SEO Tips & Advice | Social Media Strategies & News

OK, so now Social Media has really started to become “main stream” – businesses are starting to cotton onto the idea it’s best for them to get involved and get a presence on various platforms. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube seem to be the popular choices (makes sense due to the user bases).

But one new problem arises, and that’s most companies are being there just for the sake of being there. They see their competitors doing it – they hear about it on the news, but they are yet to discover exactly what to do.

Another massive blockade is the reams of red tape that larger businesses have surrounding internal and external processes. This makes the whole use of Social Media very tricky indeed, as it often slows down response times to customer queries and there appears to be a big fear factor with allowing employees to be the voice of the business.

That’s why I believe small businesses (even one man operations) have a massive advantage over their big rivals. Never before have they been able to compete as easily and for free. Whilst the big guys are worrying about what to say, tone of voice, how to respond – the little guy can do whatever they like and only have themselves to answer to. What an advantage!

I had the pleasure of meeting a guy who runs a coffee van in Soho London, and was really excited to learn he uses Twitter, and blogging to share with his customers his every day experiences.

Read more…

Popularity: 3%

Sorry guys, no Podcast this week as there just didn’t appear to be anything exciting this week (as far as I could see!) so I wanted to quickly show an awesome TV advert currently showing in the UK that just blew me away.

Nike have launched a campaign to run with the 2010 World Cup with an amazing set of adverts (the full length version is below). What struck me (and made me decide to post it here) is how Nike included the “Like” button in the advert, but it’s not the Facebook version. It’s the YouTube button.

They’ve cleverly incorporated YouTube into the advert, which in my opinion is really enforcing just how well known YouTube is to the world. They have also updated their channel to include imagery from the advert.

OK, so why am I blogging about it? Well two reasons really:

1) The advert just rocks! I remember watching it the first time, and all my hairs stood up. I got pumped about the World Cup!

2) I found it very interesting how sites like YouTube appeared in the advert – it just goes to show how everyone recognises how popular these sites are to every day internet users.

So, take a look at the advert below and enjoy!

COME ON ENGLAND!

Popularity: 23%

Bit of an unusual post from me today but it’s for a good cause so I thought I would share it with you! Naturally, I will take a look from a Social Media view

NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) have launched a campaign to allow you to send a personalised letter from Santa to your children (or any child for that matter). This is a great little gift all for a suggested donation of £5. Here is the information below:

The NSPCC’s Letter from Santa fundraising initiative gives parents, grandparents and anyone else the chance to nominate someone special to receive a magical letter from Santa for a suggested donation of £5. The letter is personalised with the child’s name and age and is sure to confirm that Santa will be making his usual stop in the child’s home town to wish everyone a merry Christmas. The letter is written in a hand script font and is beautifully illustrated on quality colourful paper. The envelope shows that it’s been safely delivered through ‘express Rudolph Mail’.

Fundraiser Binita Patel said: “Letter from Santa is a brilliant way to put an extra twinkle into Christmas this year and make a child feel extra special. The appeal also helps us to raise money to support children who are perhaps not as fortunate.“

“It is important to remember that Christmas is not a time of celebration for every child. Over the 12 days of festive cheer last year, ChildLine – a service provided by the NSPCC – counselled over 3,500 children who were in danger or distress and had nowhere else to turn. By supporting this appeal you will be helping to provide support, advice and protection for these children who are in desperate need of help.”

Also on offer is a Baby’s First Christmas letter from Santa, which is the perfect keepsake for newborns celebrating their first festive season.

To order a letter from Santa for a child you know, visit http://www.nspccwishes.org.uk/ or call 0845 839 9304.

It does look a real cool little gift and I can imagine thier eyes will light up when they receive it. There is a video on the site to show you more, so go check it out!

OK, from the social media side of things, there’s one thing that I’m pleased they’ve done, and that’s include the “Add This” button on the top right. This allows people to share the page via several social bookmarking sites – so that’s a pretty cool touch.

Read more…

Popularity: 57%