Nobody said social media monitoring was easy.  There are billions of conversations taking place across blogs, social networks and news sites – all in real time.  Little wonder that the thought of diving deep into those discussions in an attempt to analyze what’s being said, spot trends and identify the most influential voices and opinions is often overwhelming.  For those who have already taken the plunge, it can be all too easy to find yourself neck-deep in unfamiliar waters:  You’ve extracted a wealth of information and statistics from a host of monitoring and trending tools, yet trying to piece it together in search of “the big picture” is difficult at best.  (more…)

The conventional online corporate newsroom is set for some major changes in the next 12 months. Posting press releases solely for your audience’s consumption is a thing of the past, and won’t be enough to compete in this era of content generation and knowledge sharing. The advent of social media has introduced active audience participation via Twitter, Facebook fan page links, sentiment analysis and a raft of other capabilities, and has transformed the newsroom from a passive information source to one that solicits active participation and immediate feedback. We could call this a “Web 2.0 newsroom.” (more…)

Most people these days know that websites and content should be optimized for search engine rankability, but what about your social media? Can social media be optimized to better help you reach your audience? Of course it can. (more…)

Some of the most famous taglines and successful marketing campaigns of all time have been complete flops in foreign markets because they were translated literally.  Consider these slogan translation mishaps: (more…)

These days, effective communication is all about attraction, or pull – giving your audiences compelling reasons to visit your website, engage with your blog, and interact with your organization through social channels. When people reach out to you – and not the other way around – you’ve earned their attention and your brand credibility rises. (more…)

The term “emerging market” is vague enough that it could have a variety of meanings. Are we talking business verticals or Whole Foods’ newest rival? Actually, neither. An emerging market is any nation that is experiencing rapid growth, usually with regards to society and business, while undergoing political reforms. Or, so says Wikipedia. For example, China and India are emerging markets. (more…)