Spur Interactive

• Article: Meeting Busy Moms’ Needs (diapers.com case) – WOM is #1 driver of business via @eMarketer http://ow.ly/WYop #
• Great quote: Companies still don’t know why they need or want social media. Hiring for Social Media http://ow.ly/WHu3 (@stevelatham @panah) #
• R U saying quality of tweets is not based on # of followers? @hurriednotes: Google is screwing the pooch on tweet rank http://ow.ly/WHrL #
• Social media strategy is still the missing link in most companies. Here's a blueprint for crafting one. http://bit.ly/5TFdb4 #
• Google is grading Tweets? http://ow.ly/Wg79 #
• @stevelatham nominated for Statesman Social Media Awards http://bit.ly/TxAwards. Winners based on comments (hint!) http://ow.ly/WfEb #
• Article on consumers of the future: Aging Puts a Wrinkle in the US (Nielsen) http://ping.fm/P9xOY #
• Looking forward to upcoming HiMA event on the art and science of seduction interaction. Very cool! http://ow.ly/VJEF #
• Interesting! Web users recommend offline more than online: 40% make offline Rec's after seeing them online @emarketer http://ow.ly/Vu2d #
• Good article by @andygould: Agency Guide to Going Digital (we truly appreciate the "painful small projects" note http://ow.ly/VtxC #
• AdweekMedia Forecast for 2010. Should be a great year for online video and mobile ads! http://ping.fm/S6SOA #
• I'm a SBUX fan but seriously, how hard must they work to get followers? RT @onstrategy: Starbucks Social Success http://url4.eu/16BOE #
• Social Media Resources for B2B Marketers via Business.com http://url4.eu/12MZp #
• New Blog Post: Twitter Weekly Updates for @SpurInteractive – Thanks for the #FF! @BDCAnswers #FF B2B stars @jonatha… http://ow.ly/16jdw3 #

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• Interesting note: Marketing (vs. Advertising) the big growth engine in social media (via @emarketer) http://ow.ly/UnJv #
• Fight! Fight! Fight! Apples enters advertising same day Google intros smart phone. Microsoft feeling left out? http://ow.ly/Tkue #
• 4 Secrets to Becoming a Digg Frontpage Regular http://ow.ly/SMKO pretty old but somewhat interesting. #
• Glad to see this! Forecasting 12-17% growth in online advertising in 2010. http://ow.ly/SYfe #
• Marketers take note! Email works well for weight loss advertising via @mediapost http://ping.fm/TvGtk #
• Just saw our SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY preso received 50th Fave and 4,000th view in 30 days. Thanks for sharing! http://bit.ly/7AS1zT #
• Is LinkedIn still relevant? WSJ article on Facebook vs. LinkedIn. http://ping.fm/1PF9C #
• Social media: good for business, bad for productivity http://ow.ly/RrEo #
• Social Media Resources for B2B Marketers via Business.com http://url4.eu/12MZp #
• 6 Tech Predictions That Helped Shape 2009 and 6 That Might Shape 2010 – http://bit.ly/5WLzgz #
• More predictions for 2010 – here is the view of @eMarketer http://ow.ly/RmiZ #
• How To Create the Perfect Facebook Fan Page http://ow.ly/QUes #

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• I can't read Korean but I think this is good (Spur's Medical Tourism Marketing presentation on Korean marketing blog) http://ow.ly/ReRL #
• Is LinkedIn still relevant? WSJ article on Facebook vs. LinkedIn. http://ping.fm/1PF9C #
• Great article: what can go wrong in online advertising (feat. comments from Spur CEO) http://ow.ly/ReTX #
• Thanks!!! RT @verseconsulting: Our favorite marketers for 2010: #FF #Marketing @spurinteractive @SteveLatham @ericfletcher @slideshare #
• Very funny… and true! RT @Panah 10 things you need to stop tweeting about http://ow.ly/RGK6 (via @theoatmeal) #
• Good article from @briansolis on the science of ReTweets http://ow.ly/RrbB #
• Good article on how marketers are responding to negative sentiment on Twitter http://ping.fm/UQsT7 #
• Check out "Social Media Strategy: A Practical Guide for Marketers" (free presentation on slideshare) http://bit.ly/7AS1zT #
• Just updated our new media toolkit! Added tool for tracking how many followers you have. For the 411 visit http://ow.ly/Rofn #
• Great article: AdWeek's Top 10 Digital Trends for 2010. It's going to be an exciting year! http://ow.ly/R8st #
• Thanks for sharing! RT @BeSocialOnline: Twitter Weekly Updates for @SpurInteractive http://3m5bd.th8.us #
• RT @parkerd07: Social media usage on upswing: … the Center for Marketing Research at UMass Dartmouth. http://bit.ly/8pW3om #
• RT @spurinteractive: Where Digital Marketing Is Heading in 2010 (Part 2) via @AdAge http://ping.fm/eEjEi #
• Check out "Social Media Strategy: A Practical Guide for Marketers" (free presentation on slideshare) http://bit.ly/7AS1zT #
• Where Digital Marketing Is Heading in 2010 (Part 2) via @AdAge http://ping.fm/eEjEi #
• Where Digital Marketing Is Heading in 2010 (Part 1) via @adage http://ping.fm/pwEWo #
• eMarketer article: How Social Media Helps Small Biz http://ow.ly/QOhq #
• RT @spurinteractive: 10 more good predictions for 2010 from @MediaPost: 2010 A Watershed Year for Digital http://ping.fm/Ah6e1 #
• Good info on Social Media Strategy; glad to see more are taking business-based approach to SMM. Via @ClickZ http://ow.ly/1mJ7Qs #
• 10 more good predictions for 2010 from @MediaPost: 2010 A Watershed Year for Digital http://ping.fm/Ah6e1 #
• Great article: AdWeek's Top 10 Digital Trends for 2010. It's going to be an exciting year! http://ow.ly/1mJd6P #
• New Blog Post: Twitter Weekly Updates for @SpurInteractive – RT @panah: 10 Tools to Make Your Blog Smarter, Faster,… http://ow.ly/16dUYc #
• Good article on Southeast Media (includes quotes from Spur CEO) via Houston Business Journal http://ping.fm/WeJXp #

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• I can’t read Korean but I think this is good (Spur’s Medical Tourism Marketing presentation on Korean marketing blog) http://ow.ly/ReRL #
• Is LinkedIn still relevant? WSJ article on Facebook vs. LinkedIn. http://ping.fm/1PF9C #
• Great article: what can go wrong in online advertising (feat. comments from Spur CEO) http://ow.ly/ReTX #
• @Panah 10 things you need to stop tweeting about http://ow.ly/RGK6 (via @theoatmeal) #
• Good article from @briansolis on the science of ReTweets http://ow.ly/RrbB #
• Good article on how marketers are responding to negative sentiment on Twitter http://ping.fm/UQsT7 #
• Check out “Social Media Strategy: A Practical Guide for Marketers” (free presentation on slideshare) http://bit.ly/7AS1zT #
• Great article: AdWeek’s Top 10 Digital Trends for 2010. It’s going to be an exciting year! http://ow.ly/R8st #
• Social media usage on upswing: … the Center for Marketing Research at UMass Dartmouth. http://bit.ly/8pW3om #
• Where Digital Marketing Is Heading in 2010 (Part 2) via @AdAge http://ping.fm/eEjEi #
• Where Digital Marketing Is Heading in 2010 (Part 1) via @adage http://ping.fm/pwEWo #
• eMarketer article: How Social Media Helps Small Biz http://ow.ly/QOhq #
• 10 more good predictions for 2010 from @MediaPost: 2010 A Watershed Year for Digital http://ping.fm/Ah6e1 #
• Good info on Social Media Strategy; glad to see more are taking business-based approach to SMM. Via @ClickZ http://ow.ly/1mJ7Qs #
• 10 Tools to Make Your Blog Smarter, Faster,… http://ow.ly/16dUYc #
• Good article on Southeast Media (includes quotes from Spur CEO) via Houston Business Journal http://ping.fm/WeJXp #

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Success begins with a plan. Yet when it comes to social media, many marketers dive in without a thorough understanding of objectives, platforms, tactics, requirements, responsibilities and metrics for measuring performance.

Many marketers also fail to understand the pitfalls and shortcomings that can prevent them from achieving their social media marketing goals, including:

• content that is overly promotional
• content that is not engaging or relevant to target audiences
• a one-way outbound approach to communicating (it’s all about me!)
• failing to build a network (without reach, there is no ROI)
• one-off isolated efforts vs. an integrated approach

What many lack is a comprehensive social media strategy.  To address this growing need, I developed a new presentation entitled “Social Media Strategy” you can view below or on slideshare.

The goal of the presentation is to help marketers understand the opportunities, challenges and pitfalls of social media marketing while providing a framework for developing a social media strategy.

“Social Media Strategy” includes the following:

• 5 point business case for social media
• 7 common pitfalls of social media (and steps to avoid them)
• 10 point outline for a social media strategy

This presentation provides the information you need to craft a social media strategy.  If you find it valuable, please feel free to comment below and share with others.  Enjoy and good luck with your social media strategy!

Steve Latham
Follow me on Twitter

Related posts and presentations
Business Case for Social Media
New Media Toolkit
Social Media: Shiny Object or Killer App?

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• This sums it up! “This decade put the ‘me’ in media” http://bit.ly/8rFZy1 (via @socialmedia247, @solinii) #
• Ad agencies take note: Pepsi Drops the Super Bowl for Social Media
  http://ow.ly/1mJaj7 #
• eMarketer article: How Social Media Helps Small Biz http://ow.ly/1mJaiY #
• Advertising is coming to eBooks… Old school publishers take note! (via @mediapost) http://ow.ly/NO6U #
• Chart: Display ad targeting by type – Geo and Contextual still rule. (via @emarketer) http://ow.ly/NO3q #
• Just saw Online Holiday Spend up 5-10%! Nice to see growth again! @comScore http://bit.ly/6lBGcu #
• Great case on crowdsourcing: Mountain Dew sources design via Twitter and Facebook http://ow.ly/NO5n #

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• RT @stevelatham: Great story: NYC and San Francisco making city data available for Apps. Very smart! http://ow.ly/NOaU #fb #
• Will Startups See a Renaissance Of VC Funding In 2010? (and will it translate into ad spending?) http://ow.ly/NNZX #
• No surprised, but nice to see! 72% Of Advertisers See More Digital Spending In 2010 (@mediapost) http://bit.ly/8Ykbgc #
• Just made updates to New Media Toolkit. More good stuff for online marketers: http://bit.ly/3hQh3Z #
• RT @stevelatham: HiMA holiday party Monday 12/21 at Lucky Strike! http://ow.ly/N2RB #
• RT @TrendTracker: The Top 10 Everything of 2009 (@TIME) http://bit.ly/09TIMEtop10 rt @Kim @Jason_Pollock #
• @bfrench Glad you like it! RT @spurinteractive Excellent list. One of the most comprehensive I've seen. http://bit.ly/3hQh3Z #
• New Blog Post: Online Strategy and Best Practices for Health Care Marketing (Webinar) http://ow.ly/16bcRn #
• @liarist @skimmyjeans @verseconsulting thanks for the #FF love! Glad you like our Tweets. #
• @bfrench Agreed! 60 is over the top. Hence the caveat on our RT… check out our New Media Tookit http://bit.ly/3hQh3Z Thoughts? in reply to bfrench #
• interesting stats about how your bio may impact followers. RT @twittfuel: How to set up a professional Bio on Twitter http://bit.ly/87mWp3 #
• "Online Strategy and Best Practices for Health Care Marketing" is up! View Webinar http://bit.ly/8m5fJ7 and slides http://bit.ly/77KYMW #
• Having used many Twitter mgt tools, I am sold on #HootSuite (laptop + iPhone). This app rocks! http://hootsuite.com (not paid announcement) #
• Glad to see this: Facebook becoming ethnically diverse http://ow.ly/1mJ3Hw #
• Spur CEO to conduct Free Webinar "Online Health Care Marketing: What You Need to Know!" TODAY 10am est: http://bit.ly/4oywWg #
• A bit overwhelming, but… RT @twittfuel: 60+ Essential Twitter Tools http://bit.ly/5jZRQo #
• Top 29 Tools for Competitive Intelligence | Lakeshore (via@tobydiva) http://ping.fm/84CEk #
• Worth a RT: Online Demand Generation: Planning, Metrics and Keys to Success (slideshare presentation) http://bit.ly/4F7lRt #
• Just made updates to New Media Toolkit. More good stuff for online marketers: http://bit.ly/3hQh3Z #
• News: Twitter to start testing features for Businesses (important for marketers!) http://ow.ly/MpAy #
• Graying of the Web continues! 8.3% of social media users are over 65 (only 0.1% less than teens) http://ow.ly/MjC8 (@mediapost) #
• Great article "10 Web Tech Innovations That Have Improved Our Lives" (@mashable) http://ping.fm/Xmtcc #
• New lawsuit against ISP for "spying" on customers. The line between targeting and invading privacy is getting pret-ty thin http://ow.ly/Mc7e #
• Must read for all marketers! 7 Predictions for 2010 from @eMarketer http://ping.fm/dY3Bk #
• Article: Top 5 Blogging Platforms (via @mashable) http://ping.fm/bNdKd #
• New Blog Post: Twitter Weekly Updates for @SpurInteractive – What Do Seniors Do Online? Visit Facebook and YouTube,… http://ow.ly/169fza #

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A Changing Landscape
The Web has dramatically changed the way we live our daily lives – both personal and professional.  Media consumption has shifted dramatically, along with the way we seek information.  This is especially true in the health care industry where patients are taking a more active role in their health care decisions and the advent of medical tourism has created a global marketplace that is becoming increasingly competitive.

New Challenges
Health care marketers, both domestic and abroad, have a daunting task: develop and execute strategies to accommodate changes in customer behavior, fragmentation of media and increasing competition from global providers.  For many health care providers, one of the keys to success (and in some cases survival) will be the ability to reach, engage and cultivate relationships with patients via the Web.  This is clearly much easier said than done.

The Need for Direction
Most health care marketers know the Web is a critical medium for reaching patients and building your brand.  Yet many are still on the sidelines, wondering what to do, where to start and how to measure results.  Whether you’re looking at Google, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Email, Blogs or other media, there are many options and seemingly few answers to the question “what should we do?”  Based on 6+ years of online marketing in health care, along with 3+ years of social media marketing on behalf of large and small brands, I believe I have the answer which is presented in the archived webinar below (see below for table of contents).  If you’d like to view the slides (without the voice-over) view Online Strategy and Best Practices for Healthcare Marketing on slideshare.

Trouble viewing? View “Online Marketing for Health Care” on Vimeo.

Presentation Overview
With the goal of helping health care providers, marketers and facilitators understand interactive marketing, I conducted an online webinar for the Medical Tourism Association in 12/09. The lessons are equally applicable to international and domestic providers. “Online Marketing for Health Care: What You Need to Know!” addresses the following:

1. Business case for online marketing in health care
2. A five-point plan (and best practices) for online marketing success
- Understand your audience
- Optimize your Web site
- Create demand via paid, owned and earned media
- Engage and interact via social media
- Define metrics and measure results
3. Social Media: Keys To Success
- Business case for social media
- Common mistakes and pitfalls
- Tactical recommendations for success

Social Media Resources
If you want to learn more about social media, here are some related posts and presentations:

- Social Media Strategy for marketers
- Business Case for Social Media
- New Media Toolkit

I hope you find this to be of great value to you and your organization.  If so, please feel free to comment and share with others!

Steve Latham (follow me on Twitter!)

___________________________________________________________________

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• What Do Seniors Do Online? Visit Facebook and YouTube, of Course (via @mashable) http://ping.fm/9BXQf #
• IMO all media (web pages, tweets, ebooks, mags, tv) will be consumed on same devices (true convergence) RT @mackphoto: And then iReaders? #
• Get your Magazine Fix Online! Mag publishers forming alliance to create a Digital Storefront "Hulu for Magazines" http://ping.fm/TYVMS #
• FREE WEBINAR: Online Marketing for Health Care Providers by @SteveLatham Spur Interactive (Medical Tourism Association) http://ping.fm/D0cao #
• Marketers take note! Search Marketing just changed: Impact of Real-Time Search and SEO/PPC (@mediapost) http://ping.fm/Bd8fK #
• What's on the top of CMO's minds for 2010? Email and Social Media (via @eMarketer) http://ping.fm/fzUh5 #
• New Blog: SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY – practical guide for marketers (business case + outline for a plan) http://ping.fm/MNLiL #
• Thanks for the RT @ayounghouston: Check out this SlideShare Presentation : SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY | Spur Interactive http://bit.ly/7AS1zT #
• @AM_Lewis Check out Social Media Strategy (slideshare preso) http://bit.ly/7AS1zT in reply to AM_Lewis #
• RT @BeSocialOnline: New Media Toolkit! | Steve Latham – Mozilla Firefox http://ow.ly/KcPm #
• 2010 Trends: good info re: Earned and Paid Media (via @eMarketer) http://ping.fm/a6sHa #
• New Blog Post: SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY – SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY is intended to help marketers understand the opportuni… http://ow.ly/167C9e #
• RT @OMConnect: Exclusive OMC: New Media Toolkit! Tools, & Apps to become a new media guru by @stevelatham http://short.to/zsxu #socialmedia #
• SEO peeps take note! RT @SocialMedia411: Reality Setting In: What Google's Real-Time Search Means To Businesses: http://bit.ly/5fdzOj #
• @stevelatham @garf and @genemccubbin to "share" Social Media panel at Houston Business Expo. Should be fun! http://ping.fm/9heoh #
• 10 Most Innovative Viral Video Ads of 2009 (via @mashable) http://ping.fm/UlZpW #
• New Blog Post: Twitter Weekly Updates for @SpurInteractive – SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY new blog on OnlineMarketingConne… http://ow.ly/167inw #
• RT @stevelatham: FREE TIP for those who want to keep followers: refrain from using "making money" in your automatic-thank-you DM. #
• Pharma's Social Media Woes (via @AdWeek) http://ping.fm/ik9P6 #
• Newspapers and Mags going digital: Hearst, Conde Nast and others (@mediapost) http://ping.fm/YnbRk #

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• SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY new blog on OnlineMarketingConnect.com http://bit.ly/5Slboq #
• WARNING: Facebook Chat Phishing Scam (be careful what you click on!) http://ping.fm/s2qVE #
• Great stats on social media marketing usage by B2B vs. B2C (via @emarketer) http://bit.ly/4rkwIH #
• Great chart showing Facebook users by Age and Gender http://ping.fm/Qawjk #
• 69 million playing FarmVille (2x the number on Twitter). Amazing… http://ping.fm/pAfOP #
• @kfom, @Lionel_Hanley, @brontomatt, @warrenmason, @so_white, @BeSocialOnline, @RSSirteubal, @lm9r Thanks for sharing! http://bit.ly/7AS1zT #
• Just announced: Spur CEO to conduct Online Marketing Webinar for International Health Care providers http://ping.fm/pBDKV #
• Cyber Monday Sales Rise 16% in US. It's time to start spending folks! http://bit.ly/4TOtD2 #
• Thanks for the great feedback + sharing of Social Media Strategy http://bit.ly/7AS1zT . 1200+ views in 4 days exceeded our expectations! #
• Arigato gozaimasu @onstrategy @morespatraffic @trchandler @kimpadgett @rayvandenbel @socialspid @metehanapak for RTs http://bit.ly/7AS1zT #
• Thanks for passing it along! You will receive good karma. RT @armandoarias: Social Media Strategy (Spur Interactive) http://bit.ly/8VgSMV #
• Just rec'd cool email from Slideshare- my preso SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY (http://bit.ly/7AS1zT) hit the "Hot on Twitter" list. Thanks! #
• Thanks for the shout! RT @TwittStrategies: @SpurInteractive – Social Media Strategy: 10 point outline http://url4.eu/qrGp #
• Just added some new Twitter tools to our New Media Toolkit. Enjoy! http://bit.ly/3hQh3Z #
• New Blog Post: Twitter Weekly Updates for @SpurInteractive – Social Media Strategy: 10 point outline for creating a… http://ow.ly/165fjJ #

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