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| Today's Buzz |  |
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- Facebook faces a struggle in China
China could prove a difficult market for Facebook to crack, experts say. The country has well-established social networks that closely follow Facebook's model, so the social giant might have to partner with Weibo or Tencent rather than seeking to go it alone, experts say. "To become literally the Facebook of China is not going to be easy in a market that's already very social," says CIC founder Sam Flemming. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model)
(7/26),  ThoughtfulChina.com
(7/26)     
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 | New communication tools are shrinking the barrier between organizations and their audiences and customers, causing many to redefine customer value. Discover what some of the world's largest organizations are doing to benefit from this open dialogue and why C-suite executives must work in partnership to see wider benefits. Download white paper. |
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- Facebook seeks to woo SMBs with "Facebook for Business"
Facebook has unveiled "Facebook for Business," an online education center designed to assist small and medium-sized businesses as they explore the world of social media marketing. The launch is well-timed, since Google has simultaneously increased interest in social marketing and delayed giving companies the tools they need to begin doing so on Google+, Colleen Taylor writes. "[I]t does look like Facebook is taking Google's recent entry into the social-networking landscape seriously and is increasing its feature updates and user satisfaction initiatives in turn," Taylor writes. GigaOm
(7/26)
- Report reveals value of Facebook news feed for brands
Brands should focus more on their Facebook news feed than on applications for pages on the social network, as indicated by comScore data. A comScore white paper looking at how people spend their time on Facebook shows that only 10% of users' time is allocated to apps, while 27% is spent on the news feed, on which the average brand reaches 16% of fans weekly if it posts for five days. Inside Facebook
(7/26)
- A cure for what ails the Mayo Clinic's online community
The Mayo Clinic's online community, Mayo Connect, is well-conceived but not quite so well-executed, writes Richard Millington. The site's entry barrier is too high, with users required to enter lots of personal data before getting started; its confirmation e-mails lack invitations to engage on the site; and too many discussion topics are allowed to go unanswered. "It feels like the community launched on the community manager's day off," Millington writes. FeverBee.com
(7/27)
- Celebrities and social media: A match made in heaven?
Celebrities are flocking to social media not simply as participants but as entrepreneurs, investors and business partners. Experts say that's because pop stars and actors understand better than anyone else the value of brand building and of engaging fans. "Celebrities, above all others, have to understand the importance of new media in order to survive. Social media platforms, in particular, are where celebrity careers either thrive or decline," says Johanna Blakley of the University of Southern California's Norman Lear Center. Reuters
(7/26)
- Toyota's Facebook page fuels charitable effort
Toyota's Facebook page is the touchstone for a campaign supporting the car company's charitable effort to donate 100 cars to nonprofit organizations over a 100-day period. Visitors to the page can vote on which organization they'd like to see receive a car that day. Ads on Facebook and elsewhere online are supporting the giveaway effort, which lasts until Aug. 16. ClickZ
(7/26)
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Is your company using social games as part of its advertising strategy?
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No, and my company isn't interested in social games |
73.95%
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No, but my company is interested in social games |
12.61%
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Yes -- sponsoring games |
4.20%
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Yes -- some combination of strategies |
3.36%
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Yes -- creating games |
2.52%
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Yes -- other |
1.68%
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Yes -- running display ads |
0.84%
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Yes -- branding virtual items in games |
0.84%
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Poll analysis
Is your company getting into social games?: Social games aren't a smart marketing move for every company, but they can be a powerful tool in the right hands, SmartBrief's Derby Cox writes. The key to getting social-game marketing right is understanding how a game can best integrate with your brand, without getting in the way of a player's good time, Cox writes in SmartBrief's SmartBlog on Social Media.
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Has social networking cost your company money?
 | Yes, because we've spent too much on maintaining a social presence for the level of return we're seeing |
| Yes, because of information that was accidentally leaked |
| Yes, because it has damaged the company's brand |
| Yes, because of fines or legal action |
| No -- my company has not lost money because of social networking |
- 2 areas in which social media agencies will thrive
Brands can get much of their social media marketing done in-house, but agencies remain vital in at least two key roles, writes Steve Richards. Agencies remain important in creating brands' initial social strategies and in designing custom campaigns and specialized promotional platforms. "You can't outsource your customer service to a social agency; however you can outsource the development of a bespoke customer community," Richards writes. eConsultancy.com
(7/27)
- Make YouTube jump through hoops
YouTube can be a powerful social media marketing tool, writes Rich Brooks. Creating high-quality, findable content is a start, but if brands want to unlock the network's full potential, they'll need tailored, lived-in profiles to promote a brand, and to create bulletins to keep followers coming back for more, he writes. SocialMediaExaminer.com
(7/27)
- How to straighten out your Google+ Circles
The Circles feature on Google+ can help organize social media activity, but a few simple tricks can help you get more from the tool, Stephanie Buck writes. Besides filtering your friends list, well-arranged Circles can serve as a private notebook, a crowdsourcing tool, a spur for engagement or for a topical posting tool, Buck writes. Mashable
(7/26)
 | [Justin] Timberlake's bet on MySpace is a risky one, but it signals an acknowledgment that buying into the entertainment business these days means buying into new media, not old media."
--Johanna Blakley, managing director at the University of Southern California's Norman Lear Center, as quoted by Reuters
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Recent SmartBrief on Social Media Issues:
- Tuesday, July 26, 2011
- Monday, July 25, 2011
- Friday, July 22, 2011
- Thursday, July 21, 2011
- Wednesday, July 20, 2011
| | | Lead Editor: Jesse Stanchak
Editor at Large: Andy Sernovitz
Contributing Editor: Ben Whitford
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