In the above SlideShare presentation they give an overview of 2011 and analyse and share their summary. Below a short recap of this presentation and insights that struck me the most.

To start off with what struck me the most is that even though women are the most active in communities and on social channels; on slideshare the men seem to be posting the majority of content.  Probably due to the reason that men use it work related and this is endorsed by the most popular keywords: business, marketing, design, research, internet etcetera.

My thought on this is that this will change over time; I really believe that woman will dominate the marketing industry eventually. Men used to have the buying power, so advertising was aimed at men… but think about it: who has the most spending power and which group has the highest engagement levels…?

When we take a look at the globe, people do not really think the Dutch as a force necessarily to be reckoned with: however the Dutch rank the highest (I mean a global #1 position) on Twitter and within SlideShare they have the 3^rd place in the highest usage of slides (US is nowhere to be found). These Dutchies have always been known for their innovation, knowledge, mercantilism and their…horticulture

Thanks to SlideShare and their active community we can gain insights into marketing, development, learn how to do stuff and get a grasp of the vision people have on the world.

Here the most popular business presentation on slideshare:

 
SlideShare increases traffic to your site, offers you a possibility to include a clear call to action that provides you with HOT leads and just as important; gives you the opportunity to position yourself as an authority in your field.

Inspiring, informing and activating business professionals over the world.

Are you sharing your slides?

Is community management high on your list of prioroties for 2012? This is an event you should not miss. Our partners SocialMedia8 will be attending and providing full coverage.

The Vircomm Summit 2012 is for all online community professionals, from total newbies right through to seasoned experts who remember the days of dial-up. No matter what your community is built around – be it a golf, gaming, politics or motherhood – you will gain valuable insights and fresh ideas to take home and put into action.

Speakers include leading experts from Moshi Monsters, Conversocial, Tempero and Emoderation.Topics covered will include:

• Regulatory issues and how to deal with them
• Tools and technologies
• Communities and success metrics
• How to find and utlilise insights to improve your social media marketing

ViralBlog and our sister agency SocialMedia8 will be present and we have an exclusive offer for the readers of ViralBlog. Sign up using this exclusive ViralBlog discount URL and you will receive 20% discount on your conference ticket.

And of course we will provide a full report for those who will not be able to attend.

We always like to hear from our readers, so if you are going – let us know in the comments and we’d love to meet up at the conference.

From a brand perspective and CMOs the question is not only “what to share” and through which channel(s), but more crucial is “when to share”. Here are some recommendations that are worth implementing.

There are for sure differences and what works for one channel and brand does not have to be successful for another one. Based on the results of 250.000 posts and 5 million clicks Argylesocial.com published an infographic with interesting Social Timing Insights.

Source: Argylesocial.com

On this side of the mountain we are driven by certain motives and these motives have been plotted and marketing models have been made accordingly. Most are moulded based on the human psyche, but the Asian psyche works slightly different…

The gross of all the behavioral consumer models that are used in boardrooms across Asia, have been developed in Western Countries. CMO’s still have difficulties tapping into marketing techniques that apply the best to non-western consumers. Most of these models are based on the assumption that Maslow’s hierarchy fits all people across the world. Guess what, not really…

When put into an Asian context we see that the priorities seem to shift. Interpersonal relationships and social interactions are highly valued, so much even that they tower above self-actualisation needs. When we have a look at self actualization, Asians (yes I am talking IN GENERAL) find this in status, being admired and affiliated. Being independent or making your choices autonomously have less importance compared to Western Cultures.

Social Groups – Being Connected
Individuality is perceived differently by Asian Cultures, where the emphasis lies on how you are connected to your peers, how you fit within the group and if you are in harmony with them, importance lies in attending to others. If we look at the West, we all want to be perceived connected, but defined by our individual talents, our personality and what we perform. In non-western groups they do not separate their values from their peers.

However, this does not necessarily mean that one conforms, that is why fashion brands are booming in the Asian marketplace. Dying hair, owning an IPhone (yes, thats fashion), having the best bag and strutting in top notch shoes. Check out the whitepapers on http://www.ciccorporate.com/.

Logically we can’t label all these differences between the West and Asia as black and white. But grosso modo, it is important for CMO’s to realize the importance of the Social groups for consumers to seek advice, rethink products and evaluate these products in their groups.

Social Landscape Of Asia

Asian Market Space
Asian markets are expanding their business abroad an into other cultures, but the most of their business is still done within Asia. So if you want to become a effective marketeer and understand Asian consumers, first have a look within Asia. Asia is big, very big and has a mosaic of different cultures; fed by traditionalism but driven by modernity.

In this wonderful report by ExactTarget and CoTweet, they explore consumers’ motivations and actions as they terminate their relationships with brands through e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter.

Like any interpersonal relationship, the consumer-brand relationship has a distinct and fascinating life cycle. The relationship begins with the initial “spark” — the decision by the consumer to become a subscriber, follower or fan.

Next is a blissful honeymoon period in which the consumer gets to know the company better through communications and social interactions.

But there are many actions that could easily destroy a fan base and mutual beneficial relationships.

So I suggest you read the social break-up. Since your brand is your most valuable asset…

We do hope some CMOs will look at above 4 C’s of Community. And hopefully they will understand that having a large fan base on Facebook is not only to brag about on the golf course. How brands treat their fans of Facebook is a reflection of the company’s DNA and soul.

A recent study from Socialbakers tells us that only 5% of wall posts on brand pages ever receive answers. Telecommunications and airline sectors had the highest rates of answered wall posts, but even those were woefully low, at 26 percent and 28 percent, respectively.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the media industry seems to ignore the “media” in social media, responding to just 1% of wall posts, and the automotive industry has stalled on this front, as well, at around 2.5%.

We believe that a wow brand experience starts with a response rate to wall posts should at around 75%. A mark not even remotely approached by brands.

Brands should understand that a CRM driven approach is needed to create loyal fans that will turn into brand ambassadors and advocates eventually.

A wow brand experience in social media starts with managing your community. Moderate your social pages. Release compelling content and copy frequently. Ask questions. Answer questions. Brands should behave social in a social environment.

That starts with having the right heart, soul and DNA. And by hiring a great engagement strategist and community manager.

60 insights from experienced community managers in an interesting ebook can be found here. I suggest your read it and match the outcome with the DNA of your current organization.

Please be aware that your brand is your largest asset. And that ignoring fans and potential advocates is not really social.

Think beyond campaigns if you start a Facebook page and understand you are performing a CRM program with people that have high expectations if you tap into their social space.

Great community management, by very experienced community managers would be a great start. If you think your brand can be managed by an intern or inexperienced agency: think again. If you don’t believe me: your fans will tell you probably soon.

The best advise to brands when tapping into the social space? ALF! Always Listen First. Next: do respond to the questions of your fans.

Don’t ignore them because you are to busy bragging about your products. That is the one way approach, caused by TV, that has blinded us for over 60 years.

Social engagement and community management is about sharing campfire stories, about life, cultures, ideas, events, great content, personal details, and other likes of tribes.

And yes, products every now and then as well. But only the great or really bad products get talked about. Products are not always the epic center in social media spaces.

Readers, how you often have you been frustrated by ignored wall posts on Facebook brand pages? Any great examples to share too?

Source: All Facebook

Since this summer, Netflix is under fire for making 2 decisions that didn’t feel well at their customers’ incredible large base of clients, fans and followers.

What happened? And what should Netflix do next?

The first Netflix decision that did not go well was the fact that Netflix raised its prices: from $10 per month to $16 per month.

Next Netflix decided to split their company in two, with 2 sites for the same service: Netflix and Qwikster.

But after the stocks for Netflix dropped and the people complaining and making fun of the name Qwikster they decided not to split the company.

Well, what should Netflix do now? For starters what they did. Writing an “I’m very sorry message”, as was done by the Netflix Co-Founder and CEO: Reed Hastings here.

I do applaud the reaction by Reed Hastings. But also question myself: What was he really thinking? And why do not more brands use the idea generation box like Starbucks My Idea?

I do now going the Starbucks route might be scary as hell for brands. Being a CSO, my dialogue and listening strategies have been rejected about 90%, especially at brands that would rather spend their budget on “lipstick on pigs” (shouting ads that promote lousy products).

But in the era of power to the people, all brands should listen to their clients, fans and followers much better. They can use advanced social media monitoring tools for that. And invite customers and fans to share their ideas on their own website.

But all the tools in the world, will not change a company’s DNA nor make it a CRM driven company after decades of interruption marketing and shouting ads.

So the question that remains to Reed Hastings and his Netflix board: Shouldn’t or couldn’t you have listened much earlier to the opinions of the people to whom you own your existence and success?

ALF: Always Listen First! Especially in the era where the power is to the people…

Trust might be difficult to restore for Netflix. Maybe they can earn that respect again, but it will take time. And advertising? Well, that might be second best right now. Or maybe it’s even better not to shout right now…

Active users are classified as people who use the service at least once a month. That means 100 million accounts have not used Twitter in the last month.

Of course reaching 100 million users is a massive milestone. But I’d like to focus on the point of active versus inactive users. This is a discussion we often have with our clients. We always recommend them not to focus on numbers such as number of users. Sure, they are a cause for celebration at Twitter HQ. And yes, it does highlight a positive trends toward mainstream adoption of the Twitter service.

But without any context they are meaningless and serve no purpose in the decision making process. Active users is already a more meaningful statistic. But when that includes anyone logging in at least once a month, it still lacks context:

- How many of them use the service even more regularly (reaching out to someone using the service only once a month hardly seems worth the trouble)

- What is the demographic breakdown? For example, is there a specific group that uses the service more regularly?

- For what reason are these people using the service?

However, there are two crucial questions to ask yourself before deciding if Twitter is the right place for your brand, regardless of this news:

1) Can we reach our customers and prospects through this medium?

2) Can using Twitter help us achieve our brand and business objectives?

The larger Twitter gets, the more likely the answer will become yes. Facebook has become so ubiquitous that you will struggle to find a brand and circumstances in which they cannot deliver any value through participating on this platform. But don’t let overwhelming number such as these let you forget to ask these crucial questions.

Having said all that, congratulations to the Twitter team!

But after having created a Facebook Fanpage, many struggle to keep people engaged. Many brands are still using Facbook as a push channel, without realising what type of content people really want from brands.

More and more research is coming out, indicating the many reasons why people are interested in interacting with brands on Facebook. These reasons include special offers, exclusive content and simply entertaining content.

The infographic below gives some great insights into the type of content people want to see from the brands they follow. So the next time you are staring at a blank canvas, wondering which product promotion you can push now – sit back for a minute and think about the things people actually want to hear from you.

The Smurfs already made a succesfull step into social gaming with the Smurf’s Village app for iPhone and iPad, we’re looking forward to see what Iconix, the publisher behing the popular cartoon, is coming up with.

According to the Iconix chairman, the growth into new platforms and formats is all part of a massive push to “make ‘Peanuts’ relevant to younger fans. Peanuts needs to be accessible to the newest generation as well, so as a brand they need to keep moving.

Social media and games seems like a logical step for them to get access to Generation Z as well. Peanuts Worldwide , whose Facebook page has more than 800,000 fans, also has launched a Facebook gaming app called Amazement Park.

The 61 year old iconic strip aknowledges that creating virtual world’s needs to be translated to new screens as well, something Charles Schulz would definitely agree with.

Source: ICON&CO