Social Media Marketing

Marketers who are rushing to increase their social media spend take note: A new study says social media has almost no influence on online purchasing behavior.

You may already know there are 5 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide. Under current trends, mobile phones will surpass PCs as the device most commonly used to access the web. You may be surprised to find out that 200 million people access Facebook through mobile devices. These people are twice as active on Facebook, so it appears that having internet access anytime, anywhere via a mobile device creates twice the engagement.

LuckyChic.com announced the official launch of its “Social Commerce Network for Women” as well as highly anticipated new game “Lucky Peek” and its debut social game “Lucky Look.”

Integrating Facebook into marketing efforts is a great way to build your brand, interact with consumers and drive sales. It’s no accident that the most successful retailers have a strong presence on Facebook, many with more than 1 million fans. When we analyze the practices of the top retailers on Facebook (Starbucks, Target, Victoria's Secret, Kohl's and Wal-Mart), we find approaches that ensure success.

Pretzel Crisps' slogan reads, "One bite and you'll rethink your pretzel!" Maybe it should read "one coupon and you'll rethink social media," because coupons and word-of-mouth marketing is exactly how the company saw such an increase in Facebook fans.

Bulldog, the men’s natural grooming brand, is planning its biggest marketing push to date to support the launch of its Facebook commerce site. The brand is launching its advertising campaign using the strapline "Man up" in an attempt to promote its natural credentials and attract people to its website and Facebook page.

eBay is adding Facebook buttons to the top of listings so shoppers can "like" specific postings. But eBay continues to prohibit sellers from linking to Facebook and other social networking sites.

Wal-Mart announced it's signed a definitive agreement to acquire Kosmix, underscoring its commitment to social and mobile commerce. Kosmix has developed a social media technology platform that filters and organizes content in social networks to connect people with real-time information that matters to them.

Ask any entrepreneur how many Facebook fans they want and you're liable to hear upwards of 1 million. Few people ever think that the “wrong kind of fans" can bring any Facebook page to its virtual knees.

All sorts of merchants are experimenting on Facebook. But does this mean Facebook is en route to becoming a major e-commerce player? Forrester Research analyst Sucharita Mulpuru says the answer is a resounding “No.”