Mediaboss Marketing

Salem, MA (PRWEB) March 30, 2012

As we enter the second quarter of 2012, many companies have resolved to finally take the leap into social media marketing. According to Amy Grishman, CEO of Social Focus Marketing, "Social media provides smaller companies with the opportunities to market themselves in the same way major, global brands do. However, for small businesses with limited staff, the task may seem especially daunting as many questions undoubtedly loom. Where should we start? How do we start? How are Facebook and Twitter going to help my business? Who will take on the responsibility?" Here are five tips Grishman says will help any company get started:

1.Recognize the benefits and define goals. All too often CEOs and campaign managers are only concerned with how social media marketing will translate into revenue and ignore the other benefits. Often overlooked is the opportunity to connect with current customers and clientele, raise brand awareness and improve brand reputation, acquire feedback, crowd source new ideas and products, and the list goes on.

2.Join the following five networks: Facebook, Twitter, Google +, LinkedIn, and YouTube. It will only take a couple of minutes per network to sign up, and each is designed with step-by-step instructions to make the process as seamless as possible for even the most novice user. Companies skeptical about joining YouTube should consider that, according to Nielsen, 90% of all web traffic will be video by 2014. Taking advantage of the vast pools of Internet users who frequent these networks is essential, and companies should secure their names on these platforms.

3.Measure results. Although there are many platforms through which to track social media data, Google Analytics will provide a panoramic view of an overall marketing strategy. This powerful tracking software is free and will diligently monitor website activity, visits from social media profiles as well as other websites, visitor demographics and much more. This data offers insight into customers' activity, and measures the overall health of a marketing campaign, allowing a small business to rapidly respond to changes in consumer behavior, and to adjust their marketing strategies accordingly.

4.Companies should add social media links to their websites, blogs, email signatures, and business cards. Adding social media links in all the aforementioned places will help grow fan base in an unobtrusive and organic way. Once profiles are active, companies should spread the word to give their profiles an initial fan boost; letting their personal and professional networks know.

5.Outsource, if needed. Finally, it is important to keep fans actively engaged. Allowing accounts to languish will be more detrimental than not having accounts at all. If a small business cannot find time to log into their profiles more than a couple times per week to post updates, communicate with fans, answer questions, etc., it may be time to consider outsourcing social media management to an Internet marketing firm. For a fixed fee every month, one can hire a social media management team adept at engaging audiences and promoting brands effectively (most often this is much more cost effective than hiring an additional staff member). This team will represent a small business and provide sales, marketing, client/customer service, and PR all in one.

Social media is an organic and essential part of business today. Long gone are the days when people would see their local shop owners daily and stop by for a chat, but as the world has grown bigger, it has also grown smaller again through the connectedness of social media. Customers will be stopping by for a chat virtually, possibly from thousands of miles away, and they are talking about a product or service to someone else possibly thousands of miles away in the other direction. Small businesses cant afford to miss this opportunity!

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Social Focus Marketing Shares Five Steps to Help Smaller Businesses Build Their Social Media Presence

By George Winslow -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/30/2012 6:00:35 PM An extensive new analysis of the Trayvon Martin shooting shows that the coverage of the case on social media has "varied greatly" from the way it has been approached by blogs and the more mainstream cable TV and talk radio sectors, according to the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ).

The PEJ study found that "on Twitter, the conversation has focused on sympathy for the slain teenager and expressions of outrage at the killing" while blogs emphasized "the role of race in the highly charged case" and the cable news and talk radio "focused on two politically oriented issues-gun control laws and the Florida Stand Your Ground statute" in coverage studied between March 17-28th.

The full report can be found here.

The PEJ analysis found that the largest category of coverage on Twitter -- accounting for 21% of the conversation -- focused on outrage at George Zimmerman, who shot the teen, and calls for justice. In contrast, gun control and the Florida legislation accounted for the largest share (17%) of the coverage on talk radio and race was the top topic among blogs, accounting for 15% of the coverage.

"In social media support for Trayvon and outrage at the killing far outweighed any sense that Zimmerman might have been justified in his actions," the PEJ survey concluded. "On cable and talk radio, suspicion of Trayvon Martin was virtually equal to doubts about George Zimmerman."

The study also noted that the shooting was the first story in 2012 to surpass coverage of the presidential election in mainstream media, with the Trayvon Martin shooting accounting for 19% of the newshole between March 19 and 27, followed by the presidential election (14%), the health care debate (11%), Afghanistan (7%) and the economy (6%).

Among the cable news nets, MSNBC devoted the most time to the story, where it accounted for 49% of the coverage during the time slots studied by PEJ, followed by CNN (40%) and Fox News (15%).

MSNBC also devoted the most attention to the gun control issue. In contrast, "questions about Trayvon Martin and the defense of Zimmerman garnered the most attention" on Fox News, the study noted.

The study also documents how coverage spiked after the release of the 911 tapes and provides a detailed breakdown of how different media covered different aspects of the case between blogs, twitter and the cable TV/talk radio sector.

Not surprisingly it found significant differences between liberal and conservative hosts on talk radio and cable news.

See the article here:
PEJ: Coverage of Trayvon Martin Case Varies "Greatly"

Did Sirius XM Radio Inc. make a Faustian bargain when it decided to accept $530 million from Liberty Media Corp.to stave off bankruptcy in early 2009?

The New York-based satellite radio companyfiled a petition late Friday afternoon with theFederal Communications Commission, urging that the agency deny a request by Liberty Media Corp. that soughtto transfer several of SiriusXM's operating licenses to Liberty's control. Liberty owns 40% of SiriusXM and occupies fiveof its 13board seats.

Liberty's request, filedMarch 20,include SiriusXM'searth station licensesanditsterrestrial repeaterlicense. The FCC requires SiriusXM to have all three licenses to operate.

But SiriusXM fought back, arguing in a 24-page petition that Liberty failed to get proper signatures from the companys board for its transfer request.

This is the equivalent of trying to cash an unsigned check and explaining the lack of a signature by saying nothing more than the account holder refused to sign it, SiriusXM's attorneys wrote.

Liberty Media's intent, and the intent ofChairman John Malone, is unclear.The company did not state a reason for seeking control of those licenses and messages to Liberty Media's spokeswoman were not immediately returned.

At issue is whether Liberty's 40% stake in SiriusXM allows Malone to assume ownership of the satellite radio company, which last year earned a $427-million profit on more than $3 billion in revenue.

What's clear is that SiriusXM's last-minute arrangement with Libertyaverted financial disaster, allowing the New York satellite radio company to make a $172-million payment on its high-interest loans justdays before it was due in February 2009. The transaction also gave Liberty Media fiveof 13 seats on the company's board.

The deal also barred Liberty Media from trying to take over SiriusXM by acquiring 39.9% or more of SiriusXM's stock. That provision expired March 6.

Go here to read the rest:
SiriusXM fights Liberty Media takeover move

During the tornado outbreak on March 2, it was clear that mobile devices were important to YOU!

More than 20,000 9 News viewers used their smartphones and iPads to watch our live stream of severe weather coverage.

In addition to the 9 News mobile apps(which can be downloaded at wcpo.com/mobile ), social-networking can be an important tool to help keep you and your family safe, especially if the power goes out.

If youre a Facebook user, Like the WCPO 9 On Your Side Facebook page to get the latest warnings and reports.

We also want to see YOUR reports, videos, and photos of severe weather as its happening. Post them directly to our Facebook page!

Twitter can also be a valuable tool during severe weather as you can find out information and have conversations about the weather, in real-time.

You can go to the WCPO or the wcpoweather Twitter pages to get updates on severe weather. See reports from Tri-State residents as well by using the hashtag #CincyWX".

To do this, go to the search bar at the top of your Twitter page. There, you will type # CincyWX. A list of storm reports, pictures, and video containing that hashtag will then pop up for you to browse.

You can also post YOUR photos and weather reports on Twitter for others to see, just dont forget to include the hashtag #CincyWX on your post.

Wondering what a hashtag is?

Read more:
Social-networking during severe weather

The financially troubled Digital Region project, an alternative wholesale network operator that was built with 100m of public money to help 80% of homes and businesses in South Yorkshire (UK) gain access to superfast broadband services, is to get yet another injection of 10m from the public pursue in order to stay afloat. The service, which in January 2012 revealed that it had lost over 9.2m in 2011 and only created revenue of just 167,000 (here), has been in trouble due to low take-up for awhile now. So far none of the big UK ISP have shown much interest, which is partly because of growing competition from similar BT services and a lack of effective advertising. As a result the future of Digital Region remains deeply uncertain.

According to the Yorkshire Post today, Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley Councils each own around 9% of the shares in Digital Region, while Sheffield Council owns over 17% and the remainder is owned by the governments Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) which acquired Yorkshire Forwards shareholding.

As it stands now the current business model has failed and few expect the related local councils to carry it forward. Instead the least-worst scenario is that Digital Region will be kept alive for a little bit longer while a private company / ISP is found (tender) to operate the project, albeit with public funding as support. The alternative, of allowing Digital Region to fail, would allegedly be even more expensive and cause serious problems for its remaining customers.

The latest development has been expected since January when Yorkshire Forwards then CEO, Thea Stein, confirmed that more funding would be needed andthis would probably only serve to keep the lights on until the end of 2012. We are committed to seeing Digital Region flourish, but like all start-up businesses it needs support. Its important to state this is a guarantee the hope is they will not need to draw it down, said Stein.

UPDATE 4:21pm

Digital Regions Chief Operating Officer has sent over a statement.

David Cowell, Chief Operating Officer of Digital Region Ltd., said:

The project is pioneering and it has helped place South Yorkshire at the forefront of the UKs digital agenda.

Thanks to our current delivery partner Thales, the build phase has been successfully completed to time and cost and whilst the majority of the UK must wait until 2015 to experience superfast broadband, a phenomenal 80% of SY businesses and residents can already connect. DRL is delighted to move forward with the continued support of both the board and the central government and Local Authority shareholders.

Cowell added that Digital Region will move in line with the commercial model being promoted by central governments Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) for superfast broadband in the rest of the UK. The BDUK commercial model, says Cowell, places the majority of risk and liability to a private sector partner. The appointed supplier will take responsibility for all operating costs, sales, marketing and revenue generation.

Read more:
UPD Yorkshire Pumps £10m into Digital Region to Keep Broadband Project Alive