MarketMeSuite is a Tweetdeck alternative with many additional features that make it useful for marketing. Now we are not talking about mass marketing here, we are taking about running selective marketing campaigns.

To pick just one great feature, selective personalized reply campaigns. You can setup and save searches for people in a location or within a radius of a location who tweet about specific topics and manually reply to them with custom pre saved responses.

Disclosure I help Market Me Suite because I think they are awesome.

The Bees Awards, the first international social media marketing awards for communication professionals, reveal today their esteemed 2011 jury panel members. The event will once again award winners in over 23 specialized categories, including 8 new categories in the fast paced social media marketing world. The ceremony will be held at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco on May 3, 2011 at 7pm and will be live-streamed over the Internet.

I had a good time last year as one of the jury and I am sure that this years jury will also have a great experiance. I would like to wish Bastien Beauchamp and his team all the best with this years awards.

You can see the full list here: http://beesawards.com/bees/2011jury/

Social Forward from Exact Target

Social media is becoming more and more important in all facets of the online marketing industry. While there is no standard for how much or in what way to utilize social media in conjunction with an email marketing campaign, it’s obvious that email social media campaigns are a growing trend.

A recent survey from Ball State University and the Email Marketer’s Club about email social media campaigns found that just 13% of email marketers currently include social media into campaigns- the study also found that 46% of those same email marketers intend to add social media to their campaigns this year.
Exact Target has a great option for email social media campaigns called Social Forward.

First unveiled earlier this year at ad:tech, Social Forward is an email social media service to help subscribers engage with email messaging and share it with their social media networks.

Social Forward has three basic pieces: ShareThis Integration, Direct to Social, and Forward to a Friend.

ShareThis Integration combines Exact Target services with ShareThis capabilities- namely that people who receive your emails can share that content to over 20 other online networks. They also provide metrics so you know where things are shared and can tweak your strategy.

Direct to Social enables subscribers to put the content directly onto social media networks like Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn (among others).
Forward to a Friend does just what it sounds like- it empowers subscribers to forward on an email with a personal message to their friends and lets you know how your list grows as a result.

Email social media services like Social Forward from Exact Target are the wave of the future. I recommend checking them out to see how they can help your email marketing campaign become a social media campaign.

Email Social Media, Social Forward from Exact Target

Scott
email marketing blog

Social Media Fusion from eCircle

Email social media campaigns are the next big thing. It’s not email marketing or social media marketing, as the debate was originally framed. It turns out that the two mediums are similar and connected enough that integrating offerings in each is the best option- if fact, an increase in either appears to create an increase in the other.

“It… appears that social media use makes people consume email more, not less, as we had originally assumed. Social media sites… send messages to your inbox every time someone comments on your posting or something you’ve participated in… perfectly logical that as people make connections though social media, they maintain those connections outside of the specific platform and may extend those connections to email, a phone conversation or even in-person meetings” wrote Darren Davidson in a Brand Republic article early in October.

London-based email marketing provider eCircle has revamped their email marketing eC-messenger service to facilitate easier use of the growing social media world. Their new email social media tool, Social Media Fusion, will enable clients to link emails to social media sites as well as combine SMS and email correspondence.

Customers will also now be able to text their email address to a specified number so that the data can be directly incorporated into an email database.
“eC-messenger is a direct response to our clients needs and the software capitalises on the ever expanding mediums of targeted marketing and a greater demand for personalisation. This will result in the brands and businesses we work with producing more dynamic campaigns that can reach more receptive audience and ultimately improve the effectiveness of their email marketing programmes.” Said Volker Wiewer, chief executive of eCircle.

Email social media campaigns are here- there you have it. Learn more at eCircle.

Email Social Media, Social Media Fusion from eCircle

Scott

email marketing blog

Email marketing is a powerful tool for anyone making sales online. But when you are looking for information and links to move beyond those who are already on your email list or looking for new ways to expand your email list, it is becoming increasingly clear that integrating social media into those email campaigns is necessary- savvy marketers see the need for email social media campaigns.

A recent Forrester Research study reports that 69% of adults rely on email to share online content- for that reason alone, a quality email marketing campaign is crucial. But the same report says that youth utilize a variety of online content outlets, and that 56% use email for sharing, 50% use IM’s, 41% use cell phones, and 30% use social media- a clear sign that email marketing needs to adapt for the future.

Yesmail is a leading email marketing provider that recognizes the need to integrate social media and create dynamic email social media campaigns. They have recently teamed up with Share This to enable clients who use their Enterprise program to facilitate this integration. Through their partnership with Share This, subscribers will be able to share campaign emails to all popular social media sites, IM’s, SMS, or blogging communities.

“User-driven content is an important area of focus for marketers today and we believe that giving email the capability to be easily shared is a key component in determining user engaged content. The combination of Yesmail’s innovation in development with ShareThis’ sharing network is a great offering for email marketers.” said Tim Schigel, CEO and co-founder of ShareThis.

Reporting for the integrated email social media campaigns with Share This will include: # of times the ShareThis button is clicked, what social media sites were most shared-to, and which emails were most tagged by ShareThis.
Combining the power of an email marketing campaign with the added reach and growing influence of online sharing makes for an email social media campaign that will generate sales and grow your email list at the same time.

“Yesmail is bringing to market, a comprehensive social media powered initiative that will provide clients with numerous options to integrate email, web, and social media objectives, in a cost-effective manner. Ultimately, we want them to realize the true value of an integrated solution that maximizes their overall program and the use of their data. It’s an effective use of budget dollars which are extremely tight today. “ said John Harrison, SVP of product strategy and client services at Yesmail.

Email social media solutions from YesMail are yet another option for creating the next generation of your email marketing campaign- definitely one to check out.

Email Social Media, Yes Mail teams up with Share This

Scott

Taking a page from the P. Diddy playbook, Ben Stiller is combining his comedic talents with his public relations savvy and making a run at social media marketing powerhouse networks like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. With the kind of star power that lends itself to gaining lots of followers/ fans/ friends or viewers on any of those networks, he is having considerable success.

The great thing for Stiller as well is that he is a comedian, and that gives him the breadth of material and approach where he can do comedy or serious and it will work on social media marketing, as it will be something his current fanbase will respond to if it is comedy and it will only serve to expand his media presence if it is serious.

P. Diddy said that new stars need to know how to work a Facebook Fan Page, and Stiller is showing that current stars can do a lot with each of the two mediums. All of these social media marketing tools are networks that he can use to promote both his own personal brand of comedy or his production company- Red Hour. In fact, his twitter handle is @RedHourBen. Mashable wrote a great post highlighting a short video he did with Ryan Seacrest (or should I say, @ryanseacrest) where Stiller gets Seacrest to visit him with a false promise of talking about a movie idea and rather asks him, in that classic Stiller way, if he could maybe give @RedHourBen a “shout out” on Twitter- you know, just for fun, no biggie…

The rest is great Twitter comedy, keying on one of the core issues that will start to come up for anyone as they get more involved with social media- who do you promote with your presence? How do you ask someone else to promote you and what you do? And comedy is a great way to reveal that truth- there is no hard and fast rule as it is each person for themselves.

Just as social media marketing guidelines and best practices will continue to evolve, so will the way we interact with each other offline about our online presences- and that will only intensify with the rise of personal branding and the importance of an online presence in your offline work and reputation.

The most telling thing about Stiller’s presence on these networks is that he is there, he is doing it in conjunction with his production company, and he is transferring all of his Hollywood stardom and gusto to social media. It highlights, in fact, not that some people are doing it, but how few celebrities are still on these different networks.

Popular Media with Facebook Celebrities and Twitter Celebrities

Scott

Facebook marketing and Twitter Marketing are both compelling and innovative fields not only for those who do most of their work online, like bloggers and website administrators, but also for any company that wants to craft an innovative campaign. The southern U.S. fast food chain Krystal did a social media campaign in August as part of their new product launch for the Krystal Blitz.

Krystal is a 90 year old fast food chain and one of the largest in the U.S. They utilized Facebook marketing tactics to get people out to Krystal restaurants and trying their new product, the Krystal Blitz. It’s an energy drink sold frozen or “on the rocks.” With over 6,500 fans on their Facebook “Official Krystal Lover Community,” this campaign featured time-sensitive coupons that fans and twitter followers could follow a link to and download/print. The campaign has generated some good buzz in the social media world, and has gotten thousands of people out to try the Blitz.

Facebook Marketing – What Krystal did right!

1. Interaction:The Facebook Fan Page administrators have been very responsive to users/ customers on the Fan Page- when there have been coupons that didn’t work or problems with the links, someone from Krystal has been there to address the people who posted about it. Facebook marketing requires interaction, and Krystal got it right on.

2. Time-sensitive: Social media moves quickly and in order to stay relevant a company needs to have fresh content. In this case, Krystal made their coupons good for only limited periods, meaning, if a customer wanted to use it, they would need to go to the Page, download the coupon and then have only a set time to use it. This kept customers coming back- and for those who heard about the coupons, they knew that they needed to visit the Page frequently to catch the next offer. Nice.

3. PR: There are multiple articles about this campaign on networks like Brand Week, ensuring that not only do their customers know about the promotions, but the media, and more importantly, the social network media know about what they are doing. While PR itself is changing all the time, this is a great example of blending the two.

Facebook Marketing and Twitter Marketing for the Krystal Blitz

Scott

Facebook and Twitter are the two hottest social media and social networking services right now. Facebook is at 250,,000,000+ users and Twitter is at 10,000,000+. Both are constantly growing, attracting thousands of new users everyday. With the social media philosophy of going where the people are, celebrities on Facebook are going where their fans are and marketers are going where their consumers are. While the two networks both allow people to connect and communicate with their friends and meet new people, the similarities stop soon after that. And so do the ways that marketers use them.

Here are some of the key differences between Facebook marketing and Twitter marketing:

1. Paid Advertisements
Both services have tried different formats that allowed companies or marketers to purchase ad space.

Twitter Marketing: Paid advertising hasn’t been well received in the past- Magpie put ad tweets into personal streams and started a wave of unfollows. The IZEA network is looking to change that perception, using their extensive knowledge of how social media works to craft a new sponsored tweet program that respects the established etiquette of Twitter within its sponsorship options.

Facebook Marketing through paid advertisements is by now an entrenched part of the Facebook experience and generally well-accepted. Paid ads are on the side of the page and available on a Pay Per Click basis to anyone who is willing to pay. And they are generally regarded as a good way to gain fans on a Facebook Fan Page.

2. Groups

Twitter Marketing: There are no official groups on Twitter, but there are ways that groups and causes congregate- there are Twibes, or groups of like-minded twitterers, and there are #hashtags, which allow tweets from everyone to feed into the same stream on a Twitter search. Marketers do try to take advantage of the #hashtags by watching what gets popular and putting out unrelated tweets with their product or service link and the #hashtag, but again, this is considered a breach of twitter etiquette.

Facebook Marketing: Groups and Fan Pages are commonplace and count millions of members. Straight marketing or selling isn’t all that accepted unless it is the stated purpose of the group. Facebook Fan Pages for products are implicit marketing, though, and go a long way toward social media branding for better or worse for the brands and their products.

3. Messages

Twitter Marketing: This is the most prevalent way that tweeple are using to get their message out there- in twitter the message (tweet) can contain the marketing, or the marketing organically grow out of WHO ReTweets a message, depending on their Follower #s, or HOW MANY RT’s a message gets.

Facebook Marketing: Wall updates can serve as marketing messages, especially on Fan Pages that represent companies or products. Facebook also enables widgets, photos and videos, which can make any kind of marketing or promotion dynamic and even more effective, keeping people within the Page.
As each of the social networks evolve, so to will the marketing tactics, as well as what is acceptable. It will be interesting to see how much or what kind of marketing becomes acceptable in the future.

Facebook Marketing, Facebook Marketing vs. Twitter Marketing

Scott

Outsourced Program Management for Affiliate Marketing Consultant and Blogger Stephanie Lichtenstein from Andy Rodriguez Consulting

Tell me about your Company?
Andy Rodriguez Consulting specializes in Outsourced Program Management for 8 years. As program managers, we strive to work with ethical and booming merchant programs. The key to our business is to build lasting relationships. We have partnered with Internet Retailer 500 companies and hold several spots in the ShareASale Top 100 PowerRank.

What was your first experience of social media?
My first experience with social media was through MySpace. In those beginning stages, it was used to keep in touch with friends. MySpace did teach me basics on how to insert HTML code. Nowadays social media plays an important role in both my personal and professional life.

What is the biggest tip you would give to a newbie in social media?
Interact with others, that is the point of social media. I try to respond to any questions directed towards me or that grab my interest. To gain followers, share your expertise with others they will appreciate you for it.

What do advertisers do that you wish they wouldn’t?
I wish all advertisers would become better educated about the affiliate marketing industry. When they take the time to understand affiliate marketing, they gain the trust and proper elements to grow a successful program.

What do bloggers do that you wish they wouldn’t?
Bloggers do not add someone to your blogroll just because you want the favour returned. Instead add resources that compliment your blog and the link love will follow.

Where do you see growth in the social media field?
Social media can be leveraged on a small to large scale. Corporations, celebrities, politicians, small businesses, and individuals are changing the game mostly for the media. We no longer wait for the nightly news now we learn things as they happen.

Corporations can offer quick customer support like Whole Foods does by answering questions; not to mention this is a cost effective method and free press. Politicians can use this throughout their campaigns to keep followers informed on their stance, this worked wonders for Obama. Individuals can share their passions with others, I share my blog posts through social media. Locally, I have met my tech community thanks to social media connections and meetups.

There is growth in social media because it changes our pace of life. With that, comes new opportunities and responsibilities. Not only that but others are starting to realize how powerful this tool can be for them. Social media will continue to grow because it is an effective way to connect with people in real time.

What new ideas are advertisers coming up with to take advantage of new trends?
Advertisers are using social media to reach their target audience. They have all created overnight blogs, fan pages on Facebook and started tweeting to the world pardon me, Twitterverse. If they use social media in the right way this can help their brand loyalty. It is important that advertisers don’t try to be pushy with sales. They need to become a resource on their products or service. By sharing useful information they will build a solid following and this will bring them success.

What do you do to improve the world?
To improve the world, I would eliminate racism. I have two things on my life list that I feel strongly against and that is one of the two.

What do you do that is green?
I am proud to share that in college I helped start the recycling program. It is still active at Florida State University called “Garnet and Gold Goes Green.” It started as a project with my environmental science class but something I am very happy I was a part of. Nowadays I work at an online company, so thankfully we don’t drive much or waste paper.

What is one thing about you that not many people know?
In College, I started an intramural bowling team. I am not very good but my tactics are entertaining. Since I was the team captain, I decided I could bowl however I wanted and it was good fun.

What’s your favorite book?
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, if you YouTube the last lecture you will get chills.

What is on your iPod?
Incubus – Monuments and Melodies. My taste ranges from mellow music to hip hop to spanish rock, just don’t try to get me to listen to country.

What are your contact details (email, company, blog, facebook, myspace, forums, etc)?

Email: stephanie@andyrodriguez.com
Company: http://andyrodriguez.com/clients.html
Blog: http://stephanielichtenstein.com
Twitter: @StephARC
Facebook: http://facebook.com/stephanielichtenstein
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/stephanielichtenstein
ABW Forum: http://forum.abestweb.com/forumdisplay.php?f=81
ABW Name: Steph-ARC
AIM: Affiliatelady
Fight Against the Advertising Tax – Facebook Group!

What events do you go to?
Local tech and networking events, Affiliate Summit, Think Tank, and looking at adding other events like PubCon and AdTech. If you are attending Affiliate Summit in NYC I will be speaking on the Sunday panel: Getting Noticed FAST. I hope to meet you new faces then!

How do you prefer to communicate?
During work AIM is the easiest. If you need to reach me immediately sending me a DM on Twitter works. If you have something lengthly to ask then email would be best.

Who would you recommend, and why?

Lisa Picarille Lisa shares her thoughtful opinion on important industry matters.
Missy Ward Missy is dedicated in all she does and she is always an industry leader.
Scotty Jangro Scotty has been my mentor in the industry.
Shawn Collins Shawn’s daily affiliate tips are a must.
Trisha Lyn Trisha blogs with the most details on events and sessions it amazes me.
Gary Vaynerchuck Through his passion, Gary V is easily my favourite inspiration.
Jangro.com So nice he gets picked twice. Besides being my mentor he is an industry innovator.
Official ShareASale Blog ShareASale is the most ethical and excellent network out there.
Joe Sousa Joe helps me see things from an affiliate perspective.
http://thespew.fm/  women’s opinions on geeky stuff.
http://coffeecast.fm  two men rambling about their love of coffee.

What is one thing people can do for you?
Partnerships with my affiliates is most important. By creating relationships I learn which programs fit them the best and those partnerships end up being long term. It is a win-win for all. Everyday I look for opportunities to strengthen each partnership. If there is an affiliate that would have any questions for me, I would be more than happy to speak with them.

Outsourced Program Management for Affiliate Marketing Consultant and Blogger Stephanie Lichtenstein from Andy Rodriguez Consulting

Famous People on Twitter and Twitter Marketing Article Wins Blog Contest

Exciting news today: MurrayNewlands.com article “Famous People on Twitter and Twitter Marketing: What is the Effect?”won first prize in the CostPerNews.com Blog Entry Contest.

You can read the full “Famous People on Twitter and Twitter Marketing: What is the Effect?” article on CostPerNews.com.

It’s an honor for MurrayNewlands.com to be recognized for this perspective on the convergence of the social media and online marketing sectors. I am thrilled with this award, and even more excited about being part of the growing conversation around how Twitter is affecting the future of online marketing. I look forward to being part of the explosive online and social media growth in affiliate, online and social media marketing. It’s exciting to create a platform and a voice within this dynamic community.

MurrayNewlands.com views the current blog competition and the open call for interviews from professionals in the online marketing and social media industry as a way to host and contribute to the ongoing conversation about the future of online marketing.

Looking forward to talking with everyone out there in the future!

Famous People on Twitter and Twitter Marketing Article Wins Blog Contest

See also Famous people on Twitter and  Famous people on Facebook