By MATT SCHULER, Digital Architect, Marx Layne

Millions of people were watching President Barack Obama Sunday night as he declared American forces had killed Osama Bin Laden.

It was a late-night speech. If you had gone to bed early, there’s a good chance that you didn’t hear the news until the next morning.  But the White House drove viewers to the president’s speech and they did so through social media.  You don’t “break” news on TV or in the paper any more, and a lot of people knew what was going on before it was announced on the news.

Jon Stewart made the point a few minutes into “The Daily Show” on Monday.

While the media was broadcasting a preview, people were talking about what was actually happening on social networks.

Maggie Fox make the point in her post Osama Bin Laden, The White House and Social Media.

“I stand in awe of the White House and their masterful understanding of how news is now realtime, and the role that Twitter plays in the information cycle as “circulatory system”. Knowing that seeing the President announce that Public Enemy #1 is dead, and making that emotional connection, human to human, is of critical importance, the White House brilliantly managed information release around the announcement.”

Fox also has an exceptional timeline of the events as they unfolded that evening:

10:00 – watching CNN, we were informed that there was to be an important announcement regarding “national security” at 10:30 – Twitter immediately lit up with speculation

10:20 – the announcement is delayed, and strong speculation that it’s about Osama Bin Laden’s death starts to emerge

10:25 – Twitter is on fire, with a tweet from a CBS news Producer (with fewer than 4500 Twitter followers) confirming a leak that Bin Laden is dead retweeted over 1000 times

10:50 – The White House invites Facebook users to discuss the pending announcement (where the Presidential address is also scheduled to be broadcast)

10:53 – print media demonstrates where it can’t compete so well, with a journalist for a major national magazine noting that this announcement was going to “profoundly screw up” their Royal Wedding edition.

11:15 – Osama Bin Laden’s death confirmed by the White House

11:22 – We’re still waiting for the President to speak on TV

The administration used social media masterfully to drive the audience to the television. By doing so, the ratings were huge.  In fact, if you look at the picture below from Mashable, you’ll see that it was his highest rated speech of his presidency.  The president’s speech drew half as many viewers as the Super Bowl.  A lot of people tuned in and it’s there’s a good reason why.

Then it all goes back to the man who was tweeting live as the operation was taking place.

In the end, the world’s most wanted terrorist is now dead and the Barack Obama administration provided a textbook example of how to channel an audience through social media engagement.

By MATT SCHULER, Digital Architect, Marx Layne

“Social Media has created a human filter for quality content,” writes Vadim Lavrusik for Mashable. It’s the lede of his article on “Why Social Media Reinvigorates the Market for Quality Journalism.”

I’d like to take the premise a step further, because social media really reinvigorates the market for nearly everything.

Just as ten years ago, Google made it easier than ever to search for something online, now with social media it’s easier than ever to get a friend’s or acquaintance’s opinion to help you make a better decision.  That decision could be any number of things, from the meaningful decisions we seek guidance on every day, to the less meaningful ways to spend five minutes on the internet: looking at a captioned picture of cats, watching a video of a adolescent girl turning to the Dark Side, reading an article of what happens next in the latest Facebook lawsuit.

In both respects, social media is raising the quality of sharing information. There are funnier times being spent on the internet and more informed decisions are being made every day.  Just recently, a couple of friends were looking to buy a new car. They turned to Facebook and their friends there and ended up making a great purchase.  Then a week later, a mutual friend was starting his new car purchase.  He was told to look back to the previous advice shared on the social network and is closing in on making his decision as well.

We can trust the personal recommendations that our friends make because they are friends. Similarly, there’s a growing value in the social media space because of that human filter for quality content. We don’t have to rely on an algorithm; we can rely on a person. In social media, if someone makes a bad recommendation or if that link just wasn’t funny enough, it’s easy to unfollow them. Similarly, if someone keeps making quality suggestions and gives informed opinions, it’ll be easier to take their advice when looking to make the more meaningful decisions we often face.

By MATT SCHULER, Digital Architect, Marx Layne

There’s some great information to be had in a new infographic making the rounds today. Click on the image to the right to see it full-sized.

One of the most interesting bits, taken from the data, is that there seems to be a search plateau over the last two years.  People are still joining social networks at high numbers, but they’re getting to them in different ways.

Another fascinating point on the graphic is the networks that are on the decline. MySpace and Friendster are both showing a rather precipitous fall since 2009.  All the while, sites like Tumblr, StumbleUpon and Reddit are taking off.

From my perspective, I like the quick-sharing nature of the sites like Reddit. I can glance at the top stories, see if there’s anything interesting and if I want to dive into the comments, I can.  Reddit even offers motivation for submitting stories and making worthwhile comments with its Karma system.  People can get up-voted or down-voted accordingly to the content they submit.

There’s a lot of good information on the graphic, including some interesting extremes. Click the image to expand the view.  Of course, the largest social network is still Facebook and Twitter still has nearly 200 million accounts. It’s good to see where the tremendous growth is happening.

By MATT SCHULER, Digital Architect, Marx Layne

If you’re running your own business, you’re living a busy life. 40-hour workweeks are a starting point, and more likely you’re pouring in 60+ hours. This doesn’t bother most entrepreneurs though, because their business is their passion.  They want to see a grand idea through to its end. No one knows the direction of a business better than its founder, but should that founder be doing everything?

Even in a small business, doing everything can be overwhelming.  The layers of strategy to successfully promote, manage and run a business are adding up every day. Reminded of the children’s movie “Shrek”, run a business successfully and you’ll have a pretty big onion.

“There’s a lot more to [businesses] than people think,” says Shrek. Of course, I substituted “businesses” there for “ogres” but the point remains the same. If you’re successfully running a business, there are going to be a number of areas that you need support on.

Mashable asked the question in an article this morning, “Should You Outsource Your Social Media Efforts?”  At Marx Layne, we manage a number of social media accounts successfully for businesses of varying size, so emphatically I’d answer yes.  There can be a great advantage to giving social media control over to a firm that understands your goals and has an appreciation of the layers of your business.  It’s a partnership.

The Mashable article references a survey of 8,500 small businesses across the U.S. that reports more than two-thirds of small merchants use social media.  In the same survey, more than one-third of those companies say “lack of time and resources is their top online marketing challenge.” Combining the two, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that Mashable does, small businesses need support for social media.

Outsourcing your social media efforts can be benefical, but each business is different and has different pros and cons to outsourcing the work.  Mashable has some great questions you should ask yourself if you’re looking to ease the burden on social media. The questions and some snippets are below, but make sure to check out the full answers in the article.

Can effective social media drive your business growth?

While investing in social media might make sense for an online merchant or local restaurant, a small tax preparation service or local plumber may have more difficulty justifying the time and effort. These businesses may get a better return on their time and money by ensuring that their business shows up in online searches, or by engaging with customers for positive reviews.

How well is your social media working today?

An experienced social media marketing consultant has the advantage of thinking about social media 24/7 — with multiple clients, they’re also sharing the cost of staying ahead of the curve. They not only know what works, but they also have the luxury of experimenting and trying new things with different clients.

Could outsourcing free up your time to focus on business operations?

Even if you’re pretty savvy when it comes to social media, you wear many hats as a business owner… and you probably want to have a life outside of work. For some businesses, the choice to outsource social media comes down to the relative value of their time.

How do you measure ROI?

Make sure you’ve established some measurable goals to ensure that your social media spending is moving the needle for your business.

By MATT SCHULER, Digital Architect, Marx Layne

On Twitter or Facebook, conversations usually happen in small clusters. I’ll respond to what someone else has written or they’ll respond to me and the conversation continues. There’s increased likelihood that others will chime in if the conversation is on Facebook, but it also happens frequently enough on Twitter among friends. The important takeaway for businesses is that the conversation groups are small, so you have to think small.

Brian Sheehan writes as much on AdAge in his article, Why Big Brands Are Dominating Social Media, “the emergence of the web, and especially social marketing, now means the highway to success now has many more ‘on ramps’ for smaller companies. So why is it, then, when we look at some of the most effective forms of social marketing, big marketers are vastly out-performing smaller ones?”

It’s an important question because on Facebook and Twitter everyone has an equal footing. Everyone can drive on the “highway”, as Sheehan calls it, because of these on ramps. To take the analogy a step further, it’s important for companies to not just get on the freeway but to actually drive. If a company has a presence on Twitter, Facebook or other social networks, but isn’t actively updating then it’s about as useful as a stranded car blocking the left lane of the highway.

Sheehan points to resources playing a big factor an in an example writes, “Pepsico’s Gatorade has a group of full-time staff who man their “Mission Control” room, monitoring and participating in social media 24 hours a day. Smaller brands may not be able to afford that.”

With varying sizes of companies come varying levels of expectations. If I’m looking for a response from a major corporation, I’ll expect quicker than if I was hoping for a response from a city shop. I think most people can understand that the timing will be different, but they would like to actually get a response.

One way to overcome the resource gap is through creativity. “Big marketers may have access to more creative talent, but small brands need to demand from themselves a higher level of creativity,” writes Sheehan. “Small companies are known for their entrepreneurialism and imagination.”

He’s right. When one customer comes to a mega-corporation with one question, they’ll get one answer. That conversation is just as small as the one I have with friends, but it’s not being overlooked as insignificant because small conversations add to create a level of dominance in the social media field.

An effective social media strategy will be one that incorporates large, creative ideas into influential posts that can be shared quickly in small conversations.

By MATT SCHULER, Digital Architect, Marx Layne

I wasn’t entirely surprised when I read the headline “Why The New York Times eliminated its social media editor position” on Poynter. In fact, when you look at how the New York Times has approached social media, it’s one of the best and that’s why the NYT’s social media editor Jennifer Preston is changing positions.

“Social media can’t belong to one person; it needs to be part of everyone’s job,” Poynteer quotes Preston as saying. “It has to be integrated into the existing editorial process and production process. I’m convinced that’s the only way we’re going to crack the engagement nut.”

This is true for everyone who’s interested in social media strategy. You have to take the Three Musketeers approach of “All for one and one for all.”

Mallary Jean at Poynter writes, “The move is part of the Times’ efforts to more fully integrate its print and digital operations. It’s also an acknowledgment that social media needs to be — and is already — a shared responsibility.”

That last part is key. If you’re attempting to drive engagement with an audience, you have to be ready to do it all the time. The same key points Jean makes for helping journalists effectively use social media, can be translated to helping brands use social media.

“What did I hear at the very beginning?” Preston is quoted. “‘Twitter is all about what people are having for lunch.’ Now, no one says that anymore.”

For the uninitiated, social media interaction and engagement can be strange and off-putting. People may think it’s just for over-sharers, but they’d be missing the larger point. Jean writes, “Times staffers regularly use social media to publish real-time news and updates for breaking stories and live events. Some departments… have started using Facebook to help seed communities around areas of content.” The New York Times is acting like a brand in that regard, because it’s seeking to group like-minded people with things they enjoy.

“Hiring a social media editor is an important first step for newsrooms, Preston said. But she sees the social media editor as more of a temporary role than a permanent one. It becomes less necessary, she said, once more people in the newsroom start regularly using social media.” Preston makes another key point there, that as everyone becomes more involved in social media aspects, it’s less vital that you need someone exclusively dedicated to it. The goal is that eventually, people won’t need to be reminded about the importance or use of social media and that it becomes natural.

Within a PR agency, the public relations work we do now links and overlaps extensively with social media. Where one used to write a release and send it out, now the message can be shared and distributed in more ways and following up can be a more engaging process.

By JENNIFER L. CHERRY, Vice President, Marx Layne

The owners of businesses, no matter how small or large, should take heed from the adage “Fish where the fish are.”

Consumers are extremely active in social media and getting so comfortable with their mobile devices that they want to do more with them.

Keep in mind that people are talking about your business online whether you’re on social networks or not, so join the party and put your own spin on things. The biggest hurdle for a company to get involved in social media was explained by a Ford Motor Co. executive, who said the hardest thing is to let go of your brand and let consumers run with it. Mind you, Ford has been successful in its social media efforts. Costs are relatively low for such high potential.

Consider: Facebook has more than 500 million users and Twitter now has 175 million registered users.

Social media sites like Facebook aren’t normally places where consumers actually buy goods, but are virtual gathering spots where they learn or reveal what’s cool and can build consideration for your products or services.

Nevertheless, some companies have added “Buy Now” buttons on their social media pages. While these outfits haven’t revealed what kind of sales volumes they’re seeing from this, there’s little downside since it doesn’t cost much to add this feature. It’s about being where the buyer is when they make the decision to buy.

Social media can expand your customer base via existing clientele writing about your products or their positive experiences in your establishment. Executives may fret about the potential of customers writing negative things, but the benefit in this case is quicker awareness of a problem and the opportunity to rectify it.

WE’RE GOING MOBILE

Cooler smart phone technology has really caught on. Americans are using them more to do more, whether post on social media sites, check email or search for information.

When it comes to shopping, consumers in the not-too-distant past, used the devices for information and in-store price comparisons. But now than they’re more comfortable with the devices they want to complete their transactions.

Outfits like Square, a mobile credit card provider, lets them do that. A cheaper and less bulky alternative to traditional, wireless credit card machines, Square lets business owners accept credit card payments by plugging its jack into the headphone of iPhone, iPad or Android device. Best Buy customers can even complete a transaction using the Best Buy Mobile app.

Major national retailers started using a free smart phone app for customers called Shopkick this summer that rewards in-store shoppers with points towards gift certificates. Shoppers automatically “check in” at the stores when they walk in with the app running and collect points for different behavior, like picking up merchandise, going into dressing rooms or to cash registers.

This app can help the retailers learn about in-store shopping patterns that could result in better layouts and product selection.

By MATT SCHULER, Digital Architect, Marx Layne

It’s not incredibly hard for me to imagine what life would have been like in the Wild West (or the American Old West as it’s referred to on Wikipedia) because I’ve such great examples from Hollywood. Back to the Future 3, anyone?

It was the time of outlaws, Jesse James, Billy the Kid, the Dalton Gang and Butch Cassidy. People lived life on the frontier, where the laws of the land still hadn’t caught up with the rules of the road.

The only thing that’s hard for me to imagine is how long the period lasted. From the mid 1830s to about 1920, there was a sense of adventure for those living in the Wild West.

Right now, we’re still in the early days of the web. Sure, it’s been 20 years from Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau invented it, but it’s still relatively young compared to other technologies. It’s easily comparable to the frontier life because things are still being developed. The laws of the land still haven’t caught up with the rules of the road.

Looking just at clever map of online communities created by XKCD, one can see the truly expansive nature of the web we roam. But there’s something missing from the map, and it’s the same thing Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg pointed out on a similar map at the Web 2.0 Summit.

“The biggest part of the map has to be uncharted territory,” Zuckerberg is quoted as saying by TechCrunch. “This map makes it seem like it’s zero-sum, but it’s not. We’re building value, not just taking it away from someone else.”

Just like the Wild West and frontier life in America was building value for the U.S.A., there are hundreds, if not thousands, of companies building value on the web. 25 years ago, Microsoft released Windows. 12 years ago, Google was working in a garage. 6 years ago, Mark Zuckerberg launched thefacebook.com.

Now we have more ways to share and market our ideas than ever. There are ways to use social media to optimize your strategy and get your message out in a broad way. These ways are constantly changing, and as Zuckerberg said the biggest part of the internet roadmap has to be uncharted territory.