Tech Talk Part 2 @PayPalX #xInnovate with @krystyl (& her magic Social Media chair) @BenParr @EdwinAoki @sujamthe

via youtube.com

 

You think this Social Media Thing will catch on? @PayPalX #Innovate Tech Talk w @BenParr @EdwinAoki @sujamthe

via youtube.com

Wonderful times, wonderful smart folks on the cutting edge of what's happening now.

A Smiley Only Goes so Far when Closing Business Deals: New study

Barbie Video Girl Versus Canon EOS 7D. Comparison Test: Monday Morning LOLz!

via cinema5d.com

H/T @Mr_Fastbucks By: Jared Abrams:

I picked up this comparison video over at the Planet 5D blog. It has been out for a little while, but it’s worth checking out if you have not seen it yet. This is a very well done comparison between the Canon 7D and Barbie Video Girl camera. This was made in response to the iPhone 4 and Canon 7D comparison video a while back. Brandon Bloch put some time into this video. It is very funny. Here is a quote from Brandon’s Vimeo page.

“A comparison between my two new cameras: The $1,800 Canon 7D versus the brand new $50 Barbie Video Girl… available in the girlie aisle of your local Toys R Us. It’s the sassiest camera money can buy.”

Costly Sales Growth for Amazon: Spending Heavily to Expand Business

By GEOFFREY A. FOWLER

Amazon.com Inc. posted a 16% profit increase as sales continued at breakneck pace, but the Internet retailing giant also showed that it is spending heavily to expand its business.

Meanwhile, the company predicted strong growth for the current quarter, which includes the key holiday shopping season.

The Seattle company will this year open 13 new distribution centers, bringing its total to 52, said its chief financial officer, Tom Szkutak.

The company has also been offering trials of its Prime free-shipping loyalty program to more groups, including new parents and college students.

The expansion is coming at a cost for the e-commerce giant, which saw operating expenses rise 40% in the third quarter from a year earlier, continuing a trend seen in the second quarter.

"This is because of the growth we're seeing in our retail business and our Fulfillment By Amazon business," Mr. Szkutak said, referring to a program where Amazon houses and ships goods for smaller merchants.

Amazon's third-quarter results were driven by a 39% increase in sales to $7.56 billion. Most of the growth came from the company's catch-all electronics and general merchandise category, which increased sales by 68%.

Overall, income for the third quarter was $231 million, or 51 cents a share, compared with $199 million, or 45 cents a share, in the third quarter 2009.

Amazon offered no new details on sales of its Kindle e-reader or sales of digital books. In August, Amazon began shipping new versions of the Kindle, including an entry-level model that retails for $139, its lowest price yet.

Read the rest of the article at online.wsj.com

 

It Costs 6 to 7 Times More to Acquire a New Customer Than to Retain Existing: Infographic frm @flowtown #custserv

via flowtown.com

Have you ever wondered how much an existing customer was worth? Well, in most cases its a lot. In fact, it is 6 to 7 times more costly to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing customer. The following graphic details the the most interesting findings of several recent studies focused on customer acquisition, retention and attrition rates. It should help to put things in perspective for marketers and business owners.

Read more: http://www.flowtown.com/blog/the-value-of-an-existing-customer#ixzz12k1JvufP

Twitter Crushing Facebook's ClickThru Rate: Facebook 2.87% Twitter 19.04%. How does this happen?

What is the most effective way for marketers to spread their message online? Facebook? Twitter? Company blogs? Email?

According to a new report by marketing firm SocialTwist, Internet sharing trends have shifted heavily shifted toward social networking, but other platforms still have a strong presence for word-of-mouth advertising. SocialTwist analyzed more than a million referral messages sent using the company's Tell-a-Friend tool, a widget that lets users share sites through social media.

In the last year, social networking sites saw a 10% increase in usage, and a 16% bump in click-throughs. Overall though, email still accounts for 55% of referrals.

However, when it comes to click-throughs, social networking sites are far more effective, accounting for more than 60% of the market share.

Among social networking sites, Facebook is by far the most preferred service for sharing, making up more than 78% of usage. Yet other sites are gaining: Twitter maintains 5% of referrals, and MySpace, surprisingly, comes in at second with 14.5% share

.

Yet Twitter has become the most effective tool for click-throughs. Twitter yielded a whopping average of 19.04 clicks, whereas Facebook only produced 2.87 clicks.

This is great news for Twitter, which has hinged its business on Promoted Tweets and Trends, tweet-size ads that companies purchase for $100,000 a day. With such a high click-through rate, it's no wonder new Twitter CEO Dick Costolo boasted yesterday that the company has "cracked the code on a new form of advertising, and we feel like we’ve got a hit on our hands.”

via fastcompany.com

I hate to say "I told you so."

Join Me & My fellow Wiley authors @BrianSolis @Pistachio @stevegarfield @JimKukral & more at BlogWorld 2010

The best part of attending fabulous conferences is that we get to meet the wonderful people we know in Social Media. My favorite part is that I get to meet so many of the people that read my books. Please stop by and visit with me and my fellow authors in booth 421. The schedule is below! can't wait!

BlogWorld & New Media Expo Wiley Booth Signings

Friday, 10/15 

• 11:00 - Brian Solis/Engage
• 11:30 - Laura Fitton/Twitter For Dummies 2e
• 12:30 - Aaron Brazell/WordPress Bible
• 1:00 - Mari Smith/Facbook Marketing: Hour A Day
• 2:00 - Steve Garfield/Get Seen
• 2:30 - Kevin Nalty/Beyond Viral
• 3:00 - Jim Kukral/Attention
• 3:30 - Marsha Collier/eBay For Dummies 6e & Facebook and Twitter For Seniors For Dummies

Saturday, 10/16

• 11:00 - Lisa Sabin-Wilson/WordPress For Dummies 3e
• 11:30 - Douglas Karr & Chantelle Flannery/Corporate Blogging For Dummies
• 1:00 - Brad Williams/Professional WordPress
• 2:00 - Darren Rowse & Chris Garrett/Problogger 2e

Interesting New Data: Articles Published in the Morning Shared More on Facebook from @Dan Zarrella

via danzarrella.com

Dan Zarella says: I analyzed the average (interquartile mean to be specific) number of times articles were shared on Facebook based on the time of day they were published and I found that Facebook sharing seems to peak on articles that are posted in the morning, 9AM EST specifically.

What Is Good Customer Service? @GetSatisfaction gets it right

via blog.getsatisfaction.com