Augie Ray

In the wake of the Boston Marathon tragedy, some brands rose the occasion with authentic and ethical actions and social media posts, and some brands did not. This is representative of social media at large, where brands are deploying strategies with dubious ethics. Five years into the social era, I think the time has come for marketers to reset their moral compasses, not because we need to save our souls but because we need to improve our brands. I suggest three steps for recovering ethical… Show more

In the wake of the Boston Marathon tragedy, some brands rose the occasion with authentic and ethical actions and social media posts, and some brands did not. This is representative of social media at large, where brands are deploying strategies with dubious ethics. Five years into the social era, I think the time has come for marketers to reset their moral compasses, not because we need to save our souls but because we need to improve our brands. I suggest three steps for recovering ethical marketing practices in social media. Show less

Social media held the promise of stripping away the meaningless clutter of the mass media era, leaving bare the authentic and meaningful advocacy consumers have for brands. Alas, inauthentic tactics to build fan bases and engagement have not lived up the promise, leaving both consumers and brands the worse for it. How did this happen, why does it hurt brand strategies and what brands are getting it right?

Small business owners increasingly are using social media to market their products and services and connect with customers. But many don’t quite know how to develop a strategy and make it work for them, research shows.

“The store needs to be cleaned, the phones are ringing. It’s hard to devote time to this stuff,” says Augie Ray, a New York-based social media strategist who has more than 15 years of experience in digital and social media. “When we talk about a social media strategy, it… Show more

Small business owners increasingly are using social media to market their products and services and connect with customers. But many don’t quite know how to develop a strategy and make it work for them, research shows.

“The store needs to be cleaned, the phones are ringing. It’s hard to devote time to this stuff,” says Augie Ray, a New York-based social media strategist who has more than 15 years of experience in digital and social media. “When we talk about a social media strategy, it can sound awesomely large, something that costs a lot of money. One of the things small business owners can do is simply have a goal of bringing their authentic and unique self to social media.” Show less

A year or so ago, as Pinterest started to garner media attention and a mass audience, a host of agencies and consultants that focus on the financial services industry launched a wave of blog posts and presentation decks to champion the power of this new image-sharing platform for banks, insurance firms, credit card companies and credit unions. A year or so later, those optimistic predictions have been largely unrealized. While Pinterest is proving successful for retail, home goods, media, style… Show more

A year or so ago, as Pinterest started to garner media attention and a mass audience, a host of agencies and consultants that focus on the financial services industry launched a wave of blog posts and presentation decks to champion the power of this new image-sharing platform for banks, insurance firms, credit card companies and credit unions. A year or so later, those optimistic predictions have been largely unrealized. While Pinterest is proving successful for retail, home goods, media, style and other categories, it is not proving to be the "next big thing" for financial services. Show less

At the f8 Developer Conference in April 2010, two Facebook engineers shared Facebook's EdgeRank formula, and since then most marketers have misinterpreted how to apply it to their own brand challenges. Simply put, this is Facebook's equation, not your brand's. This formula reveals how Facebook determines what will appear in users' newsfeeds, but it does not tell your brand what is needed to drive business success on Facebook.

What Facebook shared about EdgeRank is important for marketers… Show more

At the f8 Developer Conference in April 2010, two Facebook engineers shared Facebook's EdgeRank formula, and since then most marketers have misinterpreted how to apply it to their own brand challenges. Simply put, this is Facebook's equation, not your brand's. This formula reveals how Facebook determines what will appear in users' newsfeeds, but it does not tell your brand what is needed to drive business success on Facebook.

What Facebook shared about EdgeRank is important for marketers to understand, but it is merely a portion of the Facebook brand success formula. It is a little like the owner's manual for your car, which is helpful for learning how to operate the vehicle but does not tell you how to successfully, safely and efficiently get from point A to point B. Marketers must recognize EdgeRank, both for what it is and what it is not. Show less

Being ignorant of social media risks, best practices, and laws is no excuse for employees’ making career-ending mistakes or employers’ stumbling into costly legal and brand reputation errors. Augie Ray, director of social media at Prudential Financial, discusses a few simple things that every employer and employee should know about social media.

Fans and followers are helpful for brands, but the people who bring the greatest value in social media are not just fans but advocates — people who can and will support, engage, and share information from and about the brand. But not all advocates are created equal. The best advocates are Mass Influencers who create the majority of influence impressions and posts for a brand or within a category. There are three ways to turn Mass Influencers into advocates — find them, promote them, and attract… Show more

Fans and followers are helpful for brands, but the people who bring the greatest value in social media are not just fans but advocates — people who can and will support, engage, and share information from and about the brand. But not all advocates are created equal. The best advocates are Mass Influencers who create the majority of influence impressions and posts for a brand or within a category. There are three ways to turn Mass Influencers into advocates — find them, promote them, and attract them to your brand. Show less

The demand has never been greater for marketers to validate and measure the benefits delivered by their increasing investment in social media. Marketers often frame this question as, “What is the ROI (return on investment) of social media?” but financial metrics are just one way of evaluating social media marketing programs. Social media marketing delivers a wide range of benefits to organizations that are beneficial in the short term and long term in ways both quantitative and qualitative. To… Show more

The demand has never been greater for marketers to validate and measure the benefits delivered by their increasing investment in social media. Marketers often frame this question as, “What is the ROI (return on investment) of social media?” but financial metrics are just one way of evaluating social media marketing programs. Social media marketing delivers a wide range of benefits to organizations that are beneficial in the short term and long term in ways both quantitative and qualitative. To properly value the impact of their social media marketing investments, interactive marketers must align their objectives, metrics, targets, and strategies across four perspectives — the financial perspective, the digital perspective, the brand perspective, and the risk management perspective. Show less

For marketers seeking the sort of reach offered by advertising, social media has posed a challenge. Based on our surveys, we now know that people in the US generate more than 500 billion online impressions on each other regarding products and services — more than one-fourth the number of impressions advertisers make. Furthermore, 16% of the online consumers generate 80% of these impressions. These numbers come from Peer Influence Analysis, our new model to help marketers quantify reach and… Show more

For marketers seeking the sort of reach offered by advertising, social media has posed a challenge. Based on our surveys, we now know that people in the US generate more than 500 billion online impressions on each other regarding products and services — more than one-fourth the number of impressions advertisers make. Furthermore, 16% of the online consumers generate 80% of these impressions. These numbers come from Peer Influence Analysis, our new model to help marketers quantify reach and connect efficiently with the Mass Influencers for their products and services. Based on this analysis, marketers can develop programs that draw in, engage, and unleash the power of influence in social applications.
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There are three types of influencers in the Peer Influence Pyramid, and all three have value (and pose risks) for your brand and marketing efforts. Elite Social Broadcasters have wide reach and offer an avenue for elevating awareness of your programs and products. Millions of Mass Influencers dominate the online discussions about products. The final group is Potential Influencers whose trust within their small networks offers the potential to sustain viral marketing.