Michael Rabinovici

Tweets, Facebook Posts and Headlines – Is There an Ideal Length?

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According to a recent article in Fast Company Magazine, there are , in fact, optimal lengths for our various missives on social media networks.  The article also provide some backup research.

Here are the highlights:

•    Perfect tweet length was right around 100 characters, resulting in a spike of re-tweets
•    Facebook posts of 40 characters or less receive 86% higher engagement
•    Six word headlines increase the chances that the entire headline will be read (Yes, the research showed that our attention spans have decreased to the point where we not only scan the body of an article or post but the headline as well).

For more fun facts, read the full article here.  Once you do, let me if your own experience backs the research up and how you are addressing it in your own marketing campaigns.

Michael Rabinovici

Why Content Marketing Matters More Than Ever

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An excellent article in Fast Company by LinkedIn’s Jonathan Lister discusses why your content marketing strategy will ultimately decide whether or not customers will do business with you.
Some highlights:

Research shows consumers are 60% through the buyer’s journey before reaching out to brands for help on available options

There are a myriad of ways to gain greater understanding of your audience, but there’s no better barometer than the conversations you hear on the platforms where you have a constant stream of information.

Read the full article here – http://bit.ly/why-content-marketing-matters

Michael Rabinovici

Where is the Social Media Bus Going in 2013?

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In a space that moves so fast, it’s a good idea to follow the companies and publications that are setting the trends. This time, we’re laying our bets on Ryan Holmes, CEO of Hootsuite, one of the web’s leading social media management companies (and Canadian to boot). In an end-of-year article in Fast Company magazine, he crystal balls social media’s path in the year ahead. Some highlights include:

• Social media will move beyond the marketing department

• Big data will grow but get more manageable

• Social media education will become formalized

Click here to read the full article here.

A happy holiday season, and a joyous, healthy, and prosperous new year to you and yours from all of us at AR Communications.

Michael Rabinovici

You Like it Now but You’ll Learn to Love it Later

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Last week, I tweeted that if you only read one business article for the week, it should be the one in I referred to in Fast Company about chaos being the new order. I was wrong. If you only read one business article this year, that’s the one you should read.

The whole subject of chaos, and how we know we should embrace it but yet are afraid of it, is best summed up for me in a few lines from Robbie Robertson’s classic “Somewhere Down The Crazy River”

Wait, did you hear that
Oh this is sure stirring up some ghosts for me
She said "There’s one thing you’ve got to learn
Is not to be afraid of it."
I said "No, I like it, I like it, it’s good."
She said "You like it now
But you’ll learn to love it later."

Indeed we will.

Read the Fast Company article here http://bit.ly/chaos-is-the-new-order

What are your thoughts?  How has your company dealt with chaos? Comment below.

Michael Rabinovici

Dollar Impact of Social Media – How does a Cool Trillion or so Sound?

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One of the most frequent questions we hear from clients relates in one form or another to the dollar ROI from social media.  As the industry matures, more data is becoming available to shed light on this question.

A recent report from the McKinsey Global Institute examines the current usage of social technologies in four commercial sectors:   consumer packaged goods, retail financial services, advanced manufacturing, and professional services.  It concludes that the potential value to be unlocked by leveraging these technologies across the four sectors could potentially contribute $900 billion to $1.3 trillion in annual value.

Although the value that can be captured varies from industry to industry, all of them can benefit.  The key to success? Creating the conditions for the full and enthusiastic participation of employees.

Click here for a copy of the study. Click here for a review of the report in Fast Company Magazine

For the latest information on, and best practices for, Mobile and Social Media marketing follow me on Twitter at Twitter.com/mikerabinovici

Michael Rabinovici

Getting Social In House

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Most companies that have ventured into the social media space have focused almost exclusively on marketing.  Very few have considered the tremendous benefits that can be unleashed by using social media tools within their company.

In a good piece in IT Business, Robert Scheier gives a number of examples, including IBM, where “social networking isn’t just for spreading the word to customers. Employees use an internal Facebook-like network to find colleagues with the skills they need to solve pesky customer problems”.  It is these type of collaboration applications that deliver significant ROI for your business.  Read the full article here – http://bit.ly/ts7QTs

For another excellent article, I suggest “Using Social Media To Improve Employee Communication, Collaboration, And Even Compensation” by Shawn Graham which appeared in Fast Company.  You can read it here – http://bit.ly/tKbzJG

From all of us at AR Communications Inc., a joyous holiday season, and a healthy, happy, and prosperous new year.