world. It allows programmers to easily include information from connected objects in their apps and, unlike most systems, connects any hardware with any cloud application. Like Twine, Ninja Blocks and Knut, he's raising money for the product on Kickstarter. If successful, the system will broaden the affordable use cases for putting objects online -- adding to the enormous growth in connected objects that analysts have predicted. In 2010, there were about 12.5 billion objects connected to the internet. The same year, a former director of Internet technology at IBM, Michael Nelson, predicted that within 5-10 years, 100 billion objects would be connected to the Internet. A more conservative 2011 estimate by Cisco puts the number of connected devices at 50 billion by 2020. "Trying to determine the market size of the Internet of Things is like trying to calculate the market for plastics, circa 1940," Nelson explained in a report by consulting firm the Hammersmith Group. "At that time, it was difficult to imagine that plastics could be in everything. "If you look at information processing in the same way, you begin to see the vast range of objects into which logic, processors or actuators could be embedded." With sensors and integrations priced for consumers, startups have started to make that range more visible. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Kalawin |
| 5 Tips to Maximize Your Brand's Facebook Reach | | Thursday, May 24, 2012 3:56 PM | Stacey Politi |
|  The Facebook Marketing Series is presented by Webtrends, helping brands acquire, engage, nurture and optimize Facebook fans. Get the Social Media Marketing Playbook, a guide for maximizing returns. Download now. Believe it or not, you can expand your Facebook reach now, in a few simple steps. According to a 2011 comScore report, brands that post an average of five to seven times per week only reach about 16% of the fan base they have worked so hard to establish. While Facebook has never officially divulged exactly how to gain greater reach -- though it did release an ad product, Reach Generator -- there are several tactics known to work. First, let's review the EdgeRank trifecta. EdgeRank is the algorithm used by Facebook to determine the most screen-worthy content. Three factors, multiplied together, determine your content's value: affinity, weight and time. The affinity score is based on how often a fan has engaged with your brand content in the past, including page visits. Weight, or popularity, is determined by the type and quantity of engagement your post receives (e.g. Likes, comments). Lastly, time and the decay of your post matters; as your content ages and engagement wanes, it becomes less relevant and therefore less likely to appear in a user's news feed. Understanding the EdgeRank algorithm is the first step for brands to improve their content strategy. Here are five free ways to help you expand your brand's reach on Facebook. 1. Know Your Audience Study your fans to know what content they want, when they want it and the form in which they want it. Chad Wittman, founder of EdgeRank Checker, a site that helps brands better understand EdgeRank, suggests that brands should evaluate their fans' historical consumption patterns. "Dive into Facebook Insights as much as possible," says Wittman. "Are your fans consuming content at work, on a mobile device or only responding to video? Do they prefer one or two posts per day?" Catering specifically to your audience will result in more engagement and increase your chance of appearing in a fan's News Feed. 2. Practice Brevity, Be Topical and Don't Play Hard to Get Elisabeth Diana, of Facebook, stresses the effectiveness of succinct posts. Studies show that lengthy Facebook content goes unread and discourages action on the part of the user. Brief, easily digestible posts make it easier for users to consume and interact. Diana and Wittman agree that timely posts increase fan excitement, generate spikes in engagement and allow for further reach. Keep an eye out for relevant current events and don't forget to post about holidays if they're consistent with your brand voice. Fans want to engage -- sometimes they just need an invitation. Don't be coy with your call-to-action. Be clear and blatantly tell your fans to "like," comment or share your post. You'll be surprised what can you get if you just ask. These actions generate reach, since they'll end up in their friends' news feeds. 3. Mind Your Content It's still true that no matter what you try, quality content is the most important factor to expand Facebook reach. Provide your fans with valuable content to properly enable your posts to go further. When it comes to format, photos are the most engaging form of content that brands can post. Eye-catching and easy-to-consume photos are also weighed more heavily by Facebook when determining EdgeRank. Asking questions of your fans is a great way to encourage comments and keep your post visible. Research by Buddy Media shows that employing the words "where," "when," "would" and "should" increases engagement. Posts that include "would" consistently yield the greatest interaction because they allow fans to agree through a simple "like" rather than writing a comment. Victoria Ransom, founder and CEO of Wildfire, notes that some of the most sharable content are "personality" apps, including quizzes, trivia and "pick your favorites." "All these applications serve to shine a spotlight on a user's persona," Ransom says. "These apps allow the user to broadcast to his friend's elements of his personality, his trendsetter nature, his style and aptitude. And it turns out, users really enjoy doing that!" 4. Engage the Engagement Fans love to know their favorite brands are listening, and many social media managers often overlook this. Answer questions asked in the comments section or simply say, "Thanks!" Be sure to tag the fan in your response so he's notified of the special attention. The fan will often "like" your comment, thus continuing the conversation and further boosting your visibility. 5. Turn Your Fans' Friends into Fans Facebook Insights provides administrators with the "Friends of Fans" metric, telling admins just how many people they can potentially reach organically. Friends of fans are extremely important -- they are more likely to visit a brand's Facebook Page or website, purchase a brand's products and become fans themselves. Organically, these Facebook fans can easily be reached through the Facebook Ticker, which tracks all user activity. Keep your fans interacting with your brand, and their friends will see all "liking" activity, comments and posts in the top right of their news feed. Now, for a not-so-organic tactic: Facebook Ads. With Facebook Ads, you can specifically target just your fans' friends and leverage their relationship. Facebook Ads are not just a way to reach your fans' friends, but also your competitor's fans and your own fans. General Motors recently pulled $10 million dollars in Facebook Ads, and EdgeRankChecker's Wittman notes that Facebook Ads are to be used to amplify your free content and should be a complementary, not primary, way to communicate with more of your fans. Ransom agrees, "In order to significantly extend reach and watch your messaging and branded content spread to 90% of your fan base and beyond it, an investment in Facebook advertising is necessary." The Bottom Line Despite the various theories, studies and tactics, Wittman nicely wraps it up with one main point: "The bottom line is that Facebook wants people consuming content, so its algorithm rewards the brands that create the coolest content." Follow these guidelines to help disseminate your posts and allow Facebook's algorithm to work for you. Series presented by Webtrends
The Facebook Marketing Series is presented by Webtrends. With 850 million fans, Facebook is a marketer's dream. Yet many brands are not seeing expected results. With the right tools and a four-step plan, Facebook campaigns can be measured, tested, targeted and optimized with remarkable results. Webtrends shows you how in this step-by-step guide. Get the Social Media Marketing Playbook now... Image courtesy of iStockphoto, scibak |
| Startup Stakes: Everything's Riding on the Pitch [VIDEO] | | Thursday, May 24, 2012 2:37 PM | Mashable Video |
|  In the last episode of TechStars, we saw why it is so important to choose the right name for your startup. In this episode, we'll get an inside look at how startups in an accelerator program prepare for the annual Demo Day, a rite of passage at which they present to a room full of investors and journalists. Watch the Full Season of TechStars on Mashable One of the big secrets to a successful pitch is to practice, practice, practice. Before presenting on Demo Day, startups at TechStars will have pitched their business to fellow entrepreneurs, advisers and other peers over 100 times -- often purposely subjecting themselves to harsh criticism that will prepare them for the critical eye of potential investors. Check out the latest episode above, and be sure to leave your thoughts on the topic in the comments below. More Recent Episodes of TechStars: It Takes a Great Name to Launch a Successful Startup Startup Life: Risking It All to Change Direction Why Some Startups Must Pivot to Succeed Getting into a top startup accelerator program can make the difference between a company making it big and being lost in the ether. Mashable is going behind the scenes of that experience by bringing the show TechStars to our community. We've made the entire series available on-demand, and chopped it up into short segments that are ideal for Internet viewing. Over the course of the next couple of months, we'll also be sharing each episode as part of a Mashable post, giving our community a chance to discuss the themes of each show in our comments section. You can read more about TechStars on Mashable here. |
| 70+ Events in Design, Social Media and Advertising | | Thursday, May 24, 2012 1:55 PM | Lauren Hockenson |
| 
Do you want to network with some of the thought leaders in your industry? Then set your eyes on the collection of more than 70 events on Mashable's new Events Board. Our events board goes beyond your standard business conferences and exhibitions -- we showcase the most thoughtful, informative and entertaining events happening all over the world and online. Every day, we debut more and more listings, and each week, we highlight four new events that are worth attending. Don't forget to visit our listings for the freshest networking opportunities, meetings and expos that will enable you to engage with the global tech scene. Advertising Advanced Facebook Advertising 2012 Date: 6/11/2012 - 7/13/2012 Location: Online Every Tuesday and Thursday for four weeks, Social Fresh will host Advanced Facebook Advertising 2012. Since the conference is a completely online offering, attendees of the conference will be able to log in to 22 live presentations by speakers from companies such as HubSpot, Likeable Media and Webtrends. In addition, there will also be live case studies and workshops on the latest trends and techniques to leverage advertising on Facebook. VideoNuze 2012 Online Video Advertising Summit Date: 6/19/2012 Location: New York City Presented by VideoNuze, the 2012 Online Video Advertising Summit will address the breakthroughs, benefits and challenges of navigating the multi-billion dollar online video advertising market. The day-long conference will address specific video campaigns, as well as the future of connected television and multi-platform video experiences. The individual Early Bird ticket price of $495 ends on Friday. Dev & Design 9th Annual Games for Change Festival Date: 6/18/2012 - 6/20/2012 Location: New York City Held at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, the 9th Annual Games for Change Festival will honor and examine interactive games created for education and social good. The multi-day festival includes four separate workshop and speaking tracks and culminates in the Awards Ceremony, which will present awards to the most innovative and significant games. Enter the code "MASHABLE" to get 25% off any ticket type. Social Media Social Media in the Pharmaceutical Industry Date: 7/9/2012 - 7/10/2012 Location: London Social Media in the Pharmaceutical Industry is one of the first events of its kind to analyze the purpose and role of social media in the pharmaceutical industry. The event will focus on how social media can factor into patient-doctor interaction, proliferation of new treatments and the public education of various healthcare issues. There will also be discussions on proper social strategy for pharmaceutical companies. Want to promote your upcoming event on Mashable's Events Board? Click here. |
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