It’s well known that social media can do wonders for a brand. Now that it’s 2012, many businesses have at least a Facebook page, if not also Twitter, Google+, YouTube, and Yelp, among others. These are great ways to promote brands, yet so many don’t take full advantage of this incredible opportunity.

Setting up profiles on social media sites and posting interesting things is just the first step. The key to truly getting the most out of your social media strategy is to have an actual conversation with your customers. Build a relationship with them by being responsive, engaging, and appreciative.

For example, if someone tweets your company on Twitter just to say they love your product, take this opportunity to thank them and learn more. Ask questions – find out how your product fits into their lives and what improvements they’d like to see. Get to know them and strengthen the personal connection they have with your brand. At the same time, get some free market research!

Or maybe you’re in the restaurant business and someone posted a negative review on Yelp. This is obviously not an ideal scenario, but it can be turned into a huge positive if given the proper attention. Post a genuine and empathetic reply expressing regret for disappointing them, then ask that they give you another chance to prove yourselves. Not only will the person who posted the review feel heard and appreciated, but potential new customers will see how much you care about their satisfaction. Don’t just respond to negative reviews, though! Make it a point to connect with everyone who takes the time to post a comment. Even the most loyal happy customers will feel more valued when you give them some of your attention.

Looking at social media from a customer service perspective can give your brand so much more value than just using it as a marketing tool. Organizations that are dedicated to participating in online discussions about their brand will build a devoted fanbase and gain an invaluable advantage over competitors.

In the midst of searching through different articles online to share with our fans/follower/clients, we are exposed to a wealth of information that we only hope to convey clearly to help you with different parts of online marketing.

One of our intern’s favorite new information sources is, you guessed it, a twitter feed, that has been linked to some of the most knowledgeable, interesting, and successful people around. Smashing Magazine has been one of those reliable pals that unknowingly has made lots of Album employees thrilled to be in this industry, over and over again. They have posted the Album  site as an example for different educational categories, such as the Speaking Navigation category in the Design Trends for 2009 article.

Now, this is a big deal for us. We put our blood, sweat, and tears into our work, and what kind of an example would we be for potential clients if our own site wasn’t worthy of praise?

Well, apparently it is. So much so that when Smashing Magazine published The Smashing Book, they included us in it. That’s right! Here we are on page 170:

This is in the “The Ultimate Guide to Fantastic Color Usage in Web Design, Usability, and Experience” section.

All we can say is: Go Team!

Fun Fact: As you may have noticed, the article mentioned earlier was called “Design Trends for 2009.” The site was launched in 2008. What does this mean? We are ahead of our time when it comes to what’s cool, what’s hot, what works, and what just looks good.

Don’t mind us if we toot our own horn every once in a while.

Studies are proving that TV advertising is becoming less and less reliable. According to an article on MarketingProfs.com, “in 2010, most advertisers plan to move budget dollars away from traditional media to social media (77%), online advertising (73%), and search engine marketing (59%).”

There is talk that allowing fewer commercials per pod may be more effective, but with the population turning to search engines to find a resource to fulfill their needs, having a strong online presence is a must.

Social marketing tops the charts as the number one source advertisers and marketers will turn to for brand building. Through various social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and others, a strong brand strategy and marketing plan can have a huge effect on brand awareness. With these vehicles, you can build brand loyalty and an overall solid presence in today’s competitive market. By having a strong presence in social media, you allow your product/service users, fans, and, on occasion, addicts to feel like they belong have a place in the world of your brand.

But what good is being searchable when your web content is weak? That’s where web development and brand identity design come into play. Once your product or service reaches your target, the images they see need to tell them how you fulfill their need.

So give into the online tidal wave. Swim with the social media current. Develop a strong online marketing plan and you too can have a brand with substance.

Ready? Set? Rock!

A surprising poll result from LinkedIn and Harris Interactive shows a lack of faith in Twitter from the business community. Only 8% of respondents consider Twitter to be “very effective”, while half considered it only to be “somewhat effective.”

Some would say that either businesses don’t fully understand the potential and are using the tool incorrectly or that Twitter is over-hyped and will eventually fizzle out.

I think Twitter will change it’s business model and use all the attention and data to introduce a more relevant tool for businesses. They have a ton of brand recognition and a large user base, now they just have to figure out how to make a tool that businesses can’t live without.

How much is YouTube’s brand worth?  In late 2006 Google purchased them for $1.65 billion, even though after almost 3 years, they are still not profitable.  Recent estimates place YouTube’s annual expenses between $174 – 470 million (as estimated by RampRate and Credit Suisse).

Many people do not realize that there are hundreds of other video sites with very similar features.  In fact, many of their competitors started several years before YouTube.com even went live.  So why has Google dumped more than $2 billion into a website that they could easily reproduce for a fraction of the cost?  Simple…brand name value.

With smart marketing, impeccable timing, and arguably a lot of luck, YouTube has become THE standard for video sites.  Their brand name has been used so much now that it is synonymous with “video site”.  It’s a phenomena shared by few brands.

Here are a few more examples.  I think you’ll be surprised how many brand names on this list you use to describe these items.  Is YouTube the new Kleenex?

According to the 2008 report from www.brandz.com, Google’s brand name (not company assets) is worth $86 billion dollars. Uh, yeah, that’s a “b” not an “m”. This report has some interesting facts about brand value. For example: Publicly traded brands from BrandZ’s top 100 brands outperformed the rest of the stockmarket (S&P 500) by 22%. Wow. That’s solid financial proof that branding plays a major role in a company’s success.

Matt always jokes that “Dressbarn” tops the list of the worst brand names. I couldn’t agree more. I finally had to see for myself what they are all about. On their company history page they claim they are “extremely sensitive and focused on the needs and desires of women in the 21st century”. Hmm, I didn’t realize the look, smell, and ultimate purpose of a barn was so close to the heart of women in the 21st century. I’ve never been in their store, but I wonder if they have signs like “Cowpie Corner” and “Piggie’s Picks”.

To their credit, whatever they are doing must appeal to some women. They have been in business since the 60′s and are traded on the NASDAQ.