Google has finally unveiled Google+, the company’s top secret social layer that turns all of Google into one giant social network.
Google+, which begins rolling out a very limited field test on Tuesday, is the culmination of a year-long project led by Google Senior Vice President of Social Vic Gundotra. The project, which has been delayed several times, is — without doubt — Google’s answer to Facebook.
via Mashable
Google is really hitting local hard looks to be very interesting.
Yesterday David Mihm was pointing out on Twitter that Google had created a number of new city sites or portals. They appear to be the phoenix rising out of the ashes of Hotpot. As Iwrote yesterday on my own blog, this is Google’s effort to bring a number of initiatives together in a single place: Places Pages, Offers, Mobile, Events and promotion of its ads/services to local business owners.
via: Search Engine Land
Facebook has teamed up with BrightEdge to educate the industry on Facebook page SEO.
Titled ‘Facebook for Social SEO,‘ the document gives brands and companies tips on the best practices to drive organic search performance for Facebook pages. We’ve embedded the white paper below. And the two companies will also conduct a webinar this month designed to get top brands better educated on improving rank of their pages.
via Techcrunch
Relevant social data has created a new industry. How is your Facebook page doing?
In 2009 we first introduced Social Search on google.com as an experimental feature designed to help you find more relevant information from your friends and the people you care about. Since then we’ve been making steady improvements to connect you with more people and more relevant web results. Today, we’re bringing Social Search to more users around the globe.
Mashable has a great article about how Social Media has fundamentally changed how marketing campaigns are executed.
“Social media engagement.” It’s a phrase that generates a lot of buzz, but what does it actually mean? And, more importantly, why does it matter to companies that are integrating social media into their PR and marketing strategies?
We turned to some of the leading communication experts to discover the importance of sparking online engagement and how this new focus has forced PR, marketing and advertising campaigns to evolve.
via Mashable
The Daily Deal space is heating up fast.
Facebook is kicking off its long-awaited Deals program to users in five major cities starting Tuesday with plans to expand in other cities soon after.
Facebook Deals, which will offer online discounts and deals from businesses to its users, marks the company’s entrance into what’s becoming a crowded group-buying deal market that already includes Groupon and LivingSocial.
Via VentureBeat
Click Here for details.
Google’s latest feature is quite interesting.
The +1 button is shorthand for “this is pretty cool” or “you should check this out.”
Click +1 to publicly give something your stamp of approval. Your +1’s can help friends, contacts, and others on the web find the best stuff when they search.
To find out more click here.
No auto dealership ignores the reaction and feedback of customers physically standing in their showrooms-yet most have no idea when potential buyers are exploring their digital dealerships (a.k.a. their website.) That reality changes today with the introduction of Onsite Track™ from Dealer Impact Systems. This powerful real-time monitoring console, which works on any website from any provider, makes it possible for dealerships to track the potential buyers viewing their websites right now. Dealers are no longer confined to historical statistics to make Internet marketing decisions, the real-time nature of Onsite Track gives auto dealers a much clearer view of what’s working on the web.
“This new monitoring tool allows dealerships to shadow visitors,” explained Brian Cox, president and CEO for Dealer Impact Systems. “Dealers can gather real-time information, make quick changes to their site promotions, and instantly test customer reaction. What’s more, if they have a chat package, they can engage site visitors in an on-line conversation. They can also instantly monitor response to their E-marketing or other Internet campaigns. Just send the E-mail promotion and watch the site for response.”
Never Wonder What’s Working
When new visitors arrive, Onsite Track will sound an alert or popup screen. Dealers will instantly see if visitors are new or returning, how they got to the site, and which pages they’re viewing. Dealers can track how long they stay and where they go next. The console also sends an instant alert via e-mail if a page error is detected, or if the site stops responding. With Onsite Track’s web access feature, dealers can also view live web statistics via a browser-meaning they can check site traffic from any computer. Onsite Track also provides 75 standard historical reports to analyze web traffic and users can create their own reports using standard SQL queries.
“The Internet has become too important a part of vehicle buying decisions for dealers to ignore what’s happening on their websites at any given moment,” said Brian Cox. “Onsite Track arms them with the information they need to make on-the-fly changes to their digital marketing strategies.”
Dealer Impact Systems Onsite Track Real-time Monitoring Console is a monthly service and is available for $175 per month. Auto dealers interested in learning more should call or e-mail Customer Success Manager Julie Yatchak at j.yatchak@dealerimpact.com or 1-877-334-9638.
View Press Release.
Facebook Pages are in the process of transitioning to the new layout; they are also adding some new features as well.
A quick side note, that all Facebook Pages will be automatically switched over to the new layout on March 10.
We recommend reading this article for the details.
One new feature that might be causing some confusion is highlighted below.
#4: Use Facebook as Your Page or Personal Profile—Shape-Shifting!
This is definitely the most “revolutionary” new feature of the update. Previously, page admins could only comment as page admins on their own pages. Now, page admins can move around Facebook as their page, commenting on other pages’ walls (but not on personal profiles), and liking other pages (previously, this was “favoriting” a page).
Facebook has made toggling between your identity as a page or as a person easy. You can do it from the “Account” link at the top right (Account—Use Facebook as Page) where you can select which page you’d like to use.
Or, if you want to use Facebook as the page you’re currently on, there’s a shortcut in the right column. Click “Use Facebook as [your page name]“; that link then becomes “Use Facebook as [your name]” so you can easily switch back.
When you opt to be a page, those two links in the top right of the page—“Home” and “Profile“—change to reflect this, with “Home” displaying only news from pages you’ve liked and the “Profile” link taking you to your page’s wall. And the 3 notification icons to right of “Facebook” in the top left area change to just 2, “Likes” and “Notifications.”
You are now your page and you inhabit a world not of friends, but of pages!
Keep in mind: This is a double-edged sword. Yes, you can now comment on other pages as your brand, increasing exposure/awareness. However, other (perhaps competing) brands can post on your page. This could open the door to a new flavor of spam.
You’ll need to be more diligent about checking for posts from your competitors displaying their brand to your fans.
Via: SocialMedia Examiner
Flick Fusion Blog 