social media | Bottom of the Food Chain

Moms — Online and Off

May 14, 2012 Leave a comment

I feel it’s appropriate, as we redefine the definition of “marriage”, that on Mother’s Day we recognize that the extended definition of what a mother is today. After all, the methods of conception and delivery are more varied than in the past. And children are more frequently raised by people other than their birth mother.

Mother’s Day reminds us that mothers come in all shapes, sizes and circumstances. Whether they are birth mothers, step-mothers, foster mothers, grand-mothers who are raising another generation, godmothers, savvy aunties, big sisters, guardians, mentors and more. Mothering is a skill set both learned and earned. Being a mother comes by chance to some, by choice to others.

Regardless, how do moms spend their time online? According to NeilsenWire.com (see accompanying infographic) their experience can be summed up in three words: Facebook; Twitter and blogs. In March 2012, 3 out of 4 moms visited Facebook; and 1 of 7 visited Twitter and 2 out of 5 visited blogging platforms (Blogger; WordPress and Tumblr). ‘Mommy Bloggers’ are a force representing about 1/3 of all bloggers.

Fact: The Census bureau estimates that there are 85.4 million mothers in the U.S. If she were alive today, the founder of Mother’s Day would not be among them.

Anna Jarvis never had children. She organized the first Mother’s Day as tribute to her mother in Grafton, W.Va. and Philadelphia in 1908 and later petitioned Congress to create the national holiday in 1914. It didn’t take long, however, for Jarvis to hate the very day she created due to over-commercialism.

So, let’s remove the restrictions on how we view Mother’s Day, and mothers as well. Celebrate all the women who help mold us into the people we are, and let’s do so every day of the year.

Filed under holidays, social media Tagged with Anna Jarvis, facebook, Mother, Mother's Day, Twitter

Very Pinteresting, Why Facebook Paid $1 Billion For Instagram

April 10, 2012 Leave a comment

In advance of its much ballyhooed IPO, Facebook, which historically made acquisitions of $100 million or less, bought Instagram for cash and stock approximating $1 billion. The photo sharing mobile app, launched less than two years ago, was valued at $20 million in February 2011 and $500 million as recently as last week (based upon investor funding).

So, why pay $1 billion for it and why now? Five reasons:

Platform. Instagram is a mobile app, and mobile represents the biggest upside for future marketing and commerce. Facebook needs more mobile features.
Graphics. Pictures and images rule the day online. They’re compelling content that conveys the you-are-there experience with one-click satisfaction, and then love to share.
Category killer. In two short years, it is by far the best known and most widely used mobile photo app. Go ahead, name two others (I’ll wait).
Accelerated growth — and poised for more. Instagram launched on October 6, 2010. Two months later in December it had 1 million users. By September 2011 it grew to 10 million users, and now boasts 30 million users. And that’s with it being an iPhone only app until a few weeks ago. When its Android operating system version was finally released April 3rd of this year, it was downloaded over 1 million times in the first 12 hours. Android users effectively doubles the potential user pool. And all of this was before the hype and buzz associated with its acquisition.
Pinterest — or, why Instagram was worth a billion bucks to Facebook. Also launched two years ago, Pinterest is likewise driven by graphics, allowing users to pin their favorites to collection boards with sharing via social nets. Like Facebook, Pinterest has a “like” function and users can comment on content. True, Instagram features user-generated photos while Pinterest links to graphics linked to the Web, but here’s why that will change. Read more of this post

Filed under did you see that?, facebook, social media, social media marketing, web2.0 Tagged with Android, facebook, Instagram, iPhone, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter

Ten Free Marketing White Papers

March 28, 2012 Leave a comment

There’s a lot of information out there regarding social media marketing. So much so that half the battle of keeping up to date is just finding where they are hiding on the Web. And so, when I come across a compilation that looks promising I’m compelled to do that most basic social media action: share.

The below message was sent out by Mike Crosson a fellow member of the Social Media Marketing group on LinkedIn. He encouraged all to share, and so here it is (Thanks Mike!):

Group: Social Media Marketing

Subject: 10 complimentary White Papers… whaHOOO!

Hello, everyone –
Here are 10 free White Papers that are really helpful. Feel free to pass this email along to your colleagues and friends that you think might be interested as well.

1.) Pinterest – Learn how to increase traffic, leads and sales by reaching more than 11 million people
http://bit.ly/GGdZQe
The fastest-growing social media site ever has become a huge traffic referral (arguably, more powerful than Google+) for all businesses. An increasing number of companies are leveraging the platform to reach a new audience, increase visits to their websites, and generate leads or retail sales. And guess what? It’s working.

2.) Learning LinkedIn From the Experts: How to Build a Powerful Business Presence on LinkedIn
http://bit.ly/GElwgy
In Learning LinkedIn from the Experts, five LinkedIn specialists provide key insight into how you can use LinkedIn to successfully grow your network and business.

3.) How to Create Epic Facebook Ads
http://bit.ly/GExOvB
Placing ads on Facebook provides one of the most targeted advertising opportunities today. The social network knows the demographics and interests of more than 800 million people who are active online. Written by Andrea Vahl, co-author of Facebook Marketing All-in-One For Dummies, this ebook will walk you step-by-step through the nuances of Facebook ads.

4.) How to Use Google+ For Business
http://bit.ly/GFqmPU
Google+ is the new social network on the block. With more than 90 million users and a growing influence on search, Google+ has definitely emerged as a key player in online marketing.

5.) The Ultimate How-to Marketing Guide
http://bit.ly/GFAELr
How do you get a comprehensive view of the important ones and prioritize accordingly? To ensure your proficiency in Internet marketing, we’ve designed this multimedia ebook which, as David Meerman Scott says, “identifies nuggets of inspiration to drive success at your business.”

The next five after the jump: Read more of this post