Tag Archives: Facebook

Build An Engaged Social Audience With This Simple Strategy

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We live in a social world. Every day a new social network or app is created and touted as the next great thing. Half these platforms have no shot. They are missing essential ingredients or haven’t raised enough money. There is something inherent about each attempt at creating anything social – audience is everything.

Photo credit to imediaconnection.com

Photo credit to imediaconnection.com

The term social is defined as “of or relating to society or its organization.” It’s impossible to be social by yourself. Whether online or Offline, everyone needs an audience to benefit from the power of social.

Whether you’re a business or individual, everyone is competing on social media for attention. It can be from friends, colleagues, opposite sex, or celebrities. Maybe you just want your mom to know you’re alive. Nobody uses social and has 0 followers, friends, or subscribers. Defeats the entire purpose.

Alright, there is an intense battle for attention and engagement. Here are the dirty details. Power users of social platforms are able to build audiences based on trust, authenticity, and/or great content. Celebrities have built their audiences through other means and social allows them to transfer the following to the digital space. Businesses leverage existing customer bases. Individuals connect with friends. Here is the catch – Content is king for all.

No matter who it is, if they create compelling content, social users will build an audience. No magic pills. No silver bullets. Create content people give a shit about and they will continue to pay attention.

Create bad content and followers will run from you as if you have the plague. There are two types of content that audiences care about – informative and entertaining. Informative content is self-explanatory. Entertaining content incorporates photos, videos, and humor. Both of these show that audiences pay attention to content that has value.

Watch what content you interact with today. It will most likely be informative or entertaining. Do you get value from it? I’d bet the house the answer is yes.

The blueprint for social success in our modern digital world is to build engaging audiences through valuable content. Inform or entertain your audience and they will keep coming back. Be the best or be beaten by the best.

 

Feel free to share informative or entertaining links and content in the comments below. Tweet them to me @APompliano also!

Facebook Will Die At The Hands Of Twitter….I’m Not Kidding

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Facebook is the largest social network ever created. CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s mission has been to “connect the world.” He just led the company he started at age 19 to a $100 billion IPO. This was possible because the average user spends over 20 minutes per visit on the site. How can a gigantic company like this fail? Twitter. That’s right, Twitter will be play the role of David to Facebook’s Goliath.

Dying Facebook

This downfall is 50% Facebook’s fault and 50% Twitter. Facebook is following in AOL’s step (or missteps depending on how you look at it). They are trying to BE THE INTERNET. Serving as a platform for internet users is a viable option but Facebook can’t over-extend themselves. Zuck and crew have been successful to date by perfecting a small set of features. Success is jeopardized each time a feature is added. At one point AOL’s Instant Messaging service seemed to be downloaded on every computer. Now the service is basically extinct because AOL diverted attention to additional technology. Facebook should learn a lesson from history.

While Facebook is opening an opportunity, Twitter is positioning itself to capitalize. Facebook’s platform attempts to force content creators to upload unique work directly to the site. Twitter is taking a different approach. They recently announced “expanded tweets” which allow individuals to share content from OTHER sites on the internet (Instagram, YouTube, SoundCloud, DailyMotion, etc) without having to leave the Twitter platform. Genius. Creating a true discovery service will prevail over an inclusive network that controls content.

Facebook hasn’t lost the battle yet. It will happen over time if they don’t start to make changes now. Twitter will continue to grow and definitely wouldn’t mind stepping into the leader position. So how does Facebook prevent this?

Facebook can do two things. The first is to purchase Twitter. “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” By acquiring the service, Zuckerberg would be able to offer the discovery features that will be essential to surviving the rest of this century. If he can’t, he may be eaten alive.

The second option is to develop a similar feature. This is probably more likely. Facebook Open Graph API is a step in the right direction. They must continue to develop similar offerings to help the 900 million users discovery unique content throughout the internet. Think Stumbleupon type features on the greatest social network ever created. It has potential but we need to see the execution.

Pay attention over the next 5 – 7 years. Facebook and Twitter are on a collision course. Someone will prevail with their arm raised….Champion of Social Media! My money is on Twitter but I am excited to see the battle. What do you think a world without Facebook looks like? Do you favor Twitter or Facebook? Share your thoughts below!

Apple Could Buy Facebook In Cash

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Each day I take the time to read through different blogs and news sites in an attempt to stay current on what is happening around the world. Usually I stick to technology, business, and sports. Every once in awhile something else might grab my attention but not yesterday. I read a comparison of two businesses that was absolutely shocking.

Apple has a market capitalization of $426 billion with $100 billion in cash. Yes, your read that right – Apple could buy Facebook IN CASH! Facebook is the worlds largest social network with over 900 million users and $205 million earned in the first quarter of this year, so we aren’t talking about a small company. Not only could Apple make this purchase in cash, it could also completely change the dynamics of our “social” society. Imagine Mark Zuckerberg working for Tim Cook in the shadow of Steve Jobs……(not likely).

Another way to look at how much cash Apple currently has is they could become VERY philanthropic and the Apple cash reserve could help reduce 10% of the US budget deficit. Just an astounding amount of cash. This leads to the question of what are they going to do with all that cash?

The answer is probably nothing. Of course they may invest a few million here or there (chump change to them) but the bulk of it will remain in cash. Even if Apple got jealous of all the Instagram talk and went out to make their own $1 billion purchase, it would only be 1% of their cash. I don’t foresee that happening but with so much hype around explosive growth applications it is hard to predict what any company will do.

At the end of the day, Facebook is a giant but Apple makes them look like a little brother. The amount of cash that Apple has is very impressive. Pay attention to this in the future because it could be a wild ride! What would you do if you had all that cash? 

Young Entrepreneurs Are Everywhere

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I have had the pleasure of meeting many founders and leadership teams of startups recently. I am overwhelmed by one common denominator: Most are on startup #1-3 and are under the age of 30. While I think that experienced/veteran/aged entrepreneurs can bring a lot of benefits to the table, I have been extremely happy to see such a young demographic emerging.

This got me thinking about the “Why?” behind so many young entrepreneurs in the technology space. At first I thought maybe it was a psychological thing that involved my generation being spoiled and just not being a fan of working for someone else. Then I thought that maybe my generation was just smarter then the average generation (If only I could have convinced myself of this one!). After a few more off-the-cuff theories I finally settled on one that made sense to me.

My generation of young entrepreneurs has grown up with technology. I don’t remember living without the internet. My friends all had cell phones in middle school and I was weird because my parents held out till I was a freshman in high school. Hybrid cars, Laptops, Email, CDs, Texting, XM Radio, and of course Facebook. As I got older, these technologies were accepted into our lifestyles and we were quick to adapt the coolest, newest thing. This idea of technology adaptation helped me understand why their are so many young entrepreneurs.

We never had to consiously learn how to use the technology or learn how to leverage it. It is very easy for young people to take technology that they have an outstanding grasp of and come up with ways to make it even more useful or entertaining. While the technology side makes sense since young people have such a great foundational knowledge, the business side is even more interesting.

Most of these young people do not have MBA’s and some did not even attend college. Do these things help? Well I assume that they can’t hurt! The business savvy has come the “old fashioned way.” Many of the young entrepreneurs that I interact with utilize the life experiences of growing up in a very diverse society that had technology to expose them to so many different ideas and cultures. Their business degrees are from acquired life skills through life experiences, just like men and women from the first 50-60 years of the 1900s. It also doesn’t hurt that the internet can now provide any piece of information at an individual’s fingertips.

So kids grow up in a world filled with technology that they take for granted. Fewer and fewer of them are going on to get traditional business degrees. What does that mean for the world of entrepreneurship? It provides a potentially very dynamic opportunity for entrepreneurs. Young entrepreneurs understand technology better than older entrepreneurs (obviously this statement is a large generalization) but older entrepreneurs have years of experience and lessons learned. The most successful teams moving forward will learn to attract the opposite age demographic to help build an effective team. Whether through consulting, mentors, partners, co-founders, or talks at coffee shops, those that are able to utilize the opposite demographic will not only survive but they will prosper.

What other reasons do you think contribute to such a large amount of young entrepreneurs? Have suggestions for ways that entrepreneurs can learn from each other and utilize the other demographics skill set? I would love to read your thoughts so share them below!

KONY 2012

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Watch this video. Pay attention to this issue. This is the power of the world we currently live in. I commend the people involve and hope they are seen as courageous individuals in their dedication to an issue that they care about. #KONY2012

3 Reasons Why Gen Y Has A Different Mindset

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http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/02/06/gen-y-looks-to-developing-economies-for-biz-training/

This article is a great follow-up to my last post about for-profit social good businesses. Generation Y is beginning to get more coverage for their belief in moral obligation. As a member of this generation, I think I have a decent grasp on why this feeling has arisen.

As the generation matured (some of us will never grow up), they believed that the US was the greatest country in the world. On September 11, 2001 that perspective was challenged and many of those in my generation had their eyes opened to a different view of the US. Whether you agree or not, it became apparent that the US was not considered the greatest nation on earth by some people in other countries. This was the first step in the change of mindset.

The second and probably most important aspect is the explosion of coverage and awareness for third world countries. This can be attributed to social media such as Twitter and Facebook. The immense coverage of genocides, earthquakes, and tsunamis has shown that foreign countries need help. So what happens when young people see that others need help?

Obviously Generation Y believes they should help the people in need. This is possible due to the third reason for a shift in mindset. Generation Y has been encouraged to “change the world” or “take action.” No other generation has ever been given the message of action so intensely, nor had they ever been enthusiastically given access to the resources needed to create that change.

When you take a step back, it is easy to see that Generation Y business leaders are merely products of their environment. That environment needs to continue to raise young people to believe in social good, while also seeking entrepreneurship and innovation. What will you do today to help this culture continue?

How To Increase Customers With Power of Foursquare

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Foursquare and it’s benefit to all types of businesses is pretty well documented. This video shows some of the possibilities for users of the service. Get customers in your door to increase your sales. Make a good impression and they will recommend you to their friends!

Do you currently use Foursquare? What has your experience been with Foursquare? Share your experiences below!

Viral Marketing: Get the word out….Fast!

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<div style=”width:425px” id=”__ss_9274190″> <strong style=”display:block;margin:12px 0 4px”><a href=”http://www.slideshare.net/DavidSkok/the-science-behind-viral-marketing&#8221; title=”The Science behind Viral marketing” target=”_blank”>The Science behind Viral marketing</a></strong> <div style=”padding:5px 0 12px”> View more <a href=”http://www.slideshare.net/&#8221; target=”_blank”>presentations</a> from <a href=”http://www.slideshare.net/DavidSkok&#8221; target=”_blank”>David Skok</a> </div> </div>

I ran across this slideshow on viral marketing. These techniques are proven over and over again to be effective. With the explosion of social media, APIs, and content sharing, there is no reason why you can’t get the word out about your product or service!

What viral marketing techniques have you used in the past? Were they effective? Share your experiences below!