When it comes to social branding, there is none better than Gary Vaynerchuk.  Gary has build one of the largest followings on the web and he continues to gain new fans everyday.  For people that are not firmilar with Gary, he is a wine enthusiast…to say the least, social media evangelist, writer of the book Crush It, and chairman of the popular wine social network site, Cork’d. I felt that Gary would be a great case study to see excellent social media marketing in action.  Let’s take a look at all of the social sites and profiles that Gary engages with. Gary Vaynerchuk, Personal...

Social media has really changed the way brands are connecting with their customers.  More and more companies are starting to realize the value of social media and are quickly adapting this new form of communication.  However in order to have a successful social media strategy, it is important to have an internal culture that is ready to accept and learn. Best Buy has been a brand at the forefront of social media, using blogs, social networking tools, forums, and video to build brand awareness and keep consumers up-to-date with Best Buy news. Let’s take a look at all of the different social...

Google just announced Google Buzz, allowing you to share photos, videos, and updates in gmail with existing friends you already have made.  You have the option of sharing things with the world or specific friends.  Easily connect with social sites you use like Picasa, Twitter, Google Reader and Flickr.  People can comment on your post and have them automatically sent to your inbox. Here are some of the great features that come with Google BuzzNo Setup Required Share Publicly or Privately Inbox Integration Photo and Video Friendly Connect With Sites You Already Use Real-Time UpdatesThis...

I have been addicted to Digg for over three years…active for two… and in SEM for a little over one.  Each phase of my relationship with the site has yielded a different return.  I am just like every serious Digg user. I am a click-happy, instant-gratitude seeking tech-nerd who shares an affinity toward bacon. I have had the pleasure of submitting and helping several articles rise to the front page of Digg.  It is strangely satisfying to occupy that coveted real-estate. In fact, it is so satisfying for some that at one time the top 100 Digg users were submitting over 50% of the articles...

Lauren Varges, Community Manager at Radian6, was nice enough to take time and lend her expertise and insights into questions regarding social media and online reputation management.  For many businesses owners out there, I’m sure you have wondered how you can get started with social media and how it can help your business. Well Lauren gives some useful information you can apply into creating your social media strategy. Are there certain types of companies that could benefit from social media more than others? Any organization has the potential to benefit from social media if their culture...

Recently I wrote a post on how much knowledge a client should have, but along with knowledge also comes responsibility.  For any internet marketing agency to work well with their clients, there must be a mutual understanding of the overall strategy, and most importantly the execution.  Regardless of how effective the strategy may seem, if everyone is not working together to execute the strategy, it will fail.  Some clients may be under the impression that once they hire an agency, that all of their problems are solved and that the responsibilities solely lie on them.    This is far from the...

With all of the new communication tools and technology being introduced, the way that companies handle customer service has been transformed into a more effective and efficient manner.  Users want to be able to receive real-time support and have multiple options to contact a company.  So in order to meet the demands of customers, you need to be able to adapt and embrace these new forms of communication. Here are some examples of how companies are using Web 2.0 and Social Media to increase their level of customer support. Customer Service using TwitterMost people would think this is a bad...

Blogs and websites in all industries have been trying new ways of making their sites more social.  Adding Tweetmeme icons, social bookmarking buttons, and RSS feeds are just a few ways sites are making their content more sharable. Social Media Toolbar Examples Mashable A simplistic approach, is the toolbar that Mashable uses on their site.  You can share content by clicking the “share page” button, which will allow you to share with Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo, E-Mail or IM. There is also a Meebo integration which will allow you to chat with friends that are on Meebo, AIM, or Facebook...

With social media having a huge impact on brand marketing and online reputation, I thought it would be a good opportunity to ask Michael Fraiette, the Community Manager and Chieft Listener at Filterbox,  a few questions that I’m sure are on the minds of anyone looking to start a social media strategy. 1.  What are some of the biggest challenges when dealing with negative reviews? Well, I’d say the biggest challenge is to win the customer back, but I do not believe that is extremely difficult.  If you are honest and genuinely try to help them out, they will respect you for listening...

Brand and online reputation management has become a growing concern for a lot of companies because of the multiple ways people can interact with each other online.  People now are communicating via blogs, forums, discussion boards, wikis, Q&A, and video sites.  With the unless number of social content sharing sites out there, it can be hard to manage what people are saying about you and your brand.  That is why there are a number of social media monitoring tools out there that will allow you to hear what people are saying, help you interact with these people, and analyze trends. Here is...