Social Marketing Revolution

.Horowitz confirmed that Google plans to split off Hangouts and Photos as their own products separate from Google+. Horowitz will be in charge of Photos and "The Stream," which is what he called the social network part of G+ in his announcement.While Google Product

Marty Note
Excellent post by Mark that confirms G+ is changing but unlikely to be junked. As I heard Mark propose in a speaking engagement - use G+ as a powerful engine and you get views, conversations and a great free tool that works FOR your content not against it.

Social Media It's The Conversation, Stupid is about the new rules of branding being created by a social world.

Social Media It's The Conversation, Stupid is about the new rules of branding being created by a social world. If you aren't creating LOVE and winning hearts and minds online this Haiku Deck may help you join the revolution (in a good way). 

SMM Lessons From The Pit & The Food Bank
Poking fun at my @CrowdFunde cofounder Phil Buckley today I wrote a new caption for The Pit's Cuegrass photo. I noted that either Phil was holding court or Cuegrass was coming soon.

My "inside" joke with my partner Phil, former "Mayor" of The Pit BBQ in Raleigh, NC, IS THE MOST DISCUSSED CONTENT on my social nets today. Let that statement sink in for a minute.

What do you call it when someone blows up your Tweet? Answer: Social Media GOLD.

My "inner circle" social nets have about 12,000 followers. I share content from Scoop.it (daily shares with 2,300 followers @Martin (Marty) Smith ), G+ (2,896 followers share daily https://plus.google.com/u/0/+MartinWSmith/posts ),Twitter (@Scenttrail 4,200 followers share daily http://www.twitter.com/scenttrail ) and  Pinterest (4,929 followers post daily http://www.pinterest.com/scenttrail/ ) and the most shared post today is an "inside" joke with a handful of friends.

A handful of friends and some SMART social media marketers shared some great social media marketing lessons today!

The Pit, our favorite BBQ joint in downtown Raleigh immediately RTed my new caption of their photo with a supportive tag ("now that's a caption"). The Pit's RT prompted several Cuegrass, the event I wrote the new caption for, vendors to RT too.

This is the POWER of the recognized conversation.

The Pit could have been MAD I wrote a new caption for their Cuegrass event pic. Nope, too smart for that they provided encouragement and RTed demonstrating what Phil and I are working so hard to create at CrowdFunde - conversations RULE.

AND the more responsive, lean, funny and fun your social content is the more shares you achieve. The more shares you achieve the more awareness you gain. When I opened a new chapter on Cuegrass the Pit jumped on it. Now I see Phil got home and joined the conversation. Phil's nets are the size of mine so the Pit just picked up 20,000 potential followers or attendees at this year's Cuegrass (I still don't even know what it is lol). 

So, not only is the Pit the home of our favorite BBQ and Cuegrass, but today they've put their secret rub down long enough to share two important social marketing lessons:

* When someone is talking about YOU ENCOURAGE THEM.
* Encourage them IN Social Media so the "lesson' is immediately shared and "social kudos" points transfer. 

Duh, who knew. Actually LISTENING and being SOCIAL are important to social media marketing success. The Pit knew, several of their vendors know and the Food Bank knows (https://twitter.com/FoodBankCENC ). In Fact my "cool follow of the day" award goes to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina since they FOLLOWED ME!

Not giving them the award for following me as much as seeing a great conversation and jumping in with both feet. Every Twitter following that is only a tiny % of those following them could take a lesson from the Food Bank. You can't create relationships with people you don't follow.

And, as the Food Bank demonstrated, when you see a great conversation happening jump in, SHARE and FOLLOW. What do you call it when someone writes a new caption for your photo? Answer: User Generated Content GOLD and I hope you are as smart about what to do with SMM gold as the tribe that formed around my "inside joke" on The Pit's Cuegrass photo today.

And whatever Cuegrass is and whenever it is happening I hope it is as fun as the picture :). Marty

Connection, our human ability to listen, share and respond, is the new ecommerce. This Haiku Deck is in support of Marty Smith's Keynote talk at FedEx Connection Conference 7.30.14.

Social Media It's The Conversation, Stupid is about the new rules of branding being created by a social world.

UGC = Trusted, You...Not So Much
Love it when someone makes our +CrowdFunde points for us. This post, shared by +Phil Buckley, shows how Millennials trust #UGC  (User Generated Content) more than a website's marketing voice.

Duh, of course they trust #socialmediamarketing  and UGC since it is where they and their friends LIVE via their #smartphones . The CONVERSATION is the new means of mem transfer.

* Will be writing more about this for our blog
http://www.crowdfunde.com* 

"Meme transfer" sounds confusing and dense, but if you think of your products as content and #SMM  as a way to share your content then you are already engaged in "meme transfer". When an article like this one points out who the next generation trusts - their friends on social media - every #Internetmarketer should take notice.

We've not only taken notice we are building a tool to harvest UGC called+CrowdFunde. Good news is Millenials (and soon everyone else btw) trust User Generated Content (UGC). Bad news? Millennials trust UGC and your website doesn't have a way to ask for UGC, analyze it once you get it or take an action based on it. OUCH!

That ouch is why we are spending +Triangle StartUp Factory's money to create CrowdFunde :). Marty   

Love it when someone confirms our thinking
http://www.crowdfunde.com