1/3 + 1/3 + 1/3 = Social Media Juice

Social Media Strategies moves to a new level with the 1/3 model of "sharing information". This article at M/C/C covers alot of groud that we are now preaching to clients:

"Don’t Be a Robot: Creating Engagement Through Personalization in Social Media"

Highlights include:

• Go Narrow - As a social media user build a niche for yourself. Whether it be tennis or knitting, if you have a passion, share your thoughts about it. Chances are someone else shares the same passion. The commonality between users is the first step in engaging with your audience in a social media environment.
• Content is King - Keep your content fresh, updated and relevant. Stick to your topic and provide information on upcoming events, industry trends and related news articles. Reach out to other users who are already talking about your interests.
• The 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 Rule - Everything that you’re doing in the social space is to serve a three-fold goal. 1/3 of your content should be promotional about your products, company or activity. The other 1/3 should serve as an educational resource for your audience. The final 1/3 should be engagement which includes responding to user comments, posting new questions and interacting with your community members on any platform.

To see the full article at M/C/C, click here.

Round II: Disney's Mary Poppins on Broadway, #Autism, #Broadway

As many here know, we are BIG supporters of Autism due to our son Dustin and Katie Sweeney is a huge Broadway fan. Both came together last fall:

Katie and Dustin Sweeney @ Disney's Lion King for Autism

Now Round II is coming with Disney's Mary Poppins:

"Theatre Development Fund (TDF), the nation's largest not-for-profit service organization for the performing arts, is proud to continue serving the autism community with our Autism Theatre Initiative, making theatre accessible to children and adults on the autism spectrum and their families. Following the tremendous success of our autism-friendly performance of Disney's THE LION KING, TDF is delighted to offer an autism-friendly performance of Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's MARY POPPINS on Sunday, April 29, 2012 at 1pm.

Now in its 6th phenomenal year on Broadway, MARY POPPINS is one of the biggest stage musical successes to emerge from London and New York in recent years. For this special performance, accommodations will be made, including a supportive audience environment, designated quiet areas, adjustments to lights and sound, and online resource materials."

Tickets are available here.

Quirk's - Qualitatively Speaking: Going social with qualitative research

For 25 years Quirk's Marketing Research Review has been providing practical applications in marketing research. The company's mission is to be the marketing research information source for those that conduct, coordinate and purchase research product and services.

Quirks posted a very interesting article titled:

"Qualitatively Speaking: Going social with qualitative research"

OutsideIn Strategies has a broad array of strategic research methodologies including on-line and social media applications. Katie Sweeney, Founder and Principal of OutsideIn, commented on the Quirk's article:

"This is a spot-on article on how social media can be leveraged in strategic research.  OutsideIn Strategies is really excited to include this latest tool in our arsenal of qualitative methodologies to efficiently deliver valuable insights as a precursor or add on to more traditional approaches."

Some interesting excerpts from the Quirk's article include:

• Qualitative researchers use a trained eye to look beyond the obvious and pinpoint trends and translate statements into insights. That knowledge is harvested from online forums, such as social media posts and comments, and key pieces of actionable information are identified from the millions of conversations that occur publicly every day.

• Many qualitative researchers who use social media agree that it provides unparalleled opportunities for insight. At the same time, it is commonly viewed as one piece of a larger approach. There are numerous ways that social media analysis can accompany, supplement or guide traditional research efforts...Social media analysis can often be used as the first phase of a mixed methodology. When starting with a broad category, mining posts and comments on social media channels can help pinpoint areas that consumers care about the most.

• Just as social media is changing the way brands market to consumers, it’s also changing the way consumers expect to interact with a brand. More and more people are welcoming brands into their lives via social media platforms. Some consumers expect to experience a brand online and expect that brand to hear their opinions via online channels.

• One benefit of social media research is observing consumers in their natural environment. People who are familiar with the product/service chat candidly about what they like, what they don’t like and what they expect from a brand...Taking it further, understanding how consumers talk about a product or understanding what they expect delivers invaluable direction on how to market a product.

• Just as social media is changing the way brands market to consumers, it’s also changing the way consumers expect to interact with a brand. More and more people are welcoming brands into their lives via social media platforms. Some consumers expect to experience a brand online and expect that brand to hear their opinions via online channels.

• That firsthand glimpse of how consumers talk about a product reveals another distinct benefit: alternative product uses...Or, in some situations, it’s less about usage and more about audience. Social media research can reveal groups of people outside the target audience who are using the product...In addition, social media research can supplement traditional new-product development research. It can be used to discover what people are saying about competitive products or unmet needs in the marketplace.

Lion King follow-up, # Autism the power of Katie, Google, Disney, and Social Media

Just as a quick follow up, when you combine a good cause with good people it really gets viral these days. Google has 685,000 results as this article was picked up by thousands of news distribution sites:

"Sweeney Broadway Strikes an Autism-Friendly Chord" @ Google

Is 2012 the year for online qualitative? Qualvu closes on $1.85 Million

Qualvu closed on a "B" round of investment for their technology. Often the money anticipates the timing of a growing market. Perhaps this is the year that we will see online qualitative research move past the early adopter phase. From Qualvu's press release:

"Qualvu, the online qualitative research company that counts as its clients many of the world’s top brands, announced today that it has raised $1.85 million through a Series B round to finance expansion in people, places, and processes.

The financing, obtained through Tango and High Country Venture, will accelerate Qualvu’s growth, extend its technology leadership, and expand its operational capabilities to support an expanding client base in Europe.  Qualvu has opened an office in Dublin to serve Europe and the UK, and the company plans to have a European-based staff of 17 before the end of 2012.  Globally, Qualvu plans to increase its headcount in enterprise sales, product management, and research and strategy by approximately 70 percent more than its 82 current employees. The company will also use the funds to continue its technology innovation – including advancements in qualitative video data coding, the mobile client portal, and client collaboration and sharing tools that enable instant global syndication of research insights."

For full release, see here.