Guest Post

Social Media Viewpoints from “Across the Pond”

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Many of my regular readers know that after a year-and-a-half blogging about Social Media, this past summer I began to publish  DRIVING MISS SHARI to “profit” from a recent accident which lost me my driving privileges for 55 days and “Become Rich & Famous on the Web.”

Right at the beginning of that process, I met Mike Maynard, the wittiest British writer in the world. And now Mike has his own blog-within-my-blog. Today Mike offered some sage Social Media Marketing tips, so I’ve included them here.
BTW, Mike has a clone, so he uses the keyword “Sierra Oscar” to let us know it’s actually him — and not the clone

In which Mike Maynard advises us on his horoscope AND Social Media Marketing strategies

Sierra Oscar it is me…

My horoscope for today:

As the Moon moves into your sign you can now ask the Universe to grant some of your more interesting wishes. If there is anything you want and you have had trouble getting it, try today and you may be surprised when it finally comes your way. Overall your luck holds, especially if you have a brilliant idea that needs funding. Go for it. You might just get it Aquarius!

Thank God for that. My Chinese horoscope predicts a winter of depression. I am promised some interesting Chinese rice recipes later. I can’t write about rice because my interest is related to something pertaining to that reference was scatological! 🙂

This will interest you as no one else appears to commenting:

The rise of social media has added to the promotional element of the marketing mix. Marketeers now have an additional communication opportunity to attract and retain targeted consumers often relatively inexpensively.

Social media can be used by marketeers to create awareness about products, news, and other business related issues, it can be utilised to lift the profile of a campaign and change the perception of a brand.

As brand loyalty is becoming increasingly fragmented and often easily lost, social media offers a further opportunity to build a relationship with consumers as it should encourage online discussion where users are able to exchange views and gain further information from what the user considers to be a trustworthy source. It could be said that as well as increasing brand loyalty, social media gives marketeers the ideal opportunity to gain opinion from today’s youth which has always been seen as the most difficult target audience to reach.

Studies have shown significant increases in sales via social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and Myspace. Although measurement of the social media element of a campaign is difficult it can be argued that qualitative information gained from consumers online comments will give an immediate indication as to the success of any campaign.

Social media is still in its infancy and developments such as the iphone places application for facebook continue to provide further opportunities for marketers to communicate with their target audience virtually at a personal level.

Marketeers should take full advantage and add social media to any marketing campaign. Social Media is King right now, and everybody should be involved.

That was apparently written by a local marketing “expert.”

This was also written by an “expert”:

To put the power of social media into perspective, computer giant Dell generated around $6.5m of revenue through its use of social networking site Twitter alone last year. The company currently has 1.5 million followers. This shows how integral social media can be to a brand’s marketing strategy.

It sounds good and so why did I laugh?

I looked at his ‘corporate’ Facebook page. I copied this:

3 people like this.

Up to 3 already! WoW… Expert…

The page couldn’t be more boring. People are also posting sarcastic comments (no I didn’t but it was tempting).

Stay out of social media unless you understand it…

Pay me and Shari for advice… I do this side of the pond where the frogs are…

Today’s effort is here:
http://sharisax.com/DrivingMissShari/2010/09/guest-blogger-mike-maynard-wit-farmville-strategies/#comment-643

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6 thoughts on “Social Media Viewpoints from “Across the Pond””

  2. Interesting insights indeed. Being in the training industry you and I are in, we come across all these “experts,” and “gurus.” All self-proclaimed of course, but then you go look at their following and they have no one.

    As social media professionals, and students of the game ourselves, the old adverb “those who can’t do teach” is not acceptable.

    Too many people are out there wasting other peoples’ money by misleading them since they jumped on the bandwagon.

    Thanks for sharing. Have a great day!

    Joe

    2. Joe, I guess the old cliche “Great Minds Think Alike” can be applied here.
      🙂
      I suspect one key universal acknowledgement must be that things are changing so quickly that NO ONE has all the answers. But we can all keep learning and sharing and collaborating and creating this totally New World of Communication and Cooperation. Thanks for checking in.

  3. HERE’S JUST ONE OF MIKE’S PREVIOUS BLOG POSTS ON “SOD’S LAW”:

    Sod all, follows… Sierra Oscar

    I’ll start with the Chinese astrology that appears to be reasonably accurate: the first week in November looks interesting. I’ll check my Lottery numbers on the first day of the third quarter of the Chinese New Year. I bet Christmas comes up in conversation when you spend time with your family on the 10th of November.

    I have two etymologies for Sod off and Sod’s law. It appears something to do with sodomite and the bible. The version I heard, though, is a sod is a piece of turf. Now if the grass has peat underneath and the farmer goes to the bog to dig the peat, these are sods. Peat absorbs water and if he plans to go sod digging then it’s sod’s law it will rain that morning and the sods will absorb a gallon of water and be 10 lb heavier and take longer to dry out. They are also a sod to dig up when they are sodden with rain.

    Incidentally, after the farmer has dried them out they will burn slowly on the fire; they are used as fuel; but peat is also used as a high grade compost for seeds and things. If you interrupt the farmer while he is digging his sods he will probably tell you to sod off and you’ll get sod all from him. That’s sods law; if it can happen, it probably will. Sod’s law is similar to Murphy’s law, perhaps less Irish…

    My cheque…

    Now this is interesting. When I was first on the internet, a website offered me 1,000 free shares in its company and 1,000 free for everyone I introduced. I got the 1,000 free shares and didn’t get another 1,000 when I introduced someone. The 1,000 free shares over the years have been subject to share swaps are are now 11 shares worth about £12. I collected points, when they send me an email I click a link and get 5 points for reading an advert. Sometimes I use their site when I buy something. I got points when I bought my last computer. I got a discount and points when I bought the 1Tb Seagate hard drive; that was a good move. I got the free Muvee software with the hard drive too and that launched my new career in the movies… Anyway, 5 points here and there and extra when I actually spend money mounts up and for 1,500 points I get £10. Fast forward 10 years from the year 2000 to 2010 and I have £100 and I claim my cash – it took a while to get here – but I have a cheque for £100! £60 = $100 US.

    The moral of this story is when you’re frugal and accept shares worth just a £1.00 you never know where it may lead, one day you could be a movie producer…

    I used to have seizures when I was trying to sleep. I found out if I stayed in for the evening I had seizures; if I went to the pub – I was OK. It was stress, stay in get nagged; go out get sozzled… I didn’t go to bed sober for a while and I was cured. I don’t drink now; but I’m not nagged either… I had a seizure in hospital they sent me for a brain scan – I have one…

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