Monday, July 30, 2012

Olympics Post - Be Social from Switzerland




With the Games of the XXX Olympiad well underway, so is my Olympics series. In the words of Vala Afshar, "Don't do social, be S.O.C.I.A.L., which means be sincere, open, collaborative, interested, authentic, and likeable." To coincide with the festivities in London, I am featuring experts from around the world who will share their insights and answer questions about social media. Tune in every couple of days to see which country will be represented and who will be featured. And if you want to comment during the Olympics on Twitter or elsewhere in social media, don't forget to use the hashtag #London2012.

Today's expert is Olga Henggi, a Business/Life Consultant and English Language Trainer in Basel, Switzerland. She provides customized business and communications strategies in both German and English. You can connect with Olga on Twitter @olgahenggi.

Which social network is most popular in your country?

Facebook, XING, and LinkedIn are the most popular social networking platforms in Switzerland. As of March 2012, XING had more than 12 million members worldwide who use the site to boost their businesses, jobs, and careers. The platform is operated by XING AG, which was founded in Hamburg, Germany, in 2003. While XING and LinkedIn are normally used by business people, according to some reports, nearly one in three is on Facebook. In fact, 82% of Swiss in the 18-63-year-old demographic are on Facebook.

How are your country’s legislators dealing with the privacy issue resulting from social media?

Swiss legislators often have very little personal experience regarding social networking and social media. For this reason, they tend to protect privacy rather strictly.

What three ways are major businesses in your country using social media as a marketing tool to promote products or services?

There are three that stand out: [1] UBS (financial services industry), [2] SBBCFF Cargo (railway, transportation industry) with its online social media newsroom, and [3] Corum (watches).

What is the most valuable social media advice you can offer?

Be focused and keep moving forward. If you employ a ghostwriter for a corporate blog, involve that person 100% in your business.

In what ways will smartphones and tablets further evolve in your country?

It’s difficult to say at this moment in time, but the Swiss are well-equipped. Teachers sometimes have problems at school because children use their smartphones at school. Also, some companies ban online access so that employees have fewer distractions while at work. But people are connected on the social web.

NEXT POST WILL FEATURE CANADA.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Olympics Post - Be Social from Japan



With the Opening Ceremonies history, the London Olympics are well underway, and so is my Olympics series. In the words of Vala Afshar, "Don't do social, be S.O.C.I.A.L., which means be sincere, open, collaborative, interested, authentic, and likeable." During the Olympics, I am featuring experts from around the world who will share their insights and answer questions about social media. Tune in every couple of days to see which country will be represented and who will be featured. And if you want to comment during the Olympics on Twitter or elsewhere in social media, don't forget to use the hashtag #London2012.

Today's expert is Saul Fleischman, a specialist in social media apps and marketing communications, and owner of OsakaBentures in Japan. You can connect with Saul on Twitter @osakasaul.

Which social network is most popular in your country?

While Mixi has the most registered users in Japan, I read that 40% have not checked in once during the last month. If you’re not familiar with the site, here are the details: http://mixi.co.jp/en/about. Of course, Facebook is huge too. The ability to set the user interface, pop-ups, and buttons into Japanese (from English) is crucial for the Japanese audience.

What ways are major businesses in your country using social media as a marketing tool to promote products or services?

I am disappointed when major businesses use social media to broadcast to the public and miss the chance to engage – this happens when they adopt the “us vs. them” mindset. No one likes being talked at. I tend to see more engagement from small startups. I am working on a new social site, RiteTag, which is currently in beta (http://www.ritetag.com). Once users apply with their Twitter sign-in details, they will discover hashtags, categories, or topics all on one page, based on the number of times the tags have been used.

What is the most valuable social media advice you can offer?

It takes knowledge of what a business really does for its customers to represent the entity in social media. It’s not a task to pawn off on a third-party who will “provide content for your stream.” This will not engage the audience you need to keep talking with you.

NEXT POST WILL FEATURE SWITZERLAND.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Olympics Post - Be Social from Mexico




With the 2012 London Olympics now underway, in the spirit of international goodwill, I would like to present something unique on my blog during the Olympics. In the words of Vala Afshar, "Don't do social, be S.O.C.I.A.L., which means be sincere, open, collaborative, interested, authentic, and likeable." So, during the Olympics, I am featuring experts from around the world who will share their insights and answer questions about social media. Tune in every couple of days to see which country will be represented and who will be featured. And if you want to comment during the Olympics on Twitter or elsewhere on social media, don't forget to use the hashtag #London2012.

Today's expert is Edna Campos, a Social Media Marketing Consultant based in Mexico and founder of Riolan Virtual Business Solutions. She helps small businesses and entrepreneurs create a solid online presence. You can connect with Edna on Twitter @RiolanVirtualBS.

Which social network is most popular in your country?

Facebook is the most popular with 35,602,820 users – followed by YouTube and Twitter.

How are your country’s legislators dealing with the privacy issue resulting from social media?

Our country issued the final version of its Regulations of the Federal Law for the Protection of Personal Data Held by Private Parties. However, it applies mostly for businesses, eCommerce and other websites, and for all professions in which personal or sensitive written or digital data is handled. The updates to the first draft include:

(1) Clarification of notice and consent requirements.
(2) Changes to restrictions on cloud computing.
(3) Updates to requirements regarding data transfers.
(4) Clarifications regarding data subjects’ rights.

Regarding social media marketing, unfortunately, there are still no regulations whatsoever. The elected president Enrique Peña Nieto had been working on a draft. We'll know more next year when he becomes president.

What three ways are major businesses in your country using social media as a marketing tool to promote products or services?

(1) Running frequent contests – Blackberry is a good example.
(2) Buzzing about social causes (with the environment, working with communities, how businesses collaborate with employees, suppliers, etc.) – Ford is a good example.
(3) Strengthening trust and confidence with users – Coca-Cola is a good example.

What is the most valuable social media advice you can offer?

I believe in planting as many seeds as possible (Guy Kawasaki’s quote), listen carefully to your audience. It’s not about you anymore, but about your audience's likes, wants, problems or concerns. Also, be consistent and genuine.

In what ways will smartphones and tablets further evolve in your country?

While smartphone usage has doubled compared to 2010, currently, smartphones are used in a very small percentage to make online purchases. Most of the activities are for search purposes and to connect with friends through social media and gaming.

NEXT POST WILL FEATURE JAPAN.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Olympics Post - Be Social from the United Kingdom


Getting ready for the Olympics!

The 2012 London Olympics are about to get underway, and according to some reports, 4 billion people will watch the competition. So in the spirit of international goodwill, I would like to present something different on my blog during the next two weeks. In the words of Vala Afshar, "Don't do social, be S.O.C.I.A.L., which means be sincere, open, collaborative, interested, authentic, and likeable." So, during the Olympics, I will feature experts from around the world who will share their insights and answer questions about social media. Tune in every couple of days to see which country will be represented and who will be featured. And if you want to comment during the Olympics on Twitter, don't forget to use hashtag #London2012.

To honor the host country, my first guest is Kittie Walker, the founder and CEO of Indigo Girl, a boutique design and communication agency based in London. Her background is in business turnaround, rebranding, and marketing across various sectors including real estate, healthcare, retail, industrial, hospitality, and technology. You can connect with Kittie on Twitter @TheIndigoGirl.



Which social network is most popular in your country?

Facebook is by far the most popular social network in the UK with around 65% of the population active on it monthly. Interestingly though recent research indicates that two out of every five people are getting bored with social media over here.

How are your country’s legislators dealing with the privacy issue resulting from social media?

Well, this is a fun one as we have just had the EU Cookie Law come into effect here in the UK. Europe's privacy laws for the individual have always been robust. The latest law is an update to the 2003 directive relating to tracking technologies and the use of cookies. All websites in the EU must comply with this directive, which gives website visitors the option to opt-out of the use of cookies and thus stop the collection of personal data. The initial thoughts were that every website in the EU would have to seek the visitor’s confirmation that they agree to the use of cookies and/or tracking software. The advice in this regard has been somewhat softened, and at the moment you are allowed to infer consent if you clearly display your site's use of cookies via a policy document...but things may change again!

What three ways are major businesses in your country using social media as a marketing tool to promote products or services?

I've chosen three contrasting brands that all use social media effectively to capture the imagination of their target markets. What all three have in common is the fact that their messages are clear and everything that they do reinforces their brand image perfectly.

[1] Mass Market Viral Campaigns: T-Mobile ran a successful integrated marketing campaign "life's for sharing." The campaign ran across the bloggersphere, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and traditional media. A flash mob campaign initially ran in 2009-2010. Social media and a blog were used to encourage the public to visit given locations at a set time and to sing and dance. Various train stations and landmarks came to a stop as these events overtook them.

[2] Seamless Luxury Branding: Burberry is an old school luxury goods brand established in the UK in the 1800's. The organization has embraced the digital world and they are the best in class from their market place. It doesn't matter how you connect with the brand - in-store, from a mobile device or a desktop, you get exactly the same stunning brand experience. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are all well-established marketing channels for them with high engagement levels.

[3] A Cooking Personal Brand: Nigella Lawson is a household name in the UK and many parts of the world. Nigella is a food writer and avid cook. She has thrown her hat into the digital arena. Her social media set up is not perfect, but all of her web properties are true to her personality and brand. She provides her audience with exactly what they want, their questions answered by her and her team, a recipe repository, somewhere for her audience to share their experiences, and a daily recipe to cook along with and discuss.
 
What is the most valuable social media advice you can offer?

Be yourself and be true to your brand but always keep in mind who your audience is and what they need and want. If you don't, there is a danger that you will give conflicting messages and experiences to your audience, and this can have disastrous effects on your business.

In what ways will smartphones and tablets further evolve in your country?

The use of smartphones is widespread in the UK. It's thought that one in three adults now use them. This is quite surprising when you consider that the UK does not have "all you can eat" data plans. Tablet usage is not as widespread, but it is on the rise. Few consumers use basic handsets in the UK. If they do not own smartphones, then they tend to have advanced featured phones, which access the internet, play music and so on. The trend is on an upward trajectory, across all demographics, and the natural evolution is that smartphones/tablets will become fully pervasive and the norm over the next few years.

NEXT POST WILL FEATURE MEXICO.