Websites crucial to CPG brands: report
Major CPG brands spend eye-popping sums of money every year across multiple channels trying to convince consumers to buy their products when they walk into the supermarket.
When it comes to how that money is spent, you're probably more likely to think about high-profile television campaigns than you are to, say, websites. After all, a funny television ad for a cereal probably seems more appealing than a cereal website.
Twitter set to roll out enhanced brand pages
In the world of social media, many brands are doubling down on their investments. And when it comes to those investments, much is being focused on a few popular services.
One of those popular services: Twitter.
Twitter launches self-serve ads
Twitter's strategy around monetization can be summed up in three words: "take it slow."
Thanks to hundreds of millions of dollars in funding, Twitter has been able to do something many digital media upstarts can't: explore new ad models at what often seems like a snail's pace, working primarily with a select number of brand advertisers and agencies.
Facebook Pages deliver paltry CTRs: report
For major brands, Facebook Pages have become increasingly important. In an effort to be 'liked', many brands are promoting their Facebook URLs in television and print ad campaigns, and are enticing users with coupons and other promotions.
But those investing significant amounts of time and money into creating 'engagement' on their Facebook Pages might want to consider what they're getting in return.
That's because according to a study of 84,000 links posted across more than 5,500 Facebook Page operators in October conducted by Edge Rank Checker, Pages with more than 100,000 fans deliver a paltry CTR of 0.14%.
Google+ Pages: what you need to know
If Google+ is ever going to compete with Facebook, it's clear that Google will need to attract brands and celebrities to its social network.
After all, brands and celebrities have become a fixture on Facebook, with some racking up millions of fans.
Perhaps wisely, Google launched Google+ with a focus on individuals. The logic seems sensible: to build a social network in which individuals can connect with brands and celebrities, you need individuals.
Those individuals, of course, aren't interested exclusively in liking Coca-Cola or posting messages on Lady Gaga's wall; they primarily want to interact with real people.
On Facebook, the most liked get richer
In the past, some search industry observers have suggested that Google has increasingly favored brands in its SERPs.
Supporting the arguments that Google has a brand bias were quotes like those made by Eric Schmidt, Google's now-former CEO, who once stated that the internet was becoming a "cesspool" and that "brands are how you sort out the cesspool".
10 sure fire ways brands can annoy fans and followers
When you work with brands using channels like Facebook and Twitter on a daily basis, you become very familiar with some of the pitfalls companies can fall into - and what results they seem to generate.
I've never been one of those people who likes to kick-up a stink when a brand makes a mistake but I like to keep a close eye on what trends seem to annoy customers most, if only to learn from them for the future.
As well as my own experience, I decided to do a bit of amateur research this week. I asked people to reveal what they find most annoying about brand behaviour on social media platforms, with a particular focus on Facebook and Twitter. Below is the culmination of that research.
Buying bloggers: when will brands come to their senses?
The cozy relationships brands have forged with bloggers have been controversial from the start.
Are marketing and PR initiatives that target bloggers smart strategy, or are they little more than a flawed "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" approach to social media?
The concerns over the latter have been so great that government agencies have scrutinized how brands work with bloggers, and how those bloggers promote those brands to their readers.
Why brands are key to Facebook's success
There has been much written and discussed in the last few weeks about Google+, Facebook and a desire (often more than a reality) for a rivalry between the two.
The truth is that they are very different: one is an intelligent, network-based sharing-and-discussing tool and the other is collection of different tools that users pick and choose from to curate their own experience. These tools become important to the success and survival of Facebook as does every brand that creates a reason for people to use Facebook.
As Facebook grows, ad prices continue to rise
Facebook may or may not have some tough competition in the not-too-distant future, but right now, Facebook is at the top of many brands' lists when it comes to digital marketing initiatives.
Increasingly, that's proving to be a double-edged sword.
