I won’t profess to know all the answers about what business leaders want from a business podcast because I don’t. And that is the point of this post. Rather than me pontificating about what I think business leaders want, I thought it was a great time to stop and ask the Social Media Explorer audience what you would want from a business podcast. So that’s what we’re going to do.

Please leave a comment and tell us your answers to these questions or anything else we may have missed.

1. What are the topics you most want to hear discussed on a business podcast?
2. Do you prefer a casual discussion or clear-cut advice?
3. Do you enjoy controversy/debate or hosts that agree?
4. Which of these formats do you prefer? A host interviewing a guest? A single host only? Multiple hosts with no guests? A panel of consistent hosts with no guests? Or a panel of consistent hosts interviewing a guest?
5. If you like interview formats, who do you want to hear interviewed on podcasts? Any specific people? Or any specific types of people, i.e. job titles, brands etc?
6. Also if you like interview formats, do you prefer ad-hoc interviews with questions relevant to the guest or a list of consistent questions that are asked of every guest?
7. What is missing in the business podcasts that are already out there?
8. What do you enjoy most about the business podcasts that are already out there?

Whew, that’s a lot of questions isn’t it! I debated on doing a formal survey or letting you go crazy in the comments and felt that letting you provide your thoughts in the comments would be the most beneficial for creating a useful discussion on the subject. With that…let loose! Add a comment with your answers below. Let’s figure out what business leaders want in a business podcast together.

The post What Do You Want in a Business Podcast? appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Climbing steep learning curves while helping others tread uphill vertically is a challenge. Doing this in today’s world where the rate of information darts at us faster than our Twitter feed scroll can be overwhelming.

Although, with all of the data – from blog posts, slide decks, ebooks, webinars and podcasts available online, one would assume learning would be easy-peasy. However, as Jason Falls would say, “That’s bullshit.”  

And, from a recent post on today’s online content from Tom Webster, there is a dark side to the information highway. In other words, the enormous mass of online content has its limits. As connected as we are in today’s social world, the terabytes of free content, readily available and conveniently accessible – as far as our smartphone is close – can leave us more disconnected and overwhelmed, leading us to more confusion and anxiety than ever.

Best tool to help us as digital marketers and professional social experts? Face-to-face, social media events, like Explore.

I had the privilege to be an event correspondent, or corporate brand journalist for the past four conferences on Jason’s nationwide Explore tour. The purpose of my role was to capture the rich content and report it live through social tools. The final event wrapped up in Portland and as I reflect on the expert sessions and conversations that followed from the networking opportunities, I have discovered 8 top takeaways I’d like to share.

The quality of content from the Explore speakers and their presentations throughout the two day conference could certainly exceed eight takeaways worthy of sharing, however, these are the takeaways that left an impression on me.  With that, I’ll kick off the first takeaway:

The market is talking. Don’t interrupt with your brand blah blah. Listen first.   tweet this >

– Malcolm De Leo, NetBase, @InnovationMuse

Want to compete in today’s multi-screened, real-time marketplace? Brands must “be the media.”  tweet this >

– Michael Brito, Edelman, @britian

The 24/7 real time demand and response of social, called the Immediacy Era will be a game changer for brands.   tweet this >

“57% expect a response instantly when using social tech, according to the Social Habit.” – Tom Webster, Edison Research, @webby2001

Truth still matters. Quantity still matters.  For the sake of credibility, learn how to balance the two to succeed in today’s media. Please, no bullshit.    tweet this >

– Fireside Chat with B.J. Mendelson, Social Media is Bullshit and Jason Falls, No Bullshit Social Media

Communicate to your audience. Know what motivates them and speak in that language. Want to be taken serious in the boardroom? Stop trying to speak in tweets and retweets with your CEO.     tweet this >

– Nichole Kelly, Social Media Explorer, @Nichole_Kelly

Being mediocre is unawesome. Scott Stratten is awesome.  tweet this >

Loyalty used to be about relationships. Today, loyalty is about useful information. Be a YOUtility.  tweet this >

– Jay Baer, Convince and Convert, @jaybaer

Humor, aesthetics and tech adoption can be a powerful differentiator for your brand. When in doubt, add an image of sharks.  tweet this >

– Tim Washer, Cisco, @timwasher

Ask anyone who attended the two day event in Portland, or any of the other event locations throughout the nationwide tour and they will confirm that Explore is chocked full of rich, cutting edge content from top tier digital experts representing some of the most successful brands. In addition to the content that edified our minds, the most valuable piece that I found from Explore was found in the true social networking and face to face community building opportunities.

Want to take a glance of the year in review? Check out Explore on Pinterest. Good times.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this event a rich exploration of social and digital marketing of 2012. Rock on with your awesomeness. tweet this >

The post 8 Takeaways From Portland Explore appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

As part of SME’s five city national tour, Jason Falls and his A-list of speakers are presenting the facts, trends, tips and ideas to benefit the individuals who are tasked to succeed and grow businesses.

Here are some of the highlights from DAY ONE of Explore in Minneapolis.

When you stand on the frontline to today’s digital frontier, what exactly are you needing to forge forward? If you have missed the opportunity to attend Explore in Dallas, Nashville or Minneapolis, it isn’t too late to join the adventure and register to attend a future Explore event in Orange County, California or Portland, Oregon. Click here to Go To Explore.

The post Explore Minneapolis Day One: Nothing Mini About Today’s Explorers appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

At the end of the day brands are on Facebook for a reason. We want to drive fan engagement, sure. But ultimately it’s about driving a financial return to the organization. Every brand has an action that they want their fans to take, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to drive to the right call to action when Facebook keeps stripping away our ability to do it.

With the release of timeline there were some nice features for brands. We can now pin certain posts to the top of the page. That’s cool. And now we can even schedule posts. That’s cool too, but we were already able to do that through third party tools. Way to catch up, Facebook.

Facebook Removes Calls to Action

When timeline was released I was surprised there wasn’t more backlash at removing the ability to have a default landing tab. Default landing tabs helped brands tell first time visitors why they should like their page. Many brands also used their default landing tab to inform visitors about loyalty programs, special offers, and exclusive content. The only option you may have to accomplish this now is on the brands cover image. Too bad Facebook doesn’t want that, either. Their new terms and conditions explicitly say:

“Covers may not include:

i.    price or purchase information, such as ‘40% off’ or ‘Download it on socialmusic.com’;

ii.    contact information such as a website address, email, mailing address, or information that should go in your Page’s ‘About’ section;

iii.    references to Facebook features or actions, such as ‘Like’ or ‘Share’ or an arrow pointing from the cover photo to any of these features; or

iv.    calls to action, such as ‘Get it now’ or ‘Tell your friends.’”

This policy shows a complete disregard for the brands who are supporting Facebook’s revenue stream. I understand that there were some brands that did a poor job of building compelling offers and perhaps led to the creation of this policy, but there were far more who provided fans with value through their calls to action. But the intent is pretty clear.

Facebook Forces Brands to Use Tabs that 54% of Users Can’t See

Another challenge is that if you take the time to build a compelling offer or contest for your fans it must be deployed on a tab. That’s not too bad, right? Well unless your fans are like most of the world and access Facebook through a mobile device. Edison Research reported that 54% of Facebook users access the site through their mobile phone in The Social Habit. And we all know we can’t look at a brand page’s tabs if we are accessing through mobile.

It seems that Facebook wants you to pay for driving action on the platform through the use of ads, offers, and sponsored posts. Zuckerberg has been testing new revenue models, something that he was very protective of prior to the company’s IPO. But it seems that pressure from investors is pushing him to consider new alternatives. Interestingly enough, it doesn’t seem to have connected for him that brands need be able to show the ROI of Facebook before they invest big dollars, which is becoming more and more difficult for marketers to accomplish with these new policies and feature changes.

Facebook wants Revenue. Companies want ROI.

It’s the chicken and egg scenario. Facebook seems to want you to invest more to be able to demonstrate a higher return, and marketers are struggling to try and demonstrate the return on the investment they’ve already made. Who will win? Unfortunately, for now Facebook will likely win this battle. They have the audience and we need to capture the audience. Therefore, we are at their mercy. But Facebook should strongly consider how they treat the brands they rely on. There has been so much focus on making Facebook better for the average user, that it may be time to start focusing on making changes to help brands maximize their ROI.

Facebook is the big dog today, but Zuckerberg should be cautious. He remembers what he was able to do to MySpace which probably seemed like an impossible feat at the time. If a new network comes along that can capture their users with a better interface, cooler features and makes it easy for brands to achieve positive ROI for participating, they could very well be at risk. But we know that will take a couple of years, so for now, we will deal with your shortcomings while we try to engage our fans. But until Facebook figures out that conversions are the name of the game, we will continually sit in board rooms trying to justify your existence to executives who aren’t in it to be cool. They want to make money. So does Facebook. There has to be a happy medium somewhere that doesn’t revolve around an advertising model. That’s so 2000 and late Zuckerberg.

So let’s tell Facebook exactly what we need to be able to demonstrate a higher return on investment to our executive teams. This is your chance to share your ideas on how Facebook can become brand friendly. What features do you want for your brand pages? What metrics are you longing for? What changes have been made to your brand page that leave you saying WTF? What would you be willing to pay for?

Leave a comment and tell the Facebook team exactly what they need to do to start supporting the brands who pay their bills. 

The post Is Facebook Anti-ROI for Brands? appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Furthering frustration is the fact that few companies focus solely on social media or social networking market research yet. So we’re left with Pew Internet & American Life and a few other cursory surveys from a handful of companies that choose to share what they find.

… with the exception of Edison Research, Arbitron and their combined effort called The Social Habit. Since 1998, these two research powerhouses have been conducting representative sample research on new media and our use of it. Tom Webster, formerly a regular writer here at SME and Edison’s Vice President, Strategy and Marketing, oversees the study. While Tom is a friend and (for disclosure’s sake) Edison is a sponsor of SME’s Explore digital marketing events, I’ve always considered The Social Habit to be the most detailed and scientific of all user behavior studies around social media.

The newest version of The Social Habit is out now and was unveiled at Tom’s presentation at Blog World & New Media Expo in New York on Tuesday. I took notes, along with hundreds of others. But you can get the download of the research by simply going to The Social Habit website and signing up for it. The free download will include insights on social networkers and how they compare to the broad U.S. population. It will show you who is using sites like Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Groupon, YouTube and more and how they’re using it. The insights include lots of information about mobile marketing as well.

And yes, you’ll see that me, Mark Schaefer and Jay Baer are there, too. We’ll be taking part in building and analyzing future Social Habit research. More to come on that soon. For now, get the research. It’s what folks like me memorize to quote throughout the year. You should download your copy of the new Social Habit information now. Jump over and do so! You’ll learn something new, for certain.

The post The Social Habit Research Now Available appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Note that I did not say acquiring user accounts, which appear to to be growing at a steady clip, but much of that growth is either from simply entering new markets around the globe or from existing users establishing multiple accounts for businesses, brands or even events. Here is what I do know: in the first quarter of 2010, Edison (my company) produced a nationally representative study of Twitter usage in America that pegged the percentage of Americans 12+ using Twitter at 7%. Now, the Pew Internet and American Life Project has released its December 2010 figures, showing Twitter usage at 8% of online Americans 18+. To make this comparison slightly more apples to apples, however, the Pew figures, which are amongst online Americans only, can be adjusted to all Americans, which drops their percentage down to 6% of Americans 18+.

So many of the findings of the new Pew report are in complete lockstep with the earlier Edison data (the higher percentages of young adults and minorities that use Twitter, for example) that the two studies genuinely reinforce each other. No matter how you slice these numbers, the conclusion is inescapable. Here we have two, highly credible and properly sampled consumer research polls that show, accounting for margin of error, that Twitter’s growth in actual human American users is statistically flat. In other words, in the 10 months between the sampling frames for the Edison data and the Pew data, the percentage of Americans using the service does not appear to have budged to any statistically significant degree.

So, whether you are a Twitter enthusiast or a Twitter investor, you have to reconcile what are, on the surface, two contradictory pieces of information – one, that “user accounts” are growing at a healthy clip; the other, that users are not. Are there new users joining the service every day? Surely. What counting user accounts does not tell you, however, is how many users are leaving the service every day, abandoning those user accounts. I’m not suggesting that there is, in fact, a high churn rate amongst Twitter users – I am merely offering that we don’t know.

Facebook in this country has crossed the chasm from early adopter channel to becoming a mainstream communication platform. These data suggest that Twitter has come right up to the edge of that chasm, but has yet to make the leap. Do you agree? Do you sense that this is true for your business, or have you seen evidence to the contrary? What do you think it will take to propel Twitter across that consumer adoption chasm, and into the lives of mainstream consumers?

Related articles

• Twitter’s valuation soars with new funding (marketwatch.com)
• Twitter Uniques Flat Since July, Still Worth $4 Billion? (socialtimes.com)
• Why Twitter just raised $200m. (swombat.com)

The post Will Twitter Cross The Chasm? appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

The research, far more reliable than most API scrapes you’ve read about recently, echoes Citibank’s report last week that asserts the vast majority of small business owners don’t even use social media. The simple fact of the matter is social media evangelists, enthusiasts and addicts make up a small portion of the population and, though trendy and early-adopter-ish, have a long way to go before their advice holds water with the real world.

That’s not to say that social media isn’t important or a trend worth incorporating into marketing. Just that we should balance our enthusiasm for the new and cool with a dose of reality. Most people don’t get this world and need more education than marketing advice.

I’m working on it.

The Edison/Arbitron report, unveiled in a webinar today by author Tom Webster, Vice-President for Strategy and Marketing for Edison, pulls data from a nationally representative survey of almost 2,000 Americans age 12 and over that was conducted via telephone interviews in February of this year. The data was laid over similar studies from 2008 and 2009, giving us probably the most comprehensive and statistically accurate representation of Twitter-related use statistics to date.

The report contains a bevy of updated stats and new insights into both Twitter and general social media usage. I’ve downloaded it for use in talking to clients and conference audiences moving forward. You should, too.

The report can be found on the Edison Research website.

The post More Proof The Echo Chamber And Reality Aren’t Related appeared first on Social Media Explorer.