Seeing as the vast majority of the world now seems to be inclining themselves towards increased social media use, it makes sense that eventually those in political power would have to integrate it into their public image as well. This is exactly what President Barack Obama has done in the run up to this fall’s election and here is an overview of why. He clearly felt the need to connect with a younger demographic, particularly those who have lost confidence in him or were not supportive of his 2008 victory. If he wants to gain their votes, then he must speak their language, as they say, which is where social media comes in.

President Obama recently took part in a digital interview at the White House, that was hosted by Google+. During this time, he answered questions from various members of the public, using this opportunity to prove that he is versatile and keeping up with the times. Digital interviews are always a good idea, as they enable the interviewee to get their message across to as many people as possible. Anyone who wants to can have access to the goings on from their home computers, before playing a game of partypoker or checking their own social media sites. The online “hangout” that President Obama took part in was geared towards the part of the constituency that it appears his popularity has fallen in, and he will be hoping that this has helped his cause.

This digital interview, done by the way of social media, is a good idea which companies should keep in mind. If you want to keep in touch with your customers and receive direct feedback from them, then holding an interview is a good way to do this. If you conduct a digital one, then this also enables many more people to participate than would usually be able to, thus increasing your influence and overall benefit.

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Tesco/HomePlus had a goal of becoming the #1 grocery chain in South Korea without opening more stores.

  • Solution: Let the store come to the people and turn waiting time into shopping time
  • Execution: Subway virtual stores that allow people to shop from their smartphones. The product picture displays where exactly the same as the displays in stores, except  people scan QR Codes to add items to their mobile cart. The food is then delivered  in the afternoon.
  • Results: Online sales increased 130%. HomePlus is now #1 in online market and a close second offline.

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How Social Media Planning Actually Happens at Companies

March 26, 2011

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How to get an already registered Twitter ID

March 22, 2011

Often times the Twitter handle that aligns perfectly with your brand or product is taken. For McGraw-Hill, I had to settle for @mcgrawhillcos because @mcgrawhill was taken…Grrrr. However, you may be able to claim an already reserved Twitter ID if your claim meets the following criteria: The user is blatantly impersonating you The user is [...]

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Jeff Self’s Broken Tooth

February 9, 2011

A few weeks ago I received an email with the subject line “My broken tooth” from my very talented actor and comedian friend, Jeff Self (see video above).  Below is what he wrote: Hello friends. Get ready for the weirdest email you’re gonna get today. So this weekend I broke my tooth. My front tooth. 50 percent chipped [...]

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