Props to Jill and Kevin for infusing their own personalities into an ageless routine. It’s amazing what a little tweaking can do. They took something good and made it BETTER. What started as a treat for about 100 of their closest friends and family… the JK wedding entrance has accumulated over 1.6 Million views and 8K comments on YouTube in just 4 days. And this isn’t even the party — this is only the ceremony!

This video makes me want a wedding do-over.  It made my day. I think it’s probably making Chris Brown’s day too. ‘Forever’ is now No. 29 on iTunes, No. 28 on Amazon — and climbing fast! I’m totally diggin’ the red-headed usher… he can groove that aisle!

**Update: 3 hours after this post, YouTube views of the Wedding Dance were at 1.9MM and comments at 11.5K

**Update: 24 hours after this post (7/25/09), YouTube views of the Wedding Dance trippled to 4.4MM and comments also tripled to 22K. The video was featured on The TODAY show. ‘Forever’ is up to #3 on Amazon and #12 on iTunes.

I’ve heard more excuses than I care to list about why folks aren’t using social media to grow their business.  One of my favorites is the one that goes something like My kid’s on Facebook (or MySpace or Twitter – insert favorite social network here)… Why in the world would I want to be?

This excuse, in particular, gives me the chance to educate the person about the power and reach of social networks.  Let’s face it, the “change” is here to stay.  Here’s the skinny according to Quantcast:

About 23 million people in the USA use Twitter every month
44% of them (roughly 10 million) are between 18 and 34
Another 33% (about 8 million) are between 35 and 49

Facebook sees 11 million visitors between the ages of 35 and 54 every month.  Are your ideal customers among them?  You may or may not be using social media yourself, but millions of other people are.  According to the Pew Internet American Life Project, the median age of people engaging in social computing broken down by social network are:

• Twitter: 31
• MySpace: 27
• Facebook: 26
• LinkedIn: 40

Surprised?  Are those numbers higher up on the age scale than you anticipated?  The truth is, that even if social media isn’t your thing, it may be your customers’ and prospects’ thing – and that’s what matters.

That being said, social media marketing isn’t a one-size fits all mass marketing effort.  You’ll need a more sophisticated approach if your efforts will ever have a chance at being successful.  You’ll want to target your campaigns to maximize their effectiveness.  So which one is right for you?  That depends on what your goals are and who your target is so do your homework.

• MySpace has a younger audience.  You probably want to shy away from marketing products created for an older crowd (e.g. hearing aids and business books), but if you’re promoting media and entertainment related products, you’re probably in the right place.
• Twitter on the brain?  Ask yourself these 4 questions – if you answer YES to any of them, then Twitter’s probably for you.
• Facebook pages let you build a community around your company, brand and products.  You can also use it to add company news, launch new products, add videos and distribute press releases.  Focus on cultivating your community and let your fans do the promoting on your behalf.

Okay, I’m ready for your next excuse… bring it on!  If you’re still not convinced that social media is good for your business, state your case in the comments section.

It’s official, social networks are the new black and growing bigger and more valuable to marketers every day.  With over 130 Million active users on Facebook alone, the possibility of reaching your target market (and even your future target market) through this one social network is basically a reality.

From fortune 100s to start-ups, companies are flocking to social networks in an effort to connect with their customers in ways that are meaningful and genuine.  If you’re a marketer thinking about establishing a presence, you’re probably wondering where to begin.

Should you build your own company profile?  Should you hire an agency to handle your strategy?  Is Facebook even the right social network for you?  If not, then which and how do you find out?  And what do you do once you’re officially ON Facebook or MySpace or Bebo…

I mean, how do you build a vibrant community that empowers your biggest fans and generates sales?

Wait. What?  Sales?  Ummm…  Oh yeah, sales – we are marketers, we worship the ROI Gods and stand accountable for the dollars and resources we consume.  If an activity cannot be directly attributed to an uptick in sales, is it a worthy course of action or should you reallocate time and resources?

The answer is more simple than you might expect.  Ready for it?  Okay – the answer is… that depends.  As a marketer, really as anyone in business, you’ve got to succumb to trade-offs.  The time and energy you expend on executing, managing and measuring social media campaigns is time and energy no longer available for another activity.  In the end, it’s about balancing short term goals with long term objectives.

In my opinion, investing time and resources in social media is ABSOLUTELY worth the effort.  Social media exists because it is, by nature, social.  It is propelled by REAL people engaging in REAL conversations about the things that matter to them.  Sometimes, if you’re lucky enough, that conversation turns to your company, your products, your brand.  Are you there to join in?  If not, shouldn’t you be?  Not because you want to control it, but because you don’t want to miss a golden opportunity to influence it.

Whether it’s re-affirming the good things chatted about your brand, or addressing the negative, the important thing is to be there when it matters to prospects and customers. In the end,’it’s less about establishing an online presence (After all, we’ve proven that you’re already there by way of conversations) and more about influencing the role you portray in the ongoing drama.

Brands that respect and empower existing communities are more likely to see their social media campaigns pay off in ways that amount to increased sales.  Do you really need to BUILD a community?  How about starting with JOINING the one that already exists?  Now there’s a concept.

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In Part 1 we introduced you to the Soup.io microblog and provided reasons why we think it’s a valuable resource for reaching new subsets of people on the web.  A microblog is for sharing “bite-size” content, Soup.io is unique in that your reach isn’t limited to your own connections, or even your connection’s connections.  Soup.io posts updates on the site’s homepage, for all to see, so you’re only limited by the # of people watching the homepage at the time your update goes up.  And let’s be honest, that could mean a ton of exposure.

So how do you make the most of your presence on Soup.io?  How can you leverage it for your company?  Like all things, there are a few best practices to keep in mind in order to make the most of your effort:

1.  Introduce Yourself: Be sure to fill out your bio and let folks know what you and your soup are all about.  Nothing fancy, just keep it simple and genuine.

2.  Always be linking: include links to all your favorite hang-outs on the web and make it easy for folks to connect with you (e.g. your blog, Twitter, Facebook page, favorite sites, etc.)

3.  Become a resource: Text snippets are just the beginning — create a melting pot of links, notable quotes, images, video, product reviews and event information.

4.  Go Viral: If you want your soup to get passed around, go heavy on the quotes, images, and videos — these types of content seem to get the most mileage. Also, don’t be surprised if your feeds from popular bookmarking sites (e.g. Digg) get dugg by fellow Diggers in the Soup.

5.  Digg Your Soup – Make sure others can see and Digg, what you’re digging.  If you’re digging your own blog or site content (which you should be) then you’re tapping in to the power of the masses on Digg and Soup.

6.  Import your blog’s RSS feed – All it takes is the title and a link to get more folks reading your posts.  Distribute your content to a greater audience and put your brand on the growth fast-track.

7.  A picture says 1000 words – Eye-catching imagery will get folks to pause, funny images get passed around.  Relate these in some way to your product and create ties where there were none before.  The web is chock full of places for funny pictures, especially cartoons, in every industries.

8.  Everybody loves  a Good Video – First and foremost, make sure it’s interesting.  If you can barely sit through it, NO ONE else will either.  If you’re re-posting from YouTube, check out the video’s rating and the number of views to gauge it’s popularity.

9.  Quote the experts – Offer your own insights in relation to these quotes and start a conversation.  You’ll find that people in the same industry or who have an interest in the industry will likely re-post the quote.  At the same time, you’ll establish your own expertise.

10. Help Others - Use the text tip feature to provide valuable information to others in your industry.  It’s simple and speeds up the process when establishing yourself as an expert.

11. Sing like a Bird – Include all your thoughtful tweets in your soup.  Cross-promote yourself and grow your user base on all fronts.

11. State Your Opinion – Product and Service reviews help people.  Be honest and thorough in your assessment.  People like honesty, it creates trust.  Remember, people buy from people, not companies.

12. Promote your events – Use the event content type feature and get the word out about upcoming opportunities to connect online or in person.

13. Make New Friends – Watch the Soup.io front page for content that interests you and friend the user.  If you’re so inclined, re-post the content into your own soup – the user will be notified and most likely visit your soup to get to know you better.

14. Get Involved – Take advantage of Soup’s groups feature to join groups related to your industry/product/service.  You can also create a group of your own.

Soup.io is a relatively easy addition to your portfolio of brand sites.  By importing content you’re already creating elsewhere on the web, you grow your exposure and strengthen your online presence.

Part1. One of my favorite micro-blogging services is Soup.  It’s an easy-to-use app that lets you add text and media to your page with the simple push of a button.  Different from standard blogs, microblogs are for sharing text snippets and bite-size media only.

Your “soup” can be a mix of the content you add and imported feeds from other social media channels like Twitter, Digg, Del.icio.us, Facebook… (You get the picture).  Add blog feeds to your “soup” – your own blog is a definite “must” – posts are displayed and a new audience is now within your reach.

Every time a user adds a new ingredient to their soup — it also shows up on Soup.io’s front page for all to see.  Don’t expect your content to stay on the homepage long though, because in truth, new stuff is continuously going up.  Soup is about sharing – so if somebody finds your content interesting, they may visit your soup, add you to their friends list, or even “re-post” your content on their own soup.  Like a retweet in Twitter, this is the real potential behind Soup.io.  It’s in your ability to potentially reach networks of people outside of your own by creating valuable content that gets spread.

During part 2 we’ll share 10 ideas for integrating Soup.io into your marketing mix. Are you currently using Soup.io? Let us know in the comments.