Beginning in January, Facebook rolled out a new form of ad called “Sponsored Stories” which places company posts in users’ news feeds. These ads are labeled “sponsored” or “featured” within users’ news feeds to clearly identify them as advertisements.  Previously, Facebook had these sponsored ads on the ticker portion of its pages (in the upper left-hand corner), but these new ads now appear in the main news feed. Furthermore, Sponsored Stories will only appear on a user’s news feed if they or someone they are connected to has already interacted with the company page in some way, including liking the page or checking in to a place page.

On February 1, 2012 Facebook filed for its initial public offering. In the aftermath, people have questioned what the IPO will mean for Facebook users and advertisers, with the most significant issue concerning how Facebook will capitalize on its mobile market. Facebook recently reported that 425 million (more than half) of its monthly users are accessing the site from mobile devices. However, they have not yet begun monetizing their mobile market.  Industry experts have expressed concern over this lack of utilization of mobile possibilities, as it is a significant risk factor for the Facebook IPO.  As mobile usage continues to grow, it will become essential for Facebook to develop a way to monetize its mobile platform.

Over the last several years companies have realized the importance of making their brands social, but many are still wondering how to encourage audiences to interact with their brands through social media outlets.  Public relations agency Weber Shandwick, in partnership with Forbes Insights, recently released a survey that discusses how to make your brand sociable. The results of the survey demonstrate multiple useful methods companies can implement to build their brand sociability.

One result of the survey states, “Global brand executives attribute 52% of their brand’s reputation to how social it is today and it is expected to grow to 65% in 3 years.” In managing your company’s social media, it is important to realize that having a major presence in the social arena is vital to your brand’s reputation. Consumers enjoy the opportunity to interact with your brand and appreciate knowing that their voices are being heard. As you listen to what your users have to say, you can improve your social media campaigns by determining what pleases your customers most and then catering to their interests.

The survey also says that most global executives say their “brand’s sociability is not yet world class.” In developing your company’s social presence, always remember why you are operating in that particular space. You are there to develop a relationship and open communication channels between you and your current and potential customers. Make your social presence personal by responding to customer comments and keeping the voice of your posts real, human and conversational.  Show that you genuinely care about your customers’ opinions and thoughts by engaging and interacting with them in a timely manner.

With the trends we have seen, it seems that sociability of your brand will continue to play a significant role in marketing.  Having a strong social presence for your company will help develop powerful relationships with your customers and make it easier to understand and deliver on what they desire. For more on the survey created by Weber Shandwick and Forbes Insights go to: http://mashable.com/2011/10/12/brand-sociability-infographic/

By Kyndal Carolus, Account Coordinator

Google+ recently announced that it has registered 25 million users in just two months, but do user sign-ups translate to direct competition with established social sites like Facebook?

Since Google+’s announcement, predictions have swirled and experts assert that Google+ is one of the fastest growing services of all time.

While Google+ proudly touts the extraordinary number of users who have signed up since its launch on June 28th, industry experts like Dave Davies from Search Engine Watch continue to express concern over the actual usage of the social network. It is one thing to get people to sign up, but it is another to keep retention rate and activity high. Some, including various writers for Search Engine Land, have compared Google+’s instant success to that of MySpace, which did not have problems getting users to sign up but struggled to get members to participate after joining.

While Facebook adoption rates were slower than Google+’s, it has proven it has no problems with interactivity: as many as 720 million users spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook, and each user creates an average of 90 pieces of content per month. Addressing this reality, Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained that he does not see the value of measuring the competition through user numbers alone because constant activity by Facebook users makes it more valuable than Google+.

However, Facebook has consistently struggled with privacy concern issues. Google+’s privacy-focused “Cirlces” vastly out-performs the “friend-grouping” features of Facebook and the labrynith of Facebook’s’ “Privacy Settings.” This could be Google+’s differentiator.

It is still too early to tell how Google+ will affect the social sphere, but it does seem that Facebook is feeling a bit of pressure: On July 6, Facebook announced a partnership with Skype that will allow for chat sessions reminiscent of “hangout” sessions on Google+.

Unsurprisingly, the increased privacy of Google+ doesn’t come without a few hiccups. While the “Circles” feature offers advertisers clearly defined, easy-to-use targeting options, signing up for a Google+ account rather slyly gave Google permission to use personal information from users to “personalize content and ads on non-Google websites.” This information was not required to sign up, but Google required users to opt-out of information sharing during registration—a step many missed.

As search and social continue to merge, users, marketers and advertisers will have to determine which network delivers the most value. As we have seen with the emergence of other Facebook competitors like Twitter, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, and Reddit, the success of a site isn’t as much about the number of users or interactivity, it is about providing a service that appeals to a niche group or provides a unique networking option. We are still trying to determine what that will be with Google+, but we think they are on the right track.