The economic disaster seems to have a light at the end of the tunnel. That tunnel for the moment is very long for townspeople still struggling with unsuitable employment opportunity. Can this Town Hall still be an effective marketing tool?

After a gritty, grueling three years in office, Mr. Obama is slowly returning to the environments which guided him to the White House: The social network.  Pun intended.  Yesterday, at a Town Hall meeting with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, President Obama laid out his platform for cutting the fiscal deficit and tax increase measures.  Feedback from the discussion was mixed amongst viewers, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The crowd reaction was overwhelmingly positive from the footage. Take a look for yourself.

Controversy comes and disappears with new industries.  Business models also need to be solidified for an industry to truly take flight.  E-commerce analysts are drooling to leverage the wealth of social media’s personal database into sales.  Few corporations have come up with a successful model for online merchants.

A former Walmart CMO, Cathy Halligan, has some insight into the methodology for driving successful e-commerce into Facebook.  I’ll list a few of her thoughts.

1.  Deliver On The Fundamentals of Commerce. That’s mandatory, but corporations forget the basics. Don’t think about Facebook if you can’t deliver on the basics, which are:  product, price, in stock, fast checkout, and fast delivery. Speed kills.

2.  Don’t Bother With Facebook Ads. People don’t have purchasing intent on social network, unlike search engines. They look to share content, chat, debate, and gossip.  So Facebook Ads might be great for brand advertising, but not for sales conversion rates.

3.  Integrate Facebook Into Your Site. It’s not just about what goes on your Facebook page.  You should integrate Facebook into your site.  That means Like buttons above the fold on each product.  That means allowing people to connect with Facebook to post reviews — which can be pushed to their friends.

For more insight from Cathy Halligan, SVP, Sales & Marketing at PowerReviews, click here.

1.  Egypt Cuts Off Digital Communication

This story is still developing as I type syllables.  Mubarak’s long reign is in jeopardy, as the populance of Egypt has grown weary of totalitarian rule. Politics aside, the decision to sever internet connections, beginning with the blockade of Facebook and Twitter,  is our angle.  Landlines were still available, but I’m not clear on their reliability in the nation’s tenuous state. Users have found alternatives outside of social media.  Other nations immersed in conflict have mobilized through the web in order to solicit assistance. A complete severance is unprecedented. Surely, the ability to communicate freely is the first tenet of a functional democratic state.   The move is unprecedented and for those interested in more coverage, try the BBC.

2.  LinkedIn Files IPO

This isn’t much of a shock, as the business social media network had visions of this day for a couple of quarters now.  Social media is still looking for a business model to get appropriate valuations from the marketplace.  Facebook had been valued by Goldman at $50 billion, while LinkedIn topped at $3 billion.  LinkedIn, in the headline piece from the Journal, has diverse revenue streams unlike other social media outlets, including hiring solutions for human resource management and premium subscription tiers.  Some investors are questioning if LinkedIn is even worth $3 billion or has the level of traffic to offer potential shareholders maximal return.  We do know that other social media ventures will file public very soon.

3.  iPad Celebrates Its First Anniversary

Critics in the tech world still nitpick at its perceived shortcomings.  The people, however, are buying it.  In the year since Steve Jobs released the iPad and promoted heavily through various channels, over 7 million units have been sold at a $495 price point (quote retroactive to Dec 25.10).  The tablet set a marketplace by running away before the competition started.  HP, RIM, and Toshiba have tablets coming later in 2011.

4.  H&M To Debut E-Commerce Portal In US This Year

I actually wondered what took them so long to roll out a business model here in the States.  The Stockholm fast fashion retailer could be looked at as a pioneer. Now companies such as Forever 21, Uniqlo, and Zara have jumped into the fray.  H&M struck first with their unique partnerships with haute designers that has done both to promote exclusivity and drive foot traffic.  They recently started an e-commerce venture in Europe, with a strategy to increase online sales and catalog numbers both there and in the US.  According to DirectMarketing News, the profit margin dropped by 11% in a year’s turnover.  Revenue rose 7% for the full fiscal year.  250 new stores will open in the United States, meaning that foot traffic remains the focal driver of sales.

5.  Taco Bell Runs For The Legal Border

The news about Taco Bell brushed through the blogosphere like a conflagaration. Not that we were greatly surprised about the content. For the uninitiated, a California woman filed a lawsuit this week, claiming that Taco Bell’s beef filling is only 35% composed from an actual cow.  As a result, Taco Bell executives have rolled out a strong campaign titled, “Thank You For Suing Us,” while listing the ingredients of the accused protein.  Print ads were taken out in leading national newspapers thanking loyal customers for their support.  The website developed an authoritative red logo with a stamp of “Real Beef..Guaranteed”, along with a video message from Greg Creed, Chief Concept Officer.  You can view it here and get more information on the class action suit. Credit Taco Bell for using viral channels to state their case.

That’s the Blue News this week.  Enjoy the snow!

I have discussed these themes before, but Lulu Phongmany delves further into the question of social media’s true value.  In her piece for paidcontent.org, one thing she discusses is the value it has added for publishers.  Newspaper sites are seeing about 50 percent of their traffic coming from Google alone, while Facebook accounted for 0.1 percent of referrals to newspapers.  Other statistics show traffic of 0.2 percent flowing to iVillage.co.uk. Articles are shared, but mostly, they are controversial and offbeat. This is hardly surprising, but not encouraging for businesses aiming to inform and generate unique visitors.

Phongmany importantly summarizes that social media is an evolution of the online portal, rather than the final destination of the online experience.  The user experience of social media varies in accordance with the individual.  Reality, however, shows that those experiences remain benign in terms of tapping profit.  She also points out that retail and gaming have brought measurable statistics. Farmville and Mafia Wars have exploded in terms of popularity through Facebook, and those are just two examples. Retro educational programs, Carmen Sandiego and The Oregon Trail, just debuted on Facebook.

The key point, however, is that these industries provide balming services used for folks to escape from the mundane instances of life. Social media is not yet a proper forum for insurers to gain candidates for life coverage or annuities.  They have created pages, but their target bases are not viewing them consistently.

For the moment, social media remains merely a domain of amusement on several levels.  The medium is lacking the professionalism to drive revenue on a consistent basis. One could attribute this to simply time, as further web developments could change the perspective.  It has, however, provided a forum for discussion of corporate strategy and product development. This in itself is where marketing executives must follow the herd.  Eventually, some members peel off and experiment with methodologies.  Digital strategies will innovate when the herd keeps stomping.

Universities, Ogilvy & Mather PR, and local artist Xu Yinhai worked tirelessly to construct the forest.  Here is a link to some exclusive images.  As China transitions into a global behemoth, the necessity for conservation awareness is crucial.  This campaign is being done through various interactive marketing channels.  For those interested, Greenpeace has developed a website where potential donors can sign a petition.  Once a contribution is made, a green leaf appears. Click here for more details.

1.  Microsoft Experiences A Profit Boom

Could the tide be turning for Microsoft?  After recently unveiling their new portfolio of Windows 7 mobile phones, the blue chip posted a raise in profit margins of up to 51%.  The strength of this rise can be marked to an increase in purchases of the new Windows 7 by businesses at all levels.  While Vista was universally panned by everyone, the new operating system’s positive response bodes well for the health of computer sales.  As the WSJ mentions, this long-term growth will be dependent on whether they can enter the mobile market with technology that consumers want, ranging from mobile applications to tablets.

2.  YouTube Hits 1 Billion Subscriptions

Many in the media industry feel that Google has yet to make a statement in social media, with the failures of Buzz and other efforts.  Regardless, its purchase of YouTube remains a seminal moment. YouTube now stands as the pioneer of video sharing, where anyone can upload content from multiple channels.  Performance artists have revolutionized the website’s ability to infiltrate cyberspace without the benefit of professional audial or video equipment.  Thus, the video for music studios was killed and reborn.  Lady Gaga’s video channel reached 1 billion views.  Her abilities are evident, but it is highly doubtful that she becomes an international superstar without YouTube, where corporate management can control content distribution without using a costly production budget. They also are not depending on her videos to elicit optimum record sales.  YouTube has offered a widget for video developers to embed on their sites.  Viewers can subscribe to channels even if outside of the site.  Click here for more details.

3.  MySpace Calls It A Comeback

I wrote a short piece this week on the rebranding of MySpace for the social media market, although it’s unclear how different those changes will be now that Facebook has become the leader.  MySpace plans to further segment themselves as a portal of media distribution for bands and singers on the rise.  As the Mashable piece mentions, MySpace also is developing a new user called the curator.  If a user gains a following in a social trend, you gain access to several tools to unlock exclusive content and engage with true fans.  The concept is similar to the true premise of social media marketing, but for MySpace, it’s all dependent on the execution.  At least they cleaned up the website.

4.  Opposition in Vietnam Silenced By Virus

This story was intriguing to me due to its coverage of a topic not prominent in mainstream media.  Internet security is becoming a task in which governments use web development for manipulate reasons, namely to silence communication. Vietnam long has been a nation of conflict where insurgencies from within and outside have sought control.  The story also mentions that viruses have been used in parts of Russia to counteract insurgencies.  Click fraud is real, people, and it goes beyond consumer products.

5. Politics of the Mouse

The midterm elections of 2010 next Tuesday represent another watershed in politics, as disillusioned voters have created online communities that have morphed into Tea Parties, who are stepping up their presence with demonstrations and activism in the public.  Business leaders and voters have foreshadowed the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate changing several seats with some suspecting a Republican sweep.  The results will come in by this time next week, and it speaks to the power of digital media as a force to organize discourse, emotion, and information.  We have seen the Obama administration use social media to incredible effects in the 2008 election. It would be the height of irony if Congress was flipped in the same method.

Twitter not only lets you know about what others are doing and offers a tool to spread product deals, launches, and job openings. Everything is for free, where you can allow your followers to view your profile and share ideas, trends, and solicit feedback about your business with them.

Twitter offers flexibility that allows marketers to target a diverse market. The content posted via Twitter multiplies exponentially and good content serves as a tiny press release. As a result, content distribution improves, increasing traffic. The viral marketing feature of twitter is one good reason for B2B companies to choose Twitter as a social media tool. With the help of the in-built features and other third party resources, marketers can easily monitor, track and analyze the flow of information, trends and business opportunities.

The main goal of a marketer in using social media tool is to increase the sales volume by engaging the consumers and target audience to develop brand equity. So all companies must try to understand how to make use of Twitter as a social media marketing tool to create awareness about their brands, engage customers, and maximize profit.

In New York, all this happens, and so does Fashion Week. Labels are still recovering from a huge loss in sales over the past couples. Japan has lost nearly all of its Versace stores.  The haute market is slowly making a reach into China and Korea, but not confidently.  Believe it or not, though, fashion is patching things up in a heretofore different way.

Like many industries, they needed strategies to reinvigorate their brands and target customers in different methods. Fashion, meet Social Media. Social Media, meet Fashion. The City has intensified the campaign for Fashion’s Night Out, with social media links to Twitter and Facebook. Fans get privy to store parties, retail discounts, and other prize opportunities.  Names like Gisele Bundchen and Bar Refali will make their presence felt across town.

This level of outreach is anathema for an industry that prides itself on exclusivity.  Their job is to let you know about the horror of your Crocs.  They also are exacting revenge from the days of adolescent negligence.  Or they are just simply focused on making durable, funky goods for friends and lovers.

But today, it’s a different game.  An even more fickle consumer is reaching for affordable items from discount chains like Uniqlo and H&M.  Other foreign labels like Topshop, All Saints, and Zara have spread wings in the domestic retail market to grab a euro and a dollar.  According to a report on Forbes, Marc Jacobs CEO Robert Duffy has managed the Twitter feedback of followers demanding plus sizes. When he returns to New York, the plan is to speak with Mr. Jacobs about the possibility.

This level of online advertising cannot be replicated in the magazine sections, and the balance sheet is reflecting the outreach.  In the Forbes piece, Ann Taylor LOFT saw a 55% increase in e-commerce sales, while the namesake brand saw a 29% jump.  The correlation is proving evident that social media is transforming even the most cottage of industries.  Who else can it dress up and take on the town?

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At the moment, corporations are still having difficulty tracking absolute revenue metrics from social media networks.  This tool is a solid first step in not only solving this quandry, but also to better engage with customers on products and services.  Corporations can also enforce quality control over their social media strategies rather than simply relying on an agency to do the heavy lifting.  They can work with a shop that has the specific tools to drive ROI with more cost certainty and aplomb to maximize efficiency.  We will see if Viralheat has an analytics goldmine on their hands.

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This button could prove as a watershed moment for Twitter.  The button upgrade initially appears to be a response to the ‘Like’ button of Facebook. ‘Like’ has been leveraging data between its personal profiles and web domains, resulting in a wealth of transactions.  Nick Halstead of TweetMeMe states that this announcement is to strengthen the position of each side rather than generate revenue. The recent suggestion algorithm used by Twitter supports this statement. Tweeters aren’t in love with the interface, however, and seek adjustments.

Website designers and SEO methodologists will delight in the simpler button’s ability to manage click counts.  Once these steps are made, then developers can use the new DataSift to leverage all that information into creating new streams.  DataSift pledges to build search rankings through fast rule processing, reflecting real-time status.  Hashtags will add value for the firm as advertising for corporate accounts.  The program is in development, planning to surface in the near future.

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