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| Social Network Links Professionals With Free Lunch | | Monday, March 05, 2012 11:57 PM | Joann Pan |
|  The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. Name: GetLunched.com Quick Pitch: GetLunched.com is a new way to make professional connections over lunch. Genius Idea: Everyone loves lunch, but free lunch is even harder to pass up. The idea behind this new social network is to help people connect with each other by introducing a lunchtime barter system to the mix. The creators of this London-based startup think elevator business pitches are more likely to be heard over a big plate of linguini alla vongole. GetLunched.com is social network that lets users extend lunch invitations to people they want to connect with. Individuals extending the offer can propose "I'm Buying," "You're Buying" or "50/50." Users can choose to integrate LinkedIn connections to the system, so rekindling old connections is as easy as making new ones. "People like to help other people out," Matt Bandy, co-founder of GetLunched.com told Mashable. "But, it's not often easy to. There has to be a reason. To buy someone lunch is a nice value exchange -- it could be as long or short as you like." Bandy, who comes from a marketing background, says he learned the power of the lunch hour after years of socializing with clients. These professional relationships have even led to the successful launch of GetLunched.com. "It's based around the idea that there are thousands of connections," he said. "Get Lunched is about making the most of the connections. Lunch is kind of the old-school way of making that exchange." Individuals in a variety of industries may join Get Lunched. Simply create a user profile to specify an industry of interest, headline, location and what you are looking for. Then wait for lunch proposals to roll in. Or, if you are avidly looking for advice, use the website's search option to seek out relevant industry leaders. Invitations can be made through Linkedin, email or on the phone, says Bandy. The layout of the website is comprehensive and easy to use. Users can search profiles by city, postcode, keyword or cuisine. There is also a handy map that tracks where GetLunched.com users are and what people are looking for. As we search within London, across a five-mile radius, there's someone "interested in meeting people with retail sales experience" and another looking for "collaborations in innovation, branding and consumer insight." The startup launched its networking site on Feb. 17. The service is currently only available in the U.K. and by invite only. The two founders are working to build up its U.K. network and support for its mobile apps on iPhone, Android and Blackberry. Mashable readers can use invite code GetLunched-Mashable to fully access the site for free. Contact the GetLunched.com team via the website's comment box when the first 500 invites run out. Bandy hopes to bring the professional lunch social network to the U.S. and other parts of Europe by the end of the year. Pricing plans are as follows. There is a free plan that offers search options and access to lunch deals; a business plan that includes access to all network profiles, ability to invite people you are not connected to out to lunch, access to all lunch deals and access to top lunch deals for £9.50 per month. "It will be like a dating site," Bandy said about the pricing plans. "You can connect with anyone you already have on your Linkedin, connect with emails and other existing networks for free, but if you want to connect with someone new then you'll have to subscribe to a plan." The GetLunched.com creators hope this new product helps individuals connect with the human resources they have around them. "Find out who is around you and be bold. It's the one hour of the day when you can focus on yourself, step away from the desk and reach people to share your ideas with." Image courtesy of Laissez Fare Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today. |
| 5 Huge Digital Marketing Trends You Can't Afford to Ignore | | Monday, March 05, 2012 6:49 PM | Jonathan Gardner |
|  Jonathan Gardner is director of communications at ad company Vibrant Media. He has spent his career as an innovator at the nexus of media and technology, having worked in communications leadership roles and as a journalist around the world. Digital marketing is a discipline in flux. We face an onslaught of shiny new technologies and platforms that promise to "change everything." Marketers are creating similarly breathless headlines, proclaiming the next revolutionary devices/apps/social networks. Yet, even smart marketers don't know what changes the future will bring; but they do need to be aware that their industry is changing every day. For instance, to reach consumers marketers need to be increasingly mobile, engaging, relevant and aware of the contexts in which we currently operate. I don't pretend to know the future. But the decisions and products of Apple, Amazon and other innovators will affect how we live in the years to come. As we anticipate our connected, Minority Report-style future, here are five big marketing ideas to embrace now to get ahead of the curve. 1. Location Services Consumers are out there and many want you to find them. Location features of social apps such as Foursquare, Ban.jo and Path are potential goldmines of important consumer data. The near field communication (NFC) technology in products like Google Wallet is just starting to show its potential. And while privacy issues surrounding location services will need to be resolved, consumers are still demanding that marketers understand all of their daily contexts and find ways to make their lives easier. If the rumors are true and the iPhone 5 has NFC embedded, expect these features to go from leading edge to mainstream. 2. New Ad Formats While new online video and mobile platforms are -- unsurprisingly -- attracting a lot of heat, their marketing spend is still way out of whack, compared to the amount of time consumers spend there. Don't just throw money at these new channels. Instead of pre-roll video ads and other "forced view" options, look to user-initiated solutions that respect the user's time and interests. Research new ad formats that help brands look beyond clutter and "banner blindness," such as in-image ads, which integrate brand messages elegantly within relevant content. 3. User-Generated Curation User-generated curation (UGC) is powered by content discovery apps such as Pulse, Flipboard, Fancy and Foodspotting. Content producers and merchants provide the feeds, and consumers tweak them to suit their interests and contexts, filtering data and curating personalized information platforms. These models can help brands become relevant to consumers and provide the next great opportunities for marketers. For instance, Pinterest has received applause from consumers and marketers alike, and has demonstrated the power that personal curation and relevance can have for engagement. 4. Advertise by Format Everyone is excited about mobile's potential, and tablets present appealing platforms or consumer engagement. If you've decided to advertise on mobile apps, what are you going to do with the user after you get him or her to tap? Will you use the platform to its full potential? Or will you roll out the same old display strategy you've been using online, praying that users will choose to interact with your ad? It's time to get creative and imagine the new possibilities. Media industry guru Ken Doctor points to innovative advertisers who take advantage of the iPad's unique format. "What's better for an insurance company like Liberty Mutual than threatening you with disaster (tornado, earthquake, flood) and then, by simply tilting your iPad see the damage magically disappear," he poses. 5. Integrated Marketing Being relevant to your customer in every context improves brand recall and enhances engagement. Ditch the silos in your advertising strategy (e.g. this is what consumers watch on TV vs. on their phones) and focus on the most important thing -- your customer. In this increasingly interconnected world, consumers are not necessarily thinking in terms of silos. Research shows that 72% of consumers want to be engaged with an integrated marketing approach, but only 39% are receiving that. Google found that consumers had 74% brand recall when the advertiser's integrated strategy carried across mobile, TV and online. While the world is not yet seamless, QR codes and "bridging" apps like Viggle deliver second screen relevance, and can help marketers unleash multiplatform, integrated relevance. Today's profound advancement in tech and media is changing how we interact with and filter our world. Smart marketers can succeed by engaging with the trends that are resonating most with the emerging consumer of today. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, tetsuomorita |
| Power Pinterest User Chosen to 'Live Pin' Event for Fashion Label | | Monday, March 05, 2012 3:55 PM | Brian Anthony Hernandez |
|  Fashion blogger Christine Martinez, the fourth most-followed Pinterest user in the world, has been busy packing for an island adventure and documenting on a Pinboard what she's stuffing into her travel bags. But Martinez isn't pinning to any of the 41 Pinboards on her profile, which nearly 1 million users follow. She's posting on a board created on fashion label Calypso St. Barth's page. Calypso is flying Martinez from California to St. Barth, a french island in the Caribbean, this week to "live pin" a photo shoot for the label's 2012 summer look book. Pinterest can drive significant traffic to retailers' websites, and Calypso looks to capitalize on that behavior by piggybacking on Martinez's success on the social network to attract more attention to its boards and website. Martinez, known as Chrisem on Pinterest, blogs about fashion, dogs and fashion for dogs on her Miles to Style site. She has established her personality on Pinterest as feminine and bright. Her boards, compared to other most-followed users' boards, are noticeably more infused with pink. "The reason this program is primed for success is because Christine is an actual Calypso shopper and her boards embody the Calypso aesthetic," ICED Media's Leslie Hall, president of the digital marketing agency representing Calypso, told Mashable on Monday. "Everything is measured so we can track referrers, traffic, and sales. It's an example of efficient and qualified targeting at scale." Hall devised the Pinterest initiative for Calypso after discovering increases in traffic and revenue referrals from Pinterest in the past six months. SEE ALSO: 8 Strategies for Launching a Brand Presence on Pinterest | Pinterest's User Engagement/a> Martinez will spend March 7-8 in St. Barth, pinning items to Calypso's "Packing for St. Barth" board and creating new Pinboards on her own profile. She says the opportunity fits well with her love for color and beautiful things. Other fashion brands on Pinterest include Ann Taylor, Bergdorf Goodman, Club Monaco, Kate Spade New York, Rent the Runway and Warby Parker, among others. However, Calypso appears to be the first brand to leverage a power user on Pinterest in a "live pin" manner. BONUS: Mashable Readers Hack Their Pinterest Boards Last month, one clever Pinterest user helped us show Mashable readers how to hack a Pinboard to build a creative display. Many readers gave the hack a shot and submitted these gems. |
| Delta Wants You to Shop Amazon While Flying | | Monday, March 05, 2012 2:16 PM | Samantha Murphy |
|  Delta Airlines announced on Monday that it's offering free in-flight Wi-Fi for passengers -- so long as they're using it to access e-commerce giant Amazon. Travelers onboard all Delta and Delta Connection flights with Wi-Fi connectivity will be able to visit and shop at Amazon.com and Amazonwireless.com free of charge. The move is a part of Delta's efforts to invest more than $2 billion in enhanced global products, services and airport facilities through 2013. To access the site, travelers can open their Internet browser on laptops and mobile devices to connect to the airline's Wi-Fi portal, Delta Connect. The platform -- powered by on-board wireless provider Gogo -- also provides free access to real-time travel information, news content from The Wall Street Journal and People magazine, shopping deals and entertainment options. Passengers still have to pay to have full range of the Internet on flights. "Delta continues to offer new technology and innovation that delivers on our customer preferences while they travel with us," said Bob Kupbens, Delta's vice president of marketing and digital commerce, in a statement. "Our customers enjoy our free content options in-flight and free access to Amazon provides a convenient way to shop online at 30,000 feet for things they want on the ground." Delta says it operates the world's largest Wi-Fi-equipped fleet of aircraft, including its entire fleet of 550 domestic mainline aircraft. In total, more than 800 Delta aircraft are equipped with in-flight Wi-Fi service. Do you think more airlines will partner with retailers to offer access to their sites while flying? Let us know in the comments. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, youngvet |
| Sonar Comes to Android, Shows You Who Is Nearby [INVITES] | | Monday, March 05, 2012 1:00 PM | Sarah Kessler |
|  Sonar -- an app that uses Foursquare, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook data to tell you who is nearby and how you're connected -- is launching the beta version of its long-awaited Android app on Tuesday. Whereas previous versions of the app have focused on making connections within specific Foursquare venues, the new Android app uses "nearby" in a more relative sense. Instead of relying solely on Foursquare for location data, it brings Facebook and Twitter into the mix in order to cast a wider net. Through a combination of distance, time and social relevance, it determines the 15 to 25 most relevant people in the general vicinity rather than showing only who is in a specific room. It then plots them on a map. Sonar has similar changes in mind for its iOS app that will roll out within the next week. When you scroll through your list of relevant people, the app shows how you're connected. It notes when you have a LinkedIn, Facebook or Foursquare connection in common, both follow the same person on Twitter or follow each other on any network. The idea is to show you a starting point for conversation, and you can tweet at anyone who you'd like to connect with directly from the app. Other startups such as Highlight and magnetU have also latched on to the idea of showing who's in the vicinity and what they have in common with you. The major difference between Sonar and these other apps is that, by relying on social network location data rather than directly on GPS, the app can include people on your "relevant" list that aren't also Sonar users. "It doesn't tell you just the people on Sonar," CEO Brett Martin says, "it's a measurement of all the social media activity round you." On the other hand, Sonar won't notice somebody who doesn't check in. Other apps that share location between users automatically don't have this problem. Martin says a similar feature for Sonar is "a possibility." The Android beta is invite-only, but you're invited. Use the code "Mashable" to get access. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, gehringj |
| Square App Turns Your iPad Into a Cash Register | | Monday, March 05, 2012 11:38 AM | Todd Wasserman |
|  Square, the mobile payment company, has introduced an iPad app that turns the tablet into a cash register. As the very Apple-like video above explains, the Square Register app plus Square's quarter-sized reader lets you process payments via cash, credit card and even by customer name. The app also lets you add items easily and create a favorites page for popular products. Other perks include detailed real-time analytics, which you can access via the web. Square, which was founded by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, has had an iOS and Android app in the market for processing credit cards, but the new app positions the company more as an all-in-one solution for small businesses. Launched publicly in 2010, Square claimed its 1 millionth vendor in December. While the company doesn't outline what types of businesses are using it most, anecdotally, it seems to have carved a niche among formerly low-tech trades such as food trucks, farmer's markets, dog walkers and Christmas tree vendors, as well as at PTA fundraisers. Such businesses have taken to the iPad. A survey released Monday by The Business Journals found that 34% of small to medium-sized businesses use the device, up from 9% in 2010. (Square isn't planning an app for Android-based tablets.) The company has been looking to broaden beyond that base. One possible way is via New York taxis: This month, the company is pitching a proposal that would replaces Taxi TVs in 50 cabs with an embedded iPad or other tablet PC. Not that growth is necessarily a problem. Square, which gets a 2.75% cut of every transaction using its reader, is processing $4 billion a year in payments, Dorsey tweeted Monday morning. |
| Yahoo CEO Planning 'Significant' Layoffs in Restructuring Effort [REPORT] | | Monday, March 05, 2012 11:02 AM | Pete Pachal |
|  New Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson isn't wasting any time with restructuring the company -- it's reportedly on the verge of laying off thousands of employees, AllThingsD is reporting. Thompson hired an outside firm, Boston Consulting Company, to help the company focus on projects with large growth potential. The other side of that coin is getting rid of areas that are stagnating, and a large portion of the layoffs are going to come from Yahoo's products division, the report says. Also said to be on the chopping block: parts of public relations, marketing, research and regional projects. Yahoo has 14,100 employees, according to its last earnings report. It also has a wide array of products and services, from Yahoo News and photo-sharing site Flickr to small pieces of software such as FoxyTunes. Although Yahoo began to pare down its sprawling portfolio of products under previous CEO Carol Bartz, Thompson appears to be planning to go much further than she ever did. SEE ALSO: Yahoo's Jerry Yang Resigns Thompson's first significant move as CEO was to threaten to sue Facebook over its intellectual property. It did so in a very public way, informing The New York Times at virtually the same time it gave Facebook notice. The move was controversially aggressive, with many seeing it as a desperate move by a company whose relevancy is waning by the day. Thompson is also having a hard time striking a deal that would see Yahoo sell off most of its Asian assets. Investors have put pressure on the company to exit or reduce its involvement in Asia, but talks between the company and China's Alibaba Group and Japan's SoftBank are said to have stalled. What do you think of Thompson's reported plans to chop off big parts of the company? Will it work, or is Yahoo on course for irrelevancy no matter what? BONUS: 5 Recommendations for Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson |
| Foursquare Co-founder Naveen Selvadurai Is Checking Out | | Monday, March 05, 2012 10:08 AM | Todd Wasserman |
|  Foursquare co-founder Naveen Selvadurai announced on Sunday that he is leaving the company. "I've done all I can do and I'm moving on," Selvadurai wrote in a post on his personal blog. He said that the company's third anniversary seemed like a good time to leave. Dennisand I have been discussing timing for a while, and we decided that now, on this anniversary, it feels right to begin the transition," he wrote. "So this will be my last month working at Foursquare. Over the course of the next few weeks, I'm going to be taking a step back as my final projects near their release. " That doesn't mean that Selvadurai will be disconnected from the company. He further explained that he plans to stay on the company's board. "I'll still be advising, and I'm obviously going to be the single most vocal user." Selvadurai wrote that he wasn't sure what he'll do next. "The spring is time for things that are new, and I realize that I have a desire to do something new as well. I'm not sure about my exact next steps, but I'll probably get back to what I love most - being an entrepreneur, learning and building new things." A Foursquare rep offered the following statement about Selvadurai's departure: "When Naveen and Dennis launched Foursquare at SXSW 2009, they had a few hundred beta testers. Now, as we approach our third birthday, we have a community of over 15 million that has checked in over 1.5 billion times. This wouldn't have been possible without Naveen's creativity, vision, and tireless work. We're sad to see him go, but excited to see what he builds next. We can't thank him enough for everything he's done to make Foursquare what it is today." While Selvadurai was fairly vague about his exact reasons for leaving, it's not unusual for a co-founder to scale back his or her involvement after a few years. Twitter's Biz Stone, for instance, announced a similar transition last June, which came after the company's other co-founders, Evan Williams and Jack Dorsey, also rolled back their involvement with Twitter. Reid Hoffman stepped down as CEO of LinkedIn in 2007 after co-founding the company in 2002. Image courtesy of Flickr, dantegeek |
| What You Need to Know Before Running a Facebook Promotion | | Monday, March 05, 2012 9:44 AM | Christine Erickson |
|  This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business. Facebook has become a no-brainer for small business owners looking for an easy way to promote and interact with new and regular customers. But before a small business owner launches a promotion on the platform, there are several things to consider -- and a couple things to keep in mind after the launch. North Social's managing partner David Brody, who specializes in promotion strategy and creative concepts, says that a small business owner should always take the time to craft the right objective, strategy and motivating value-based idea. "By thinking through your promotional effort from start to finish, you're giving your promotion the best chance at achieving social success -- sounds simple right?" he says. "But you can't imagine how many promotions fail because they didn't have a smart plan in place." Building a Better Promotions Strategy Before you rush to put a promotion in place, yourself these simple questions: What am I trying to achieve? How do I plan on achieving it? First you need an objective -- do you want fan growth, someone to sample your product, purchase, data collection or usage? Brody says there are three common strategies to achieve your goals: added value, price discounts and merchandising. More specific examples of tactic would be coupons, product samples, sweepstakes, contests and downloads. Once you've mapped this out, you can determine the type of Facebook application you'll need. Keep in mind that there are a lot of promotions guidelines set by Facebook that small business owners might not know about. One common violation, Brody says, is using Facebook features or functionality as a promotion registration or entry mechanism. "The act of 'liking' a Page cannot automatically enter you in a sweepstakes or contest," he says. "You must also not condition registration or entry upon the user taking any action using any Facebook features or functionality other than 'liking' a Page, checking in to a Place, or connecting to your app." If you're not sure whether your promotion is compliant with Facebook rules related to "like-gating" and entry collection, you could use a Facebook-approved promotion app. You can read the complete Facebook promotion guidelines here. Are Contests For Everyone on Facebook? "The ultimate goal of a running a promotion on Facebook is to inspire action -- not squander away your valuable page traffic," says Brody. "But in order to inspire action -- Likes, shares, engagement -- you'll need to first serve up a meaningful experience or offer up something of value." Keep your audience in mind when planning a prize. Small business owners don't necessarily need cash, cars and vacation trips to entice consumers into your Facebook promotion. Instead, focus on what's valuable to your audience -- informative and entertaining content. Brody suggests digital goods, such as coupons, group discounts, samples, VIP invitations and video previews. Things to Avoid When Running a Promotion Always remember that simplicity is key -- entry to the promotion should be as simple as possible. "The more hoops you make them jump through in order to have a chance a receiving or winning something, the less likely they'll participate -- or tell their friends about it," Brody says. Also, don't rely solely on the fans you already have to push new customers to your promotion. The best-constructed Facebook promotions can still fail without the help of other traffic drivers. It is unlikely, even among the hundreds millions of consumers on Facebook, that users will stumble onto your Facebook Page unless you give them directions, along with an easy way to navigate once they do find you. Brody's advice is to consider the following: "Outside of Facebook ads, which are extremely powerful at delivering new fans, what other marketing touch points do you have at your disposal that could create more buzz for your promotion?" For example, if you sell a product or service offline, you could print a Facebook-only offer on your paper receipts to attract more fans. If your store is online, your packages could include a strong call-to-action, asking customers to join you on Facebook to discover special offers. "Don't assume your current customers already follow you on Facebook," says Brody. "In fact, most of them probably don't." Finally, keep in mind that the Facebook promotion itself is not the end goal. There's an ultimate goal behind it. "Your first goal should always be to get a visitor to take action by 'liking' or sharing your Facebook Page, but your second objective should be to get them to return to your Page and interact with your brand or business on a regular basis," says Brody. Examples Brody suggest are to entertain and inform -- filling their news feed with thought-provoking and valuable messages that entice them to participate with your business. "If you don't deliver 'high perceived-value' on a regular basis, you could find your fans using their own thumb to hitch a ride to your competition's page," he says. More Small Business Resources From OPEN Forum: - Pinterest for Brands: 5 Hot Tips - How Klout Found Success By Focusing On Users - Email Newsletters: Best Practices For Small Businesses |
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