Here's One Reason Facebook Should Be Nervous About Google+

The general consensus seems to be that Google+ is another half-baked product, and that Facebook has nothing to fear. However, this post goes against popular setiment with a compelling reason: Here's One Reason Facebook Should Be Nervous About Google+

Google+ Project: It’s Social, It’s Bold, It’s Fun, And It Looks Good — Now For The Hard Part

More on Google's social media strategy. Hopefully they will open the gates soon and let us in. Till then, this is all we got. Google+ Project: It’s Social, It’s Bold, It’s Fun, And It Looks Good — Now For The Hard Part

Google’s Own Social Network

Finally the full on attack on Facebook. Tried to register, but it seems they are not taking any new members for the moment. If anyone's got in please do share your experiences and possibly some screen shots. Google’s Own Social Network

Case Study: Meatless Monday

An interesting "behind the scenes" post on how a non-profit reached out to Americans with their Meatless Monday concept.

Aamir is kicking the *beep* out of Big B

In the big battle of the *beeps*, Aamir Khan is kicking the *beep* out of the Big B. I am, of course, referring to the two movies battling it out for *beep*superstardom--Delhi Belly and Buddha Hoga Tera Baap and their online promos. If youtube traffic  is any indication then Delhi Belly is well on its way to becoming the biggest hit of the year.

I calculated over 41 lakh views to the various Delhi Belly promos on youtube...on the first search page alone. Buddha Hoga Tera Baap promos manage a little less than 10% of that traffic, again on the first page of the search result.

The huge viral traffic to the Delhi Belly promos is no coincidence. Aamir Khan is a past master at marketing movies. Every one of his trailers is masterfully crafted and is in fact a story in itself. A prime example of his excellent promo making skills is the one which features Aamir, and which was aired on almost all the channels this weekend. Embedded below for those who had buried their heads in sand and therefore missed seeing it:



Now if you wondering about the *beep* connection of these two movies, well its obvious in the case of Delhi Belly (if you still dont get it check the video again). The Buddha Hoga Tera Baap promos have Bachchan Sr. himself *beep* out the gaalis...so two big *beep* movies launching within a week of each other, but I feel this round has already been won by Aamir.

How Onir Got Money Through Facebook

Forbes India's Director online and close Deepak Ajwani has written about how film director Onir raised money for his movie--I Am--through crowd sourcing. A great example of pre-marketing for the movie as well as an innovative way to raise finances.

Forbes India - How Onir Got Money Through Facebook

Pay with your social network

Now you can use the power of your social media to get products. paywithatweet.com, allows users to download product after tweeting about them or posting on facebook. They call themselves the "first social payment system." 

I have downloaded a social media report from here for the cost of a tweet. Personally, I just love the concept as most authors are giving away tonnes of stuff for free. Now by ensuring some sort of payment in return for your content you ensure you are getting

a) Free publicity--with a high probability of hitting the right target audience
b) Ensuring that your work gets read...no one is going to tweet about a product that is not of relevance to them.

Apart from the obvious PDFs and ebooks, it also might be a good idea to "lock" blogposts and articles. We could for example, have a summary of a blog post and anyone interested in reading the whole post would have to "pay" with a tweet or a FB post. Not sure how this will go, but it certainly is worth a try.

Another excellent viral

Companies are getting a hang of social media. The result is a profusion of great viral videos. This one from an auction house meets every single parameter bang on. No wonder it is such a hit.

5 Clever Ways to Get a Job Using Social Media

5 Clever Ways to Get a Job Using Social Media

Great Viral

Wonderful example of a viral...this one has been produced to promote an Opera--Two Boys. The Opera is about the perils of life online, so the viral is relevant. It is also funny, universal and looks to have been made on a shoestring budget.

How Deloitte used social media to recruit

I've always believed the whole social media phenomenon has more to it than just marketing. It actually encompasses every aspect or function of a corporate. This is a great example of using social media to recruit.