With large national brands already taking advantage of YouTube as an advertising platform, small local businesses have struggled to use the immensely popular social site.  Those small businesses who have tried, have done so by creating low-budget videos to promote their products and services.  Thanks to YouTube’s newest initiative, they will now be able to better target their audience with these videos.

YouTube is positioning their new service as a low-cost alternative to the reach advertising might incur during the Super Bowl (a bit far fetched, we know).  The site does boast impressive numbers though.  According to a post from Google’s blog, “With a global audience of 800 million monthly visitors to YouTube, every day can feel like you’re advertising in the Super Bowl, and one video can launch a business.”  However, YouTube estimates that 48 hours of video are uploaded every minute, which is a daunting number for a small business trying to reach its audience.  YouTube hopes to help these small businesses break through the forest of videos featuring cats and laughing babies.

The key addition to YouTube’s advertising service is a new Google AdWords feature for videos.  This allows small businesses to bid on certain keywords that relate to their spots.  When users search anything including one of those key words, that company’s video will pop up in a specified ad category.  Advertisers will only pay for the videos that are actually watched, although it’s unclear how long the videos need to be viewed.

YouTube is using numerous tactics to promote this new feature.  To encourage trial of the new service, they are offering $50 million of free advertising to 500,000 companies and new users will receive $75 towards their advertising.  YouTube is also using hand-picking certain small businesses to act as ambassadors for the new service.

Interested in advertising your company on YouTube?  Contact us to get started.

Since Sean Parker’s Napster endeavor, he’s been trying to find a successful way for people to stream online music easily and legally.  Enter Parker’s Spotify, the social media optimized, extremely popular subscription-based streaming service.  The program allows people to listen to an extensive selection of music for a small monthly fee after a recently-extended 9 month free trial.  It began in Europe 4 years ago and debuted in the U.S. last summer.  It has since enjoyed massive success thanks to its library of 16 million songs and seamless integration with Facebook.

Spotify is revolutionizing how apps integrate with Facebook.  Everyone, even those without the app, can see exactly what friends are listening to on Facebook.  Users who have the app can share songs with their friends just by dragging and dropping a song into their friends inbox.  In addition to easy sharing, Spotify also allows those who are embarrassed by their occasional Backstreet Boys indulgence to choose what they want to share with their Facebook friends.  This app really caters to all types of social media users.  Those that want to share everything can, and others are able to keep their activities private.

Spotify also recently announced it will launch brand apps sometime next week.  These apps will allow brands to create their own playlists to reach their audience in innovative ways.  AT&T will have an app called “Surround Sounds.”  The app will plot songs on a map according to where they were recorded or performed.  This app will be particularly relevant to those interested in their local music scene.  Other brands that will launch apps include McDonald’s, Reebok, and Intel.  Not only will the apps enrich the platform, Spotify’s creators are hoping the new brand apps will attract advertising dollars to supplement the subscription-based revenue stream.

It’s exciting to see an application taking advantage of the inherently social world of music.  There are still a few kinks that have to be worked out.  Despite the seamless Facebook integration, some users have complained that it’s difficult to interact with friends that aren’t on the largest social network.  I would also like to see more Pandora-like features that recommend music or just automatically play similar artists and songs.  I don’t enjoy having to constantly choose what I’m going to listen to.

Have you hopped on the Spotify bandwagon?

Shocked reactions flew through the digital world yesterday when it was announced that Facebook had purchased Instagram for $1 Billion.  The mobile-app darling has grown exponentially over the past few years.  It now has over 30 million users and was named “App of the Year” by Apple in 2011.  The purchase was great for both Facebook and the small, revenue-lacking Instagram.  So why are people so shocked & upset about the purchase?  Well let’s lay out a few of the perspectives involved:

Why this is good for Facebook:

-  Instagram is much better for mobile photo sharing.  While the Facebook app requires users to move through 6 screens before they can take a picture, Instagram only has one.  About a year ago, Business Insider actually listed Instagram as Facebook’s Biggest Threat.

-  Facebook had been working on a new photo-sharing app.  Unfortunately, the mobile Facebook app is notoriously slow already.  Change wasn’t happening anytime soon.

-  Acquiring Instagram will help them solve this major issue of their past.  They just need to tread carefully so they don’t isolate Instagram’s current super-fans.

Why this is good for Instagram:

-  Although the small (6-12 person) company has been extremely successful, it hasn’t discovered any way to make money.  The $1 Billion purchase and the employees’ new status as Facebook employees will ensure the founders (& the company) have a future.

Why this is “bad” for Instagram enthusiasts:

-  Instagram has a distinctly hipster vibe to it.  You know, that’s where all those emotion-heavy, hyper-processed photos on your Facebook wall come from.  So in many people’s minds, Instagram sold their souls to Facebook for some fast cash.

-  Many are worried Instagram will be absorbed into the Facebook machine, rather than remaining an independent app.

-  Others are concerned that Facebook will use Instagram’s technology in a non-mobile app.  Much of the appeal of Instagram is that it is mobile-only– people take one photograph, edit it, and share it.  This contrasts sharply with how people use Facebook albums.

Despite many people’s worried reactions to the acquisition, Mark Zuckerberg has assured the masses that he is determined to grow Instagram independently.  Facebook is going to work with the Instagram team to make photo sharing more user-friendly, rather than just absorbing the successful company into the Facebook machine.

How do you feel about Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram?

With today’s record $540 Million Mega Millions jackpot at stake, the web is blowing up with anticipation.  People are posting, tweeting, and blogging about buying tickets and what they would do with the massive sum. Even though the odds of winning are about 1 in 176 Million, it’s hard not to get swept up in the excitement of possibility.

The topic “mega millions” was the 3rd highest trending topic on Google yesterday (behind Anchorman 2 and Earl Scruggs).  “Mega Millions” and #IfIWonTheMegaMillions have also been some of the top 10 trending topics on Twitter since Wednesday.

Here are some good tweets about the jackpot from around the web:

Did you buy tickets for the Mega Millions Jackpot?  What would you do if you won?

“May the odds be ever in your favor.”

Happy Hunger Games!  In case you’ve been living under a rock, today’s the release of Gary Ross’s The Hunger Games, the first film in a trilogy based off Suzanne Collin’s best-selling young-adult novels.  Not only has everybody and their mother heard about it somehow this past week, the film has sold the most advanced tickets on Fandango ever and has grossed an estimated $30 Million from its midnight screenings alone.  This amazing success is thanks to both the books’ popularity and the film’s promotion efforts on social media.

The Hunger Games is the story of Katniss Everdeen, a young woman living in a dystopian world that was once North America, now called Panem.  Every year in Panem, each of the 12 “districts” sends one female and male teenager to compete in the “Hunger Games”– a televised, gladiator-style, fight to the death, meant to entertain Panem’s Capitol district.  This stuff sounds crazy, but I promise you, it’s riveting.

Numerous social media outlets were used to promote the film.  13 Facebook pages were created, one for the Hunger Games and 12 others to represent the 12 districts.  Fans could compete to become the mayor of a district, share photos, and vote in various contests.  The campaign also features a Twitter account for the film and an account for the Capitol, Tumblr, Google+, a “Capitol Couture” blog,  and a YouTube account.  There’s even an iPhone app!

When comparing this with Twilight, Breaking Dawn, Part 1 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, The Hunger Games defiantly competes.  A Mashable article estimates that the social media buzz for The Hunger Games has been greater than Harry Potter, but less than Twilight.  However, this statistic shows how social media buzz is not necessarily a predictor of ticket sales or film quality.  The final Harry Potter will still hold the record for midnight sales ($43.5 Million) for a very long time.  And no matter how sexy Robert Pattinson is, the film was still slammed by critics.  Here’s an infographic that breaks it all down:

To touch on a slightly different type of “social media,” the film currently has an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a site that collects expert and amateur film critics’ reviews from all over the world.  That rating means that 86% of critics gave The Hunger Games a positive review.  To put things in perspective, that’s a higher rating than 4 of this year’s Best Picture nominations.  Boom.

The social media efforts continued last night, as die-hard fans shouted their excitement for the midnight (or 3am) premiere of the film all over the web.  The primary Facebook page collected photos of those that dressed up in capitol costumes or any of the other characters.

As someone who was extremely disappointed that all of the nearby midnight screenings were sold out last night, I advise you to go see it.  It’s gonna be sweet.

What other movies have used social media to leverage their release?  Have you seen The Hunger Games yet?

The new Facebook Timeline caused quite a stir when it was introduced to the average Facebook user.  This confusion, trepidation and excitement has only multiplied when introduced to brand pages.  Worried about all the new changes?  Check out this overview of the most important features associated with Facebook’s new Timeline for pages.

Cover & Profile Photos

The introduction of the cover photo is probably the most important change in Facebook’s Timeline profile.  The cover photo can be anything you want, provided it does not contain any explicit calls-to-action or promotional messages.  Instead, Facebook encourages brands to be creative with their cover photos.  Keep in mind, they should be 850 x 315 pixels.

Your profile photo is now a much smaller, 180 pixel square representing your brand.  Most brands use their logo as their profile photo.  However, there are many other other creative ways to use make it interact with your cover photo.

Your Brand’s Story

Because the layout is an actual timeline, you now have the ability to tell your brand’s story like never before.  You can go back in your brand’s history and add important dates, such as when your first store opened or when an exciting review occurred.  You also have the ability to give certain posts greater visibility on your timeline, while deleting or minimizing  less exciting posts.

Campaigns

The Facebook Timeline now allows brand pages to “Pin” a post to the top of their timeline for up to seven days.  This feature is ideal for promoting campaigns or in-store offers.  This is also great because the pinned post can be viewed by both fans and non-fans.

Apps

Your App tabs are now much larger and allow you to upload any photo you want to represent them.  Only the first four Apps are shown on your profile page, so be sure to arrange them in the order that best promotes your brand. For instance, if your number of Likes is on the lower side, you can opt to move it further down in the line-up. Fans can still see all of your Apps if they click on the drop-down menu.

Friend Activity & “Liking” Pages

The new Timeline profile allows fans to interact with your brand like never before.  Now, when people visit your page, they can see how many of their friends “Like” your brand and what they are saying about it.  Any interactions with brands now also shows up on personal Timelines.

How have you leveraged the new Facebook Timeline for your brand?  Think you have a great brand Timeline page?  Send us a link to your page!

Have more questions on the new features? Tweet us @socialinkmedia!

Everyone likes free stuff, right?  Lucky for you, companies are now giving away freebies all the time online through social media!  Some companies rely on large giveaways like dream vacations, thousands of dollars, or cars.  Others opt for smaller, more frequent prizes to encourage fans to try new products and keep up with their social media activities.

One company that is famous for giving away small prizes on a regular basis is the Minnesota-based Punch Pizza.  They seem to be giving away free pizzas for every reason imaginable.  Member of a gym?  Free pizza!  Have a canned good?  Free pizza!  Buying a beer?  Free pizza!  You get the point.  Another company trying their hand at this is Kraft Mac & Cheese, with a unique Twitter-based campaign where consumers can win free boxes of macaroni.

The more grand giveaways stimulate buzz and interaction on social media.  To celebrate the 30th aniversary of their AAdvantage program, American Airlines ran a campaign on Twitter that gave fans the chance to win 30K miles.  The campaign was wildly successful and the lucky person who won will remain a American Airlines fan for life.

If you’re interested in winning some free goodies, here are some giveaways that are currently taking place:

-  Judith Rika, a high-end jewelry designer based out of New York City, is giving away a $50,000 Gift Card. Plus every person who enters automatically receives a $100 Gift Card.

-  Sun Country Airlines, Lexus, and Minneapolis-based Continental Diamond have partnered in a Luxury Giveaway.  Prizes include a luxury vacation and a $1000 Gift Card to Continental Diamond.

-  Peeps & Company is running their Ultimate Easter Basket Giveaway to celebrate the spring.  One person will win a $500 gift card and $500 dollars worth of candy.  Wow– now that’s a sugar high.

Good luck!  Are there any other giveaways that you know of?  Have you ever won a social media contest?

Last week, Facebook announced the launch of its Timeline feature for Brand Pages. The SociaLink office was buzzing with excitement all day as we  brainstormed the amazing ways we could help our clients through the transition. Kindly, Facebook has allowed Page admins to experiment with the new layout in a Preview Mode before publishing their new page. Come March 31, however, Timeline goes live for all. We’ll be providing a How-To piece coming up, but for now, we thought we’d highlight a few shining examples we can all learn from.

1. New York Times

At its very core, Facebook Timeline is just that- a timeline. For a company like the New York Times, dating back to the 1850s, that unleashes a ton of possibilities. The iconic newspaper has taken the new Facebook layout as an avenue to promote its role during pivotal moments in history. They showcase behind the scenes photos from unforgettable news events like the one pictured above. Go back as far as the 1800s and you’ll even find company milestones. My personal favorite is 1861 introduction of the Sunday paper to satisfy the public’s desire for more coverage during the Civil War. Explore it yourself here.

2. Red Bull

While most brands are using the Timeline in a literal way to display key milestones in their company’s history, Red Bull has gone the extra mile. Almost immediately following the announcement, they launched a complex scavenger hunt prompting users to explore their Timeline. The Red Bull Timeline Timewarp was a pinned post, meaning it stayed at the top of their page for a full 7 days. With the lure of some “serious prizes,” they sent their fans on a wild Facebook goose chase with the initial instruction, “travel back to the day the first Red Bull was sold.” The complexity of the clues steadily increased, engaging users with apps like Spotify, past status updates, photos and videos. Read more here.

3. Romney Record

Perhaps the most innovative Timeline we’ve seen so far was that made by Newt Gingrich’s campaign team to disparage Mitt Romney’s political platform. Their Romney Record Timeline made a massive media splash today. Following the politician’s career over several decades, they call out Romney’s past quotes, videos and voting records in an attempt to portray him as a liberal-leaning conservative. Obama’s revolutionary social media tactics served him well in 2008, but Timeline is opening up a whole new forum for aggressive campaign managers. Stay tuned.

What do you think of these Timeline pioneers?

Stay tuned for our upcoming blog with tips and tricks for making the most of your own Page Timeline.

With Yelp’s IPO being released today, many people are wondering if it’s worth it to invest in the company.  Many people use it to find the best restaurants, bars, personal trainers, and dentists in town.  Personally, I’m a Yelp fanatic.  The thought of going to a new, hip restaurant without reading Yelp reviews first is unthinkable.  How else would I know to try that obscure item on the menu that I would never normally order?  Trying to convince me to go somewhere with less than 3 stars?  Forget it- it’s not gonna happen.

Yelp is a review site that allows anyone to give local businesses a star rating and detailed review.  Although people can write reviews for any type of business, restaurant and bar reviews are by far the most popular.  The site syncs with Facebook and users can read and write reviews, bookmark businesses, create a profile, and discover local events.  The site currently has 22 million reviews, 61 million monthly unique visitors and 529,000 business pages.  It also has a great mobile app where you can check into locations, search for places nearby, and make reservations.

Yelp is great for local businesses, at least those with great reviews.  Businesses with high ratings are often promoted on the site and search filters like “Highest Rated” bring great places to the surface.  Although businesses can set up a free account to upload photos and respond to customers, they are not allowed to pay for positive reviews, repeat positive reviews, or take down negative reviews (unless the post is deemed excessively inappropriate).  Yelp also closely monitors its reviews so no obviously-created-by-the-business-owner reviews creep up.

Despite Yelp’s immense popularity, they have yet to turn a profit.  The site currently makes money by selling advertising to local businesses.  However, this is especially difficult for a site like this.  Businesses with high ratings think they have all the advertising they need, and those with poor ratings may not feel so warmly towards the friendly Yelp Salesman.  In order to attract investors, Yelp has released a business plan that includes incorporating a Groupon-like program in their site.

So, what do you think?  Is it worth it to by a piece of Yelp?

With graduation quickly approaching for many college graduates, the search for a real job is starting in earnest.  It used to be that you could find a job in the paper or hear about it from friends.  But with “social media” being the prettiest little buzzword around, job hunting is now much more complicated.

Everyone knows about the standard online job hunting sites like Monster, Indeed, and Craigslist.  But how can potential employees use other, more “social” sites to leverage their job hunt?  The most obvious social network for people to use is LinkedIn.  There you can network, find out how people got their jobs, and follow companies to stay up to date on job postings.  However, another more unexpected job hunting tool is Twitter.

Here are a few ways you can use Twitter to maximize your job search:

-  Create your professional persona.  Although it may be tempting to just use Twitter to upload quirky Instagram photos, keep in mind that potential employers will be checking out your feed.  This is a great opportunity to position yourself as an expert in your field.  Retweet interesting articles and share your own expert opinion.  Employers love seeing that you’re actually interested in the field you’re pursuing.

-  Network with companies and professionals.  This is one media where it’s not creepy to follow and interact with people you don’t know.  Use this to your advantage.  Mention employees and recruiters who work at your dream company.  They just may respond.  Looking for a job in social media?

-  Ask for a job.  Don’t be afraid to ask a company if they’re hiring.  Even if they’re not hiring at that time, they’ll remember your initiative.  If you come across your dream job posting or company, you can also create a Twitter campaign to get hired.  This guy, Eric Romer, created a branded Twitter page, website, and YouTube account and landed his dream career at HeadBlade.

Besides LinkedIn and Twitter, there are many other niche networking sites that can help you land a job.  Also, a recent study revealed that your Facebook page can tell your potential employers a lot about how you’ll do as an employee.

When job hunting, remember to keep your more personal social media accounts clean and private.  You don’t want to lose your opportunity at a dream job because of that drunken pirate picture.

Happy Hunting!  How have you used Twitter or other social networks to find a job?