Hitachi Data Systems is a large, conservative, business-to-business brand that sells to C-level executives through 18-month sales cycles, often through partners. So, when Hitachi’s Sharon Crost shared a case study at our BlogWell conference, she was candid in saying the company wasn’t sure social media were right for it.…

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Andy’s Answers: 5 shortcuts Hitachi Data Systems uses to earn B2B sales leads through social media originally published by SmartBlogs

If you’re not on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, you need to get on for your business’ sake, Gary Vaynerchuk told business owners at America’s Small Business Summit in Washington, D.C.

Vaynerchuk illustrated the necessity of this message when he asked the nearly full ballroom of attendees, “How many of you think Twitter is stupid?” and half of them raised their hands.…

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Gary Vaynerchuk explains why small-business owners need to stop debating social media and start using it originally published by SmartBlogs

Facebook contests are created to drive traffic to your page, increase engagement, reward your fans and, ultimately, skyrocket your page’s fan count. But as many failed contest attempts will attest to, that goal is much easier said than done.

At ShortStack, we provide a platform to build, install and carry out these contests.…

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How Oxygenics is using a Facebook contest to pump up its Facebook fan base originally published by SmartBlogs

We’ve spent a lot of time on this blog talking about the importance of developing a social media strategy. We’ve devoted countless posts to the best tactics. We’ve given you hundreds of examples of how companies align their social presence with their brand.…

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How to make your social media kung fu stronger originally published by SmartBlogs

During the past year, Yahoo! has focused on building its footprint in social media. Even though it reaches 700 million people a month with its online properties, this huge traffic and attention weren’t being reflected in the numbers of social media fans.…

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Andy’s Answers: How Yahoo! earned 1 million Facebook fans for Yahoo! Movies originally published by SmartBlogs

The accompanying infographic — based on statistics cited in our book “Marketing in the Round” — illustrates the fractured world of communication in corporate America. The corporate-marketing world still operates in silos of public relations, advertising, and interactive and direct marketing.…

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The unintegrated world of social media marketing originally published by SmartBlogs

Google+ Hangouts lets people video chat within social media without having to log into a clunky Skype client. Until a few days ago, Google placed a cap on the number of people who could be in a hangout, so it was more focused on social and less on broadcast.…

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What is Google+ Hangouts on Air? originally published by SmartBlogs

SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Social Media — tracks feedback from leading marketers about social media practices and issues.

This week, we asked: How often do you review your social media strategy?

• We don’t have a social media strategy: 31.62%
• Less than three months between reviews: 25.64%
• Every three to six months: 21.37%
• Every six to nine months: 10.26%
• Every nine to 12 months: 5.13%
• Every 12 to 18 months: 3.42%
• Every 18 to 24 months – 1.71%
• More than 2 years between reviews – 0.85%

Is a social media strategy necessary?…

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Is a social media strategy necessary? originally published by SmartBlogs

Pinterest is getting a ton of buzz as the hottest new social network. For those who haven’t dived into the site yet, think of Pinterest as an online cork board where people post pictures, articles and videos that inspire them, things they want to try, things to read, places they want to go, etc.…

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How local businesses can do research and gain an edge with Pinterest originally published by SmartBlogs

National Geographic is one of the most beloved brands of all time. So it’s no surprise that on Facebook and Twitter, this passion is reflected in its huge fan numbers.

But how does National Geographic manage it all? How does it find content that fans want to share?…

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Andy’s Answers: How National Geographic uses social media to get fans talking originally published by SmartBlogs