1. Facebook Is Still About Distribution

“Timeline is a highly engaging content channel, but one where the content is meant to travel. You don’t want people to spend too much time on the Page, as opposed to sharing it. [Brands] should look at Timeline as a distribution point, as opposed to a destination.”

-  Ian Schafer, founder and CEO of Deep Focus, Mashable

2. Be a Storyteller

“Don’t obsess about your new Timeline cover photo or how a user’s eyeball will scan your new page layout. Rather, spend that time to become the storyteller your brand deserves, because every brand has a story.”

- Jamie Tedford, founder and CEO of Brand Networks, Forbes

3. Watch Out for Noise

“Be mindful of noise in the Timeline. Since the real estate allocated to each post depends on how engaging it is or how much interaction it has received, it can be easy to clutter your Timeline with customer inquiries.”

- Victoria Ransom,  founder and CEO of Wildfire Interactive, Mashable

4. Don’t Be Intimidated by the Layout

“Don’t let Timeline intimidate you. The people who Like your Page have chosen to follow you regardless of the layout, which is why you should be focused on interacting with your followers and sharing quality content. The new interface just supports what you’ve already been doing.”

- Jennifer Beese, Sprout Insights

5. Be Creative and Strategic

“If you’re using Facebook strategically, then this is a big deal: the new layout rewards creativity and innovation. But if you’re operating at a tactical level, then this is just more of the same – another shiny tool to play with.”

- Jonathan Rick, Levick Strategic Communications, RWW

Image courtesy of Flickr, Goiabarea

The Content Strategist is a daily magazine for forward-thinking publishers and content marketers, sponsored and created by Contently

Facebook announced on Wednesday that its new advertising products will allow marketers to display ads on Facebook’s previously ad-free mobile app.

Meanwhile, Twitter announced on its blog on Tuesday that Promoted Accounts and Tweets will now be more mobile than ever:

“With our most recent app updates, Promoted Accounts are now in Twitter for iPhone and Twitter for Android. And in the coming weeks, we’ll begin introducing Promoted Tweets in the timeline on these mobile apps.”

Will these new products entice brands to go mobile with their social advertising campaigns? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Image courtesy of Pocketberry

The Content Strategist is a daily magazine for forward-thinking publishers and content marketers, sponsored and created by Contently

Branded content on TV has definitely backfired before – remember Geico’s “Caveman” series? Chase’s approach sounds creative and on target with its audience, though — the company hopes to appeal to its card member’s “passions,” food and travel.

Plus, there has been a lot of talk about interactive television and its potential. Ashley Swartz, senior VP-ITV practice lead at Digitas, for example, recent told Advertising Age, ““TV is the next great disruptor, which is a paradox, as advertisers look at it as their anchor.”

Does your content fit these objectives? It’s clear that the show will be bolstered by some sort of social media strategy, because Chase’s Preferred card only has some digital copy on their website — unlike its Chase Sapphire Card, which has a lively Facebook page and video stream. But will TV be that “anchor” that traditional marketers are looking for? And will this type of branding really make a difference on the bottom line?

The Content Strategist is a daily magazine for forward-thinking publishers and content marketers, sponsored and created by Contently

Developed by digital strategist Angie Schottmuller, the Triangle of Relevance recognizes the following marketing project completion biases: Business interest, user interest and time significance,” Schottmuller explains in her original post.

The process began as an organized way to double-check that her inbound marketing was working, but has since “proved invaluable” in the planning of her everyday content creation strategy.

Here is her question process:

• Does the landing page appeal to the user’s interests?
• Is the landing page relevant now to visitors?
• Does the landing page serve our business objective?

Does your content currently fit these objectives?

The Content Strategist is a daily magazine for forward-thinking publishers and content marketers, sponsored and created by Contently

“We’re using technology to shift our spending from more traditional advertising and television to digital and mobile advertising,” McDonald explained at a recent Consumer Analyst Group conference. He argued to investors that these cuts wouldn’t hurt P&G’s brands, Advertising Age reports. On the contrary, the company’s budget-cutting efforts aim to show investors how they’re “tapping digital’s lower costs and social power” to “get more bang for their buck.”

Yes, watching companies as big as P&G definitely shows that digital marketing for brands is here to stay. But part of this “plan” includes the cutting of 5,700 jobs – so the win stings. What do you think – will these efforts will pay off?

The Content Strategist is a daily magazine for forward-thinking publishers and content marketers, sponsored and created by Contently

Every industry — from e-commerce to education, fashion to government, and healthcare to sports — seems to have its place on the list.

“The diversity is something you do not really see on any other social network outside of Facebook and Twitter,” the team at Social Fresh notes.

Check out some more surprising categories on Social Fresh’s huge list of brands on Pinterest.

The Content Strategist is a daily magazine for forward-thinking publishers and content marketers, sponsored and created by Contently

In a recent Harvard Business Review article, entitled “Rules For A Social Era,” though, writer Nilofer Merchant argues that having a “big” mindset is causing brands — like Bank of America, Sony, Gap, Yahoo, and Nokia — to miss out on lean operations that may help them increase ROI. This is especially true in the world of social media, she argues.

“When companies think of social media, they hope to get consumers to ‘like’ them or ‘fan’ them, as if that increased connection is meaningful,” she points out. 

It’s true – many of these large companies are still making decisions based on theories of marketing, not strategy. Without measuring ROI, this type of social media use is old-school marketing 2.0, and leaves out the immensely valuable opportunities for relationship building that social media is built on.

Her advice to these brands is to hone in on the niche details of the changing paradigm, and to make them work for their brands. “It will be wholly insufficient to put the word ‘social’ in front of existing business models and expect things to change,” she explains. “Real markets are much more precise.”

The Content Strategist is a daily magazine for forward-thinking publishers and content marketers, sponsored and created by Contently

In its recent blog post, 7 Steps to Marketing With Memes, the team at BlueGrass breaks down just how to use these contagious media objects without appearing cheesy. 

“They’re relatable, encourage discussion, and yield strong emotional reactions,” writer Matthew Branson explains. The list brings up some important points, like being there first, and making changes it if it isn’t working. The list ignores, however, what we find to be a crucial element of branded viral content – elegance.

Yes, it’s a tricky line to walk – but it can yield a huge success, if you can do it right.

We really liked “Sh*t Yogi’s Say” by Lululemon, for example. The yoga lifestyle brand’s video is the perfect way to laugh with a trend, accentuate Lululemon’s brand uniqueness, and resonate with the audience. 

As its star yogi announces her “chakras are aligned,” the brand pokes fun at the very things it loves about its customers. And at the end of the day, yogi’s share it with all of their yogi (and potential Lululemon-loving) friends, making it the perfect viral marketing campaign.

Do you think this is the right way to approach a meme, or is wacky virality a better bet?

The Content Strategist is a daily magazine for forward-thinking publishers and content marketers, sponsored and created by Contently

From custom publishing on cave walls, to Jello’s first recipe book, to the birth of Chief Content Officer magazine, the team at the Content Marketing Institute covers the major milestones of content marketing in its latest infographic. It does a really nice job highlighting the nuanced world of branded storytelling – take a look!

The Content Strategist is a daily magazine for forward-thinking publishers and content marketers, sponsored and created by Contently