CaliberPulse

Two recent op-ed pieces featured by Mashable presented opposing opinions on the value of LinkedIn’s relatively new endorsement feature. One article, written by Todd Wasserman, called it “meaningless,” while David Berkowitz’s rebuttal article argued that it is “…one of the best uses of game mechanics online...” So which is true?

Facebook, the world’s largest social network, achieved 1 billion users in September 2012. Why then, would anyone opt out of advertising with a company that has captured the attention of such a large percentage of the world’s population?

More often than not, we are able to understand and present both sides of an argument, allowing our audience to make their own decision about the correct path to follow. There are rare instances when the negatives of a certain topic grossly outweigh any perceived positives, making it difficult to present an unbiased debate. The policy of purchasing Twitter followers, in our opinion, is one such case.

With the continuous rise of technology and digital accessibility, the marketing industry has found itself in the heat of what could be called the ‘Gilded Age,’ for mobile marketing. What can be attributed to the massive increase in mobile ad spending and mobile device use? Accessibility, accessibility, accessibility! Marketers know their audience well. Generation C, those between the ages of 18-34, accounts for 23% of the population, and they thrive on connectivity 24/7. What better way to get your message in the hands of these connected consumers than through the medium that never leaves their hands in the first place?

Facebook changed their format for brand pages to the Timeline a week ago today. What do you think of it so far? Are you using it to your brand’s advantage? Some of the updates are behind the scenes, but most are featured on your page. We've pulled together a list of the top five changes to brand pages:

As we dive into refreshing our strategic toolkit this Autumn, we should consider our automated tools. A new study by Strategy Analytics found that tablet use currently accounts for 20 percent of weekly digital media consumption. It is estimated that 15.1 million tablets were sold during the second quarter of 2011 (18 percent of the total PC market). The study also found that the average user spends 1.5 hours per day browsing content and other communication-based apps, and more than 25 percent of all tablet usage is dedicated to web browsing and email.

I attended the BOLO 2010 conference organized by AgencySide. BOLO’s mission is to help agencies profit with new digital marketing technologies. I was as impressed by the attendees I met - mostly agency principals or management- as by the speakers and sessions that addressed many of the technologies our firm is now recommending to clients. The marketing and advertising industry will experience more change in the next 5 years than it has in the past 50 years. It is imperative to keep ahead of the changes while continuing to follow classic, solid business practices. Below are my top ten takeaways from the conference.

The holiday season brings a wave of ads and promotions. Messages about sales and new products or services to buy as the perfect gift are everywhere. Getting your company’s newest promotion noticed during this time of year can be a challenge but there are tools available to get your product noticed. Yelp’s newest Check-in Offers service is one of those tools. Similar to Foursquare, Yelp is allowing business owners to reward customers who repeatedly check-in to their location. This tool is ideal for retailers and restaurants this time of year. Read Yelp introduces ‘Check-in Offers’ to learn how this tools can be a way to increase your visibility.

Are you visible to your customers online? Here is a simple test to determine how well you stack up with a “universal search.” Type your company name into a search engine. Are you the master of your own domain? If not, it’s possible that it is difficult for your customers to find you, especially when they aren’t looking for your company directly, but maybe searching for a resource for a particular product or service. Let’s break down the various parts of a search results page to see where you can improve the visibility of your company and own your universal search.