Original Content, Emotional Connections and Great Experiences

Co-Creating the story with truly original content and  emotional connections…

Each of the following images offer examples of original content. Within each example, the potential for marketers to co-create wonderful social media experiences is extraordinary. Communication will move across social platforms effortlessly, but people will have social filters in place, to remove the noise, and to ensure they don’t miss the moments that matter most.

Metwit | Real-time weather from real-peoplePinterest | The level of Disney related pins continues to grow

YouTube | Personal brands are accountable for the greatest volume of video views and sharing.  Discovery is so exciting and a key trigger of emotional sharing.

72 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute [YouTube]

The future of social media will be motivated by original content, our curiosity and the excitement of discovery. We will filter for relevance, invest with privacy and share only the content that we have emotional connections to.

With social filters in place, traditional digital ad strategy will not work, and ideal connections will not be due to chance, or smart re-targeting. Brands must learn the importance of responding to the content that we think is great!

 Social Viewing is for REAL…Real-Time and Real-People

While Social Media teams remain challenged,  trying to define policy and protocol for interaction, the affability of brands is in question. It is time for brands to define strong connections, create resourceful content, embrace original content and support co-creation. Keep in mind…People are defining who they are, through what they share.

Enable data to focus direction and authentic reactions…

Now that you have our attention, be careful not to control dialogues. It’s easy for brands to slip into the role of moderator or lecturer often leading to “transmit-mode” and a negative experience.

A final thought: When people invest precious time and attention connecting with a brand… an authentic response IS now required.

Images and Video…It’s Emotional! Infographic- MBooth

With images and video you create enduring connections. They are emotional, instantaneous, and positively social.  MBooth partnered with Simply Measured using behavioral data to follow visual content on social media.  A great story!

Opportunity:  Incorporating original content within branded social environments can be powerful.

Result: Truly authentic content and stronger engagement scenarios in the form of response and recognition…

Engagement and sharing habits for Facebook’s top brands…

Time for Marketers and IT to Pal Up…IBM’s State of Marketing 2012

IBM’s “State of Marketing 2012” reached out to more than 350 global marketing professionals.

Marketing has moved beyond awareness…

Marketers must champion a collaborative approach with IT, to effectively focus on experiences throughout a product/ customer life-cycle.

“It’s more about people, than products”

What you must know:

Data will create the competitive difference

Mobile is no longer an option

 

Marketers are still challenged with using social media

• 79% Run social marketing in silos, discretely and on an ad hoc basis

• 51% have yet to use social media data to target better marketing content

• …and only 22% are creating purposeful integrated campaigns

Getting Social Integration Right! A Few Posts To Ponder…

Brands Defining Their Role in the Purchase Process and the Cycle of Courtesy

• Brands have quickly realized the need to become part of the natural communication within social media.
• Reciprocal suggests depending on each other for “real” assurances and direction.  Brands must enable reciprocal occasions; ensure relevance and respond to see results.

What Social Media Should Be…Collaborative

• The purpose of social media is to communicate, understand people and how they see your offerings . Social media should also support collaboration, but to do so, requires a very different mindset and almost humble positioning.

Understanding The Convergence of Mobile and Social via Photos

• Snapping a mobile picture allows us to capture a moment, share a memory and create an endearing connection.
• The convergence of mobile and social media makes sharing these occasions effortless.   Intensifying our wish to share…a reciprocal process. Our excitement for sharing a bit of our world is combined with our curiosity to see what everyone is up to.

Emotion, Expression and Experiences …Why I think we love Pinterest

• In 2012 we hope to see brands imagine the possibilities. People are keen to be social adventurers, always exploring, hoping to discover and anxious to share “found” treasure with their connections.  Emotion…I think this is one reason why Pinterest has quickly captivated our attention.

Preview: TNS’ Digital Life 2011

TNS Digital Life 2011|The report reflects the Digital Life of 72,000 people across 60 countries and the findings are extraordinary.

TNS will help you to really understand people, their adoption of technology and how “digital” fits into daily life.

A few things to consider when reading this report…

• Engage is only the first step
• Sustainable connections need “more”
• Positioning unique and original content
• Brands new role – enabling people in the process

For more thoughts| So, We Don’t Want To Engage with Brands  via Social Media

Related articles

• So, We Don’t Want to Engage with Brands via Social Media (pallino1021.wordpress.com)

Positioning for A Very Different Approach…via Trends

Need Inspiration? We have created this report to help you visualize trends from both the consumer and the brand perspective.  From mobile to measurement, the  implications found within each trend promise to be inspiring and exceptionally resourceful.

Moving beyond advertising and marketing, we support a collaborative business design.  The report journeys through mobile, convergence across platforms and social media.  We explore engagement and challenge the idea of influence, while offering direction for creating sustainable connections and collaborative agendas. In addition, we share ideas for what is and should be measurable.

The report challenges traditional ideas, by enabling people to play a stronger role in strategy and performance, actively co-creating the future of the brand. More than a trend report, this is an exploration of disruption(s) including; mobile, the adoption of NFC, immersive experiences within 3D projection mapping and the importance of collaboration within innovation.

Related articles

• Digital TrendSpot Nordic 2011 Denmark (sitecore.net)

A Visual Look Inside SXSW 2012…and a bit about our panel

Matt Biddulph has created a visualization of the more than 3,000 prospective 2012 SXSW panels that is certainly worth a look.   Matt’s efforts offer a good look at what people want to talk about.  Social Media is still an overwhelming category, but it is good to see many have moved into what’s next. (click here or image for full view)

Everything “IS” Different

Article first published as Everything IS Different on Technorati.

We have just completed three months of trend exploration, analysis and reporting. So what’s different? Again…Everything.

Change has become the only constant!

Social Media and the Warrior Dash… a Sponsorship Flashpoint.

More from Brad…

I recently competed in the Warrior Dash, presented by Red Frog Events, with a group of my friends. Three miles of running up muddied hills, swimming through murky ponds, crawling under barbed-wire on your hands and knees over-top gravel and more mud. Sound like fun? Feel like a warrior? Maybe, just feel like a shower?

Being a Social Business…IBM

IBM shared their 100th anniversary with the world  [June 16, 1911-2011]. The company has also released a new book, “Making the World Work Better: The Ideas That Shaped a Century and a Company,”  What’s next…inspiring a more social aware and collaborative business discipline.

IBM is looking to help businesses be more authentic,more connected within social media, but will this be enough to truly shape the next 100 years and the role of People? [Image source: IBM]

What’s now…