They changed the logo to a Sans Serif font, one without much variation in thickness.

Here’s a brief explanation from Google explaining the change:

So why are we doing this now? Once upon a time, Google was one destination that you reached from one device: a desktop PC. These days, people interact with Google products across many different platforms, apps and devices—sometimes all in a single day. You expect Google to help you whenever and wherever you need it, whether it’s on your mobile phone, TV, watch, the dashboard in your car, and yes, even a desktop!

 

Today we’re introducing a new logo and identity family that reflects this reality and shows you when the Google magic is working for you, even on the tiniest screens. As you’ll see, we’ve taken the Google logo and branding, which were originally built for a single desktop browser page, and updated them for a world of seamless computing across an endless number of devices and different kinds of inputs (such as tap, type and talk).

 

It doesn’t simply tell you that you’re using Google, but also shows you how Google is working for you. For example, new elements like a colorful Google mic help you identify and interact with Google whether you’re talking, tapping or typing. Meanwhile, we’re bidding adieu to the little blue “g” icon and replacing it with a four-color “G” that matches the logo.

They seem to be using the dots as a pre-loader image for apps and devices, which will show a playful side to the boring waiting GIF’s we are all used to.

Also, they added a new icon that will be used across apps and as a favicon in your browser:

In my opinion the logo change is a good one. I feel that it was only time before they changed the font to a Sans Serif, especially after already flattening the original font that was beveled. Of course you will see all kinds of hate comments when a company makes even a subtle change to their logo, but that’s part of it I guess!

Here are some comments on the change:

What are your thoughts on the new Google logo?

“We were heavily influenced by Swiss design with its grid layouts and strong typography, which you’re seeing across the company,” says Scott Erickson, senior director, brand and creative at Microsoft. “This is something I believe in deeply.”

What do you think about this branding move?

The tablet is called Way-C, which means “light of the stars,” while the smartphone is called Elikia, which means “hope,” according to Mashable.

VMK claims Elikia is “probably the best entry-level choice for mobile users who wish to be dynamic and connected.” The use of the word “probably” leaves me questioning both the company and its copywriter, but that’s beside the point.

“All options and features of an Android smartphone and more exciting applications, faster download, a Wi-Fi connectivity and GPS on an intuitive interface and attractive user,” writes the VMK website.

Looking at the advertising photos of Elikia, it’s hard not to agree that this is one sexy looking smartphone, possibly even giving Apple a run for its branding money. After all, Elikia has “highly qualitative design with curves studied in order to ensure both a timeless, elegant and modern making you almost forget it is a entry-level product!” (Again, we’ll ignore the number of grammatical errors there. Let’s focus on the product’s appeal.)

In addition to the “elegant and modern” design, the Elikia features a camera with 5 megapixels and autofocus. It also has a front camera of 0.3 megapixels specifically for “self-portraits and video calls.”

For the gamers out there, this African designed smartphone has you covered: VMK has created a multimedia experience that adds a “healthy dose of technology and performance,” meaning that it’s capable of playing games, and sharing files from “your usual applications like on your computer.”

At the time of writing, the tablet is about the size of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab and costs approximately $300. The Android-based smartphone runs for about $170 without a contract. We’ll have to wait and see if Elikia catches on in either the United States or Africa. In the meantime, they really need to hire a better copywriter.

• Competitive analysis allows companies to assess what the competition offers consumers.
•  Tracking data uncovers information about potential clients, their preferences, and spending habits, which show risks and opportunities.
•  Listening platforms can check social media posts to discover hot trends, consumer opinions, and sales leads.
• Branding intelligence creates extraordinary opportunities for custom advertising geared to match viewer preferences.
• Companies get direct comments about new industry developments, trends, and topics from end-users instead of relying on third-party data.

The Phorm CrunchBase profile allows companies and consumers to gather vital information about social media networks such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Tagged, and LinkedIn. This valuable intelligence helps aggressive marketing companies leverage browsing information from generic ISPs to target consumers with relevant advertising and protect viewers’ security by advising them of potential scams on the websites they visit.
Businesses have increased social media advertising budgets, but few companies spend more than $10,000. Companies fear the cost of hiring staff to manage social media promotions, but accurate targeting and metrics analysis lead to great financial results. Companies like Phorm offer companies the ability to target customers in fully integrated marketing campaigns.
Most companies struggle to measure their returns on investments, and advertising results often prove ambiguous. Social media advertising allows companies to take part in direct dialogues with their customers, and this increased exposure helps strengthen customer loyalty. More than 88 percent of marketers consider exposure the top benefit of social media networking. Only 10 percent of small businesses have no plans to advertise in the social media in 2012. Companies invest valuable resources in the networks, and more efficient targeting and analytics make these investments pay profitable dividends.

Unfortunately for many people getting the professional assistance of a branding expert is typically beyond their budget limitations.

Until the day comes when business picks up to the point where you can afford that kind of outside help, there’s a few things you can do yourself to improve your business’s brand online.

It just demands a little creativity and a willingness to put yourself out there for the world to see, because otherwise nobody is ever going to find you.

You need to get involved with social media.

Anyone running a private practice, contracting service or business must understand that social media is the cheapest, simplest way to get in touch with prospective customers. A Facebook account can be where you found a fervent fan base.

For example the folks who started StorageMart were one of the first business independents who saw the potential of Facebook friendship in getting more business, which resulted in their storage unit service sales exploding.

Tweeting can keep your product or service fresh in the minds of previous clientele and give you an available means to market deals and new offerings without spending a penny.

Social media is probably the most important part of business branding.

But don’t forget about search engine optimization. Google your name one day or the name of your business and see what other words people are adding to it when forming search phrases, which usually appear before you type them.

If there’s something potentially destructive, you might want to consider getting in touch with a reputation management service.

They’re sensibly priced for small fry capitalists, but if you can’t afford it then do a little bit of amateur SEO augmentation and find blogs and other smaller veins of the social media system and increase the amount of constructive content about you and your business.

The more websites and webpages wherein you’re cited as a highly regarded business, the more likely search engine results will work for you and not against you.

Until the day arrives when your massage parlor or law practice gets so many Twitter subscribers that you have to hire an assistant just to Tweet back for you, personal branding might have to remain a personal responsibility.

But if you’re independent, it’s essential. If you’re an entrepreneur, it should come natural.

Facebook for Branding & Marketing

I think it’s a given that businesses and marketers are now realizing the important role that Facebook plays in their overall marketing strategy.

From Facebook fan pages, to groups, and even to profiles, those with commercial interests are becoming increasingly curious as to how to leverage this thing called “Facebook”.

I want to talk for a moment to those of you who have a business (a brand, products, services, etc…) and who also have a web presence outside of Facebook (a website, blog, or both).

What I want you to know is that there are tools in existence, right now, that can help you capitalize (build, expand, leverage) on your Facebook branding and marketing efforts that are actually working at building your audience, and eject those efforts that are doing nothing for you.

There are tools out there, right now, that will tell you for example which blog posts – out of all of the total articles on your blog – are the most engaging.  Meaning, which blog posts are generating the most sharing, like’ing, commenting, etc… throughout Facebook.

These numbers are important because they tell you what’s working and what’s not.  More importantly, they show you what to focus on and what to eject.

Facebook Analytics

I’m going to just coin the term right now and call these numbers “Facebook analytics”.

Facebook analytics are critically important because it helps you – the marketer, business owner, consultants, SEO’s, writers, bloggers, etc… – work smarter, not harder.

With Facebook analytics, you’ll work smarter because the more data you collect, and the more this data is formatted in a way that educates you on what’s working – and even more importantly, what’s not working – you are ultimately optimizing your workflow and your efforts.

And overtime, this iteration process is like a natural evolution where each new input you produce equals a better return on your efforts.

The Facebook index score

Let me use an example before I show you two tools that I find myself gazing out continuously throughout my day.  And this example I take right from this blog, Social Media SEO.

I have over 3,500 articles within this blog.

Somewhere around 9 out of 10 articles, I will syndicate and share through my SMSEO Facebook Fan Page.

You’ll notice on each of the articles here at my blog, there are sharing tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Digg, StumbleUpon, etc…

Facebook is, by far, the highest volume sharing tool on my site.

So naturally, since Facebook produces the most sharing, engagement, and interaction, I would want to analyze and optimize my efforts to build upon that success.

So one of the tools I use is a plugin for my WordPress blog called Facebook Share Statistics.

This amazing little plugin will analyze the Facebook activity across all 3,500 plus articles within my blog – that is, all of the Facebook sharing, commenting, and like’ing that occurred for each article.

And then I can isolate the top 350 articles (you can do less if you’d like), and it ranks the articles according to what I call a Facebook index score.

Basically, for each article, it adds up the total number of Facebook shares, comments, and likes, and those equal one number.  That one number is what I’m calling the Facebook index score.

This tool then analyzes and ranks all of the articles within my site and shows me, ranked from highest to lowest, the top 350 articles in my site that have the highest Facebook index score.

Here’s an image of my current Facebook index score – or table:

I’m hoping you are seeing the importance of what I’m talking about here…

Because now I’m able to see, in one simple graph, the top 5 or 10 articles – out of my 3,500 plus articles – the ones that have generated the most activity and engagement on Facebook.

If I’m wanting to work smarter, and not harder – which I think we all would want to do – I’d realize that also tells me what type of content – from titles, to subject matter – what type of content my readers find the most compelling.

And if I’m smart, I would write more content about those subjects… right?

It’s like forgetting what doesn’t work, and focusing on what does work – continually expanding on the positive, and ejecting the negative.

Facebook Fan Page insights

The second tool that I use continuously is the Facebook Fan Page insights tool.

Now this tools, which is found at the right of your Facebook Fan Page while you’re logged in as an admin, will tell you also the top 10 articles that are receiving the most interaction and engagement except that Facebook calls these “interactions” and “feedback”.

After you click on the “View Insights” link on the right hand side of your Facebook page, look in the top left corner under “Page Insights” and click “Interactions” > now scroll down a bit and look to the right of that graph and click “Interactions”.

This will sort the top 10 wall updates according to “interactions” from highest to lowest.

Here’s my current insights graph ranked by “interactions” > “graph”:

Now for my Facebook fan page, since I’m pretty much initiating new wall updates with new articles I’ve written on my blog, this graph is important because it tells me what type of content is the most engaging for the fans of SMSEO.

Again, if I want to continue to deliver content that the fans of my page enjoy engaging with, I will focus my efforts that type of content.

Conclusion

Facebook is an amazing marketing platform to build your brand, reputation, and actually engage a growing audience of followers who actually enjoy engage with you or your brand.

And by using tools like that ones I’ve described above, you can become a much smarter, and be much more effective, with branding and marketing your business – continually learning what your audience likes the most, and what they like the least.

Ultimately, what we are talking about here is a marketing strategy that’s all about building relationships and fans – not about spamming and trying to leverage the law of numbers.

And with the tools I described above, you can start the process of building a larger audience of real people who actually enjoy engaging with your brand, which in turn gives your brand a wider range of leverage, exposure, and relevance in the marketplace.

What about you?

What are some analytical tools you have found useful that helps you build your brand and connect more effectively with your audience?

Facebook Analytics image from Handshare20.com

D. Offer writes about the iPad in Tokyo Businesses. Offer operates Chit Chat, a Facebook chat client that enables you to chat on Facebook without a web-browser.

Launched as a rival to notebook computers, the iPad is now being put to the test in Tokyo’s business sector as more and more companies wake up to the possibilities of Apple’s hugely popular product.

Known as ‘the land of the rising gadget’, Japan has long been synonymous with technological advancement. Since its release in May 2010, the iPad has become a fixture with thousands of commuters using the device to kill time, check the day’s schedule and even catch up with email correspondence during the morning rush.

“It has completely changed my commuting experience”, says economist and iPad owner Minako Itaya: “My one-hour journey used to be so boring, I’d sleep or read self-help books” she moans: “But now I read the newspaper, email clients and play games if I have time.”

Other commuters can be seen spending quality time with their social networks, Mixi and Facebook being the most prominent. Another use for the iPad, which is become rapidly more popular among workers, is studying a variety of subjects through YouTube-style video lectures downloaded from career advancement firms and seminar groups.

As well as the many individuals taking advantage of the iPad’s myriad applications, a host of companies, too, are eager to put the portable device to work. In a press release earlier this year, Novarese, a company that provides wedding services across Japan, stated that all of its 14 facilities would be equipped with iPads to help aid customer service through more effective communication.

The company noted that ‘since the introduction of the device to their Ginza branch, the grooms have become far more eager to be involved in the outfit selection process, whereas previously they would pay no attention at all.’

It’s not just wedding service providers that are getting onboard the iPad express. Otsuka Pharmaceutical is getting involved too and plans to distribute 1,300 units to medical representatives who regularly visit clinics and hospitals. In its press release, the company specifies that it see the iPad as the ideal way ‘to boost the speed and quality of information provided by Otsuka Pharmaceutical medical representatives.’

Otsuka is keen to utilize the ipad’s versatility to distribute product information, video content and allow its reps access to medical encyclopedias from anywhere, but that’s just the beginning. The company also hopes to use the device as a tool to allow information-sharing on a global scale in order to provide doctors with the most up-to-date information.

Elsewhere in Japan the tablet computer is forcing its way into the public consciousness, with Tomihiro Art Museum based in Gunma (north of Tokyo) offering visitors the chance to use the iPad as a personal guide that also includes the lunch menu. Even piano lessons at Chubu Gakuin College are being conducted using the iPad rather than keyboards or dated pianos.

Outside of Japan the demand for the iPad as a business tool is growing exponentially, with soccer team Manchester United being one of Apple’s higher profile customers. Players are given tactics and show-reels of opposing players to study at home before big games. Many other sports teams are sure to follow suit, with the iPad suited to almost all sport preparation, from gridiron plays to lynx flyovers.

As more businesses catch on to the potential of the iPad to solve communication and distribution of information issues, the touch screen tablet computer will become a common sight both at home and at work, so be prepared. Rivals to the iPad will no doubt come and go, but Apple’s branding and prestige will ensure that they remain the market leaders in this ever more competitive industry field.

As many of you know, having an active and engaging Facebook Fan Page can be monumental in the growth of your business. The more people comment, like, and share your content the more exposure your Facebook Fan Page will receive and the more branding power your business will achieve.

But let me ask you… what about getting people to visit your Facebook Fan Page?

Hmm… isn’t people visiting my Facebook Fan Page the same thing as exposure and branding?

Think about this for a minute. When you send out an update from your Facebook Fan Page, where are people commenting and liking your updates?

Are they doing it from your Facebook Fan Page?

No.

Comments and likes are occurring from within those people’s news stream on their own Facebook profile.

So although you might think your Facebook Page is getting a lot of exposure based on the number of comments and likes, what you are actually doing keeping people away from directly visiting your fan page.

How To Make Your Facebook Fan Page Worth Visiting

I would like to propose to you that it’s critically important to get people visiting your Facebook Fan Page. This helps you grow new fans, but it also allows your brand to build more authority than just broadcast messaging information.

So how do you make your Facebook Fan Page worth visiting?

Let me show you 2 examples:

1) Having a custom tab with a list of “tips” and “how to’s”

I’m going to use my Facebook Fan Page for this example. If you visit my “Facebook Tips” tab on my Fan Page, what you’ll get is a simple list of links that I call Facebook Fan Pages for the Clueless.

Of course with all due respect, I don’t think anyone is clueless.

But it’s simply a list of links that help people figure out how to leverage and customize their Facebook Fan Pages.

Since adding the Facebook Tips tab to my Fan Page it has not only dramatically increased the number of visits directly to my Fan Page, but it has also increased the number of visits to the associated articles that the tips link to.

2) Have a custom tab of resources

Jen Lovelady put together a great Facebook Fan Page that features a “Resources” tab. On the Resources tab, she an indepth list of resources that she’s put together to help her visitors in a wide range of subjects.

Check out Jen Lovelady’s Facebook Fan Page Resources tab here.

These are just 2 examples of ways you can make your Facebook Fan Page more valuable and worth coming back to.

What are some things you can do with your own Facebook Fan Page to make it more valuable for people to come to?

I can assure you the answer isn’t just sending out more fan page updates.

Looking forward to your thoughts in the comments below…

When I refer to “social media” in the title of this article, I am primarily referring to one platform – Facebook.

Facebook has completely revolutionized the way businesses can build, reach, and convert new customers.

This comes primarily from the fact that companies can brand their business and products on Facebook faster, more effectively, and more efficiently than any other platform that’s previously existed.

Leveraging your Facebook Fan Page

To leverage Facebook effectively for branding your business or product, you should be (in fact, you must) have a Facebook Fan Page – or a Facebook business page.

Some companies leverage Facebook Fan Pages for their specific products – like Rice Krispies for example.

Others use only one Facebook Fan Page for all of the brand marketing and communication – like the one we use here at Social Media SEO.

Regardless of your purpose, size of your business, or other marketing strategies that you have in place, your business and brand needs a Facebook Fan Page.

Facebook business pages allow your brand to reach people continuously with consistently updated information, promotions, contests, news, etc…

When someone becomes a fan of your Facebook Page (or “Likes” your page), then that person is now the equivalent of a high quality lead for your business – much like a business would gather a name and email from people who are interested in what they sell.

Except with a Facebook Fan Page, you don’t have to worry about putting together HTML emails, and all the other steps in putting together a broadcast email – simply type your message into your Facebook Page wall and send.

More importantly, your Facebook page updates can go viral. This means, if one of your fans comment on your update, click “Like”, or share your update with their friends on Facebook, then your business or brand Facebook page can be seen by hundreds, even thousands, or people that weren’t even looking for you – this is something that an email broadcast cannot achieve.

So what about you – does your business or brand have a Facebook Fan Page?

How are you leveraging it for your business?

Do you find your Facebook Page as an effective way to build your brand and reach new customers?

About a year ago I walked into an Atlanta fast food restaurant.  All I wanted was a simple Diet Coke with my meal.  When I approached the beverage dispenser I was glad that I took all those courses in engineering.  At first glance, just finding how to get it to dispense ice was a technical adventure, but thanks to the employee I was soon playing a game of “mix and match” that allowed me to dispense a multitude of beverage flavors.

Coke first introduced the customizable Coke Freestyle machine back in 2008, but now the revolutionary fountain drink machine is finally hitting the beverage scene with its 104 flavors.  The Coke Freestyle unit features a high-tech touchscreen that allows users to customize their drink. (What we used to call a “suicide”) For instance, if you want a little cherry flavor in your Sprite – then push the right pads.  If you want to mix Coke with fruit punch, push the right pads.

The Freestyle machine will be rolling out in mass with 500 to be shipped out this month in the U.S.

But, what really amazed me was that it even dispensed Diet Coke, with just Diet Coke, and that is all I wanted in the first place.  Hey, the machine is pretty.

BoyGeniusReport has received an insider view of the new Blackberry Bold 9800 Slider. The inside view came with a 14 second video that gives us all a glimpse at the upcoming Blackberry Bold 9800.

Here’s what BoyGeniusReport had to say about it:

One of our BlackBerry connects sent us in a nice treat a little while ago… it is the first ever live video of the mythical BlackBerry Bold sliding device coming out of Waterloo. The quality of the video is also decently clear, so check it out, okay? We’re still trying to confirm the model number of the handset, but it’s definitely in the Bold lineup as has been rumored, and now confirmed via the branding on the back of the phone. Oh, the device is also running OS 6.0. Video is after the break!

So here ya’ go – check out the new Blackberry Bold 9800 Slider video:

So what do you think?

Do you think that Blackberry is making a good move by releasing a slider version of the Blackberry data phone?

Even though Blackberry currently dominates the mobile phone market place, I believe that data phones such as the iPhone, Droid phones, HTC’s, and the like are starting to build up momentum and redefining the mobile phone market.

There have been rumors of future iPhone releases being tailored more toward the enterprise client. And if the devices like the iPhone are designed with enterprise clients in mind, then I think the Blackberry will be faced with substantial long term problems.

Justin Bieber on SNL Video (Saturday Night Live)

Justin Bieber (16 years old) starred on SNL (Saturday Night Live) last night and the teen pop sensation captivated viewers with his presence.

Below is one of the skits that Justin Bieber starred in on Saturday Night Live.

Nobody is quite certain the motive behind having Justin Bieber on Saturday Night Live. After all, he is only 16 years old, so did SNL think that he would be reaching the young teen crowd from the SNL stage?

Or maybe it was simply a matter of branding and promotion for Saturday Night Live – having a big name star like Justin Bieber on the show will definitely draw a lot of attention and coverage on the web.

Here’s Just Bieber starring in one of the skits on SNL last night:

Very soon, you may be able to purchase accessories such as cases and covers for your Nexus One phone at T-Mobile.

According to TmoToday, T-Mobile has been receiving new shipments of Nexus One phone accessories. However, T-Mobile isn’t the only place where you can get Nexus One accessories; Google and Seidio both carry Nexus One accessories.

Items such as Nexus One cases and covers are said to be the primary accessories that are showing up at the T-Mobile stores. Does this mean the Nexus One is coming to T-Mobile?

According to TmoToday, if you take a look at the above image, you’ll see that the device’s name isn’t the “Google” Nexus One; for the first time, the phone is being branded as an HTC device. Also, there’s T-Mobile branding on the boxing around the accessories. Could this mean that the Nexus One is finally being brought into T-Mobile stores to be sold? Maybe.

Google’s move in expanding the Nexus One to T-Mobile makes perfect sense to me. Google desires to make the web accessible in every way possible, so it makes sense to expand the Nexus One to as many carriers as possible. Heck, you can even get the Nexus One for AT&T now if you’d like.

How Twitter Works

The main point of Twitter is to share and distribute information.  It’s a platform upon which “broadcast messaging” is possible.  However, Twitter facilitates broadcast messaging in real time.

Broadcast Message

Broadcast messaging is the ability to say something once and have it immediately distribute to a group of listeners.  So Twitter, at it’s core, facilitates broadcast messaging.

People on Twitter utilize it’s “broadcast messaging” capabilities for lots of different reasons:

• spread breaking news and information
• request information
• spread rumors and insights
• redistribute information (recycle messages, or retweet)
• crowd sourcing – ask a question, get responses
• marketing and branding

As you can see, there are a lot of reasons people use Twitter.  But at its core, Twitter facilitates broadcast messaging which allows people to speak instantly to a crowd of people who are listening (who are following you on Twitter).

Real Time Data

Twitter is a popular broadcast messaging platform because the content, or messages, that are distributed are done so in real time.

This means, when you broadcast your message, your followers get it instantly.  There is no lag time.  The data is transferred in real time.

Take breaking news for example.  People who utilize Twitter to get breaking news are getting news and information as it’s happening, or at least as the person is sending out the message on Twitter.

Or take for example your friends.  If you are following your friends on Twitter, then when you read an update from them, you can see exactly what time they broadcasted that message.

Real time data from Twitter is becoming increasingly valuable.  Major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing are all paying large sums of money to show real time tweets in their search results.

Follow and Be Followed

The why you receive updates from people on Twitter is by following them.  And likewise, the way people receive your updates is by following you.

Updates are typically referred to as “tweets”.

So if you want to know certain information, or you know of people of interest, then following them on Twitter is a great way to stay updated with what they’re doing, thinking, etc…

The updates (or tweets) that you receive from people are in real time, and always have a time stamp associated with them.

Likewise, people follow you because they want to receive your updates.  When you add a new update (or tweet), everyone who is following you gets that update instantly.

How Twitter Works – The Conclusion

There are literally an endless number of books that can be written that could dig deeper into what I’ve just discussed.  I realize this, and I’ve tried my best to illustrate Twitter at it’s core functionality.

Basically, I tried to simply answer the question “how does Twitter work?”

If you’ve been wondering about how Twitter works, and this article did not satisfy your interest, then please let me know with a more direct question in the comments.

Also, if you are a Twitter guru and have some additional insight into the question “how does Twitter work?”, then please add your insights in the comments below – they will benefit everyone!

The Rise of Social Media

Social media might have been the laughing point of a joke just a few years ago, but today it’s literally becoming the cornerstone of every major global corporation’s marketing effort.

GlaxoSmithKline and Benlysta

GlaxoSmithKline is about to launch their new Lupus drug called Benlysta.  And instead of spending a gazillion dollars on Google Adwords, magazines, newspapers, etc… they are turning to the web, and specifically to social media.

“Our launch approach will be very patient-centric,” said Barry Labinger, EVP and chief commercial officer, Human Genome.  “We’ve got very strong clinical data in a disease where there are no good alternatives, so I think there will be a very high desire for patients who know about [Benlysta] to get it.”

Being “very patient-centric” means getting out on the web and communicating with the very people that your drug will help.

Are we talking about just spamming people?

Absolutely not!

If GlaxoSmithKline plays it right – which I’m sure they will – they will entire this space with massive amounts of valuable data, tips, “how to’s” and other extremely valuable resources that will help Lupus patient.

And all along the way, GlaxoSmithKline benefits from the branding, name recognition, and exposure received in front of a highly targeted audience.

According to Gizmodo, these are photos that Microsoft does not want you see – yet!

Here’s the Pink Phone called “Turtle”:

And here’s Microsoft’s Pink Phone called “Pure”:

These phones look more like an attempt to compete with Google’s Android phones from T-Mobile rather than with the iPhone.  And according to Gizmodo, Microsoft will also have their own App Store for these phones.

Here’s more of what Gizmodo had to say about Microsoft’s Pink Phones:

These phones are going to be made by Sharp, who’ll get to share branding with Microsoft. Sharp produced the Sidekick hardware for Danger, who was bought by Microsoft almost two years ago. Pink will be primarily aimed at the same market as the Sidekick, and the branding and identity for it is highly developed, pointing toward a later stage in the development cycle.

read the full article from Gizmodo here.

Don’t believe me… go ahead and Google your name or your business and tell me what you find.

And if people are talking specifically about your business (or you) then there are no doubt unlimited conversations and content being shared about your business, products, and services – both from a consumer, and from a provider perspective and point of view.

Here’s Why Brand Blogging For Your Business Is Important:

I like to use the term “Brand Blogging” in the context of business that has built a blog (duh…), and is actively blogging (producing fresh content) about their business, products, and services.

Why is this important?

It’s critically important because the more content you product about your business, the more likely you are to:

1)  be found in Google search results – in fact, if you produce lots of content on a regular basis, and creative blog postings that span a wide range of keyword phrases and topics, not only will you rank well, but you’ll have a ton of pages / exposure in Google search results – this means, more connections to prospects searching for what you offer

2)  build an audience of followers (a tribe) – these are people who really love your content, your business, your message, and are excited to receive more information from you.  In fact, these are also your most dedicated, and profitable customers!

3)  you can combat rogue customers, ex-wives, and whatever enemies you might have out there.  By producing content about your business that is productive, informative, and generally positive about your business, when someone comes along and writes something negative about you – like on ripoffreport.com (no link juice on purpose) – then you have a lot of conten out there that counter-acts the negative.

So as a business, I think it’s critically important to build a blog and start influencing how your brand is built!

Social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook are invaluable tools to send your blog content to – as your build followers / fans in these places, they can dramatically increase your readership base by sending along your content, and in turn, doing more for promoting / building your brand than you could ever achieve on your own.

But just when I thought Facebook Fans Pages were the best thing since sliced bread, I found the NBC Fan Page.

The NBC Fan Page has just given me the idea about how a business or organization can use a series of Fan Pages as a Facebook integrated and hosted website – along with the unimaginable viral marketing and branding power that has never before been possible.

Ok – let’s take a look at this “using Facebook as  a website concept”.

First go to the NBC Fan Page and scroll down until you see the section on the left hand column called “NBC Shows”.  Here you’ll see 14 banners for 14 different NBC shows.

Clicking on any one of these banners takes you to that show’s Facebook Fan Page.  For example, clicking on the first banner, Jay Leno, take you to Jay Leno’s Facebook Fan Page.

This time, when you scroll down and look on the left hand column, you see the 13 NBC shows (14 minus Jay Leno because you are now on Jay Leno’s page).  With me so far….?

This process unfolds for any of the 14 NBC Shows that are listed along the left hand column, creating in essence a navigation bar that takes you to specific pages – a lot like a website!

The powerful thing about NBC’s system of Facebook Fan Pages is this:

1) All of NBC’s pages are linked together for easy navigation to any show that interest you, keeping you connected to the NBC brand and allowing conversational engagement with viewers.

2) Because each of these pages are Facebook Fan Pages, NBC’s brand exposure is broadcasting throughout Facebook in a incomprehensible fashion.  Each time any of the fans of the 14 pages comments, all of their fans are able to see it and NBC receives the branding exposure.

My idea for using this concept at our church:

A system of Facebook Fan Pages, or a website built within and upon Facebook, is an idea I have for our church.

Our church, like most churches, has the main sanctuary and body of believers, a children’s ministry, youth ministry, and music ministry.

There are other ministries as well, but I’ll just use these 4 as my example.

So I would build 4 Facebook Fan Pages – one per ministry.  And along the left hand column of each page would be a square banner image that promotes ther respective ministry.

Following this system would now allows the church to have website style navigation from one page to another, yet the branding and marketing power of Facebook.

Not only would this greatly benefit the church because people could easily navigate to the different ministry pages, but from a branding / spreading of the word perspective, it’s nearly unimaginable to think about how many people are now being exposed to the church and its ministries.

Do you see what I’m talking about here?  I hope I’m explaining it clearly enough…

So that’s how I see Facebook Fan Pages being used as a website style system of pages for easy navigation, which keeps visitors engage with the church regardless of what page they go to, and simultaneously benefiting from exponential marketing and branding exposure.

What are you thougths about using Facebook Fan Pages as a “website”?

I remember several years ago talking to businesses about using social networking sites for networking and marketing, and when referencing MySpace, the impression was that the site is made up of teens and so there’s no point in interacting there.

However, this is 2009, and the age brackets on Twitter should matter to a business.

Below is a graph from recent a survey conducted by Nielsen that shows the age brackets of Twitter users – take notes:

By looking at the graph above, it’s obvious that Twitter is not considered a place for teens to be hanging out.  And with the overwhelming usage of 25 – 54 year old, I’m led to believe that Twitter is a place where businesses, professionals, and “the working class” are spending their time.

This is a great graph to use when making your decisions on whether or not to use Twitter for your business marketing and branding campaigns.

Networking with other professionals in your field has always been known as one of the best ways to increase opportunities for both you and your business.  Based upon the numbers of people who are within the working class age brackets, it’s probably safe to conclude that people who are valuable for you to network with are in fact using Twitter as well.

As a business marketing tool, it makes sense or businesses who are selling products and services to working-class clients to use Twitter as well.  Take real estate agents for example.  The majority of homebuyers are working-class families, so using Twitter to brand your self for your specific real estate niche makes sense.

So what’s the takeaway?

Look at the graph, think about your customer demographics, and then start putting together a strategy on how you’re going to use Twitter to market and brand your business!

More than likely your customers – if they’re from the working class demographic – can be found on Twitter which means you, as a business, can make valuable connections there as well.

Let me just say that without question, the quality of your followers on Twitter – and whom you are following – matters so much more than quantity.

The whole point of using Twitter as a business marketing and networking tool is to actually interact with, converse with, and build a reputation with a growing audience of people that are interested in you.

Just like in every other type of online activity, on Twitter if you are auto following those who follow you, automating your updates, and doing things that are not 100% you – then you are compromising the very essence and power of Twitter as a networking, marketing, and branding tool.

Robert Scoble, a social media guru, just unfollowed 100,000 followers on Twitter!

The reason – too much spam, no quality interaction, and following people he didn’t know. Here’s what he had to say about it on his blog:

On Monday I unfollowed 106,000 people on Twitter. The reaction so far has been quite interesting. More than 7,000 accounts have unfollowed me back. They did that so fast that I assume they are just bots that are looking to increase their follower numbers. I knew I’d lose them, but that’s sort of why I did it. People who are following me just to get another count on their follower numbers are just plain, well, lame.

But it’s worse than that. When I unfollowed everyone all my spam just stopped. Dead. No more spam. Not since Monday. Twitter is actually quite enjoyable. Not a single DM spam. Not a single piece of spam has come through the home page

I think there’s a great lesson here for anyone who is serious about using Twitter as a networking and marketing tool for their business – focus on quality connections, not quantity, and your return on effort will be substantially increased!

If so, then you better start using Twitter!

I believe Twitter is most relevant in its link sharing ability. There is really no greater platform, that I’ve ever seen, where links have been shared and referral traffic sent to recipient sites.

Here are some useful tips on using Twitter to drive traffic to your website or blog:

1) Write content in Twitter that is relevant to your website and put a link at the end of the update (I recommend bit.ly for a URL shortener)

2) If you have a blog, use TwitterFeed to auto-update your Twitter profile each time you write a new blog posting.

3) If you’re lazy, you can also use TwitterFeed, in conjunction with an RSS Feed to send content to your Twitter profile (I don’t recommend this method as your only source of content on Twitter)

4) Simply use Twitter as your primary source of content generation and through the use of links, send traffic to affiliate sites, or your own targeted landing pages.

Again, I see Twitter as being most powerful – or at least one powerful way to be used – in sending referral traffic to targeted sites through the use of links. And if you are conscious about your marketing efforts on Twitter, your website or blog will definitely reap the rewards with traffic.

And not only will Twitter send traffic to your site, but the traffic will also more than likely be highly targeted (valuable for branding and marketing your business). This is because people don’t find you unless they are searching for you – and certainly won’t click the link in your update unless they are intrigued enough to do so.