Have you heard of Yammer? If not, with over one million users in 135 counties, it probably won’t be long before you’ve heard of it and used it.

The business social network, similar to a corporate Twitter, has been around since September 2008. Its CEO, David Sacks, recently told Mashable that they’ve got a client base that more than 80% of the Fortune 500.

Yammer lets you create a social network for your business where users can share links and information with each other in bite-size form. There’s a free version and a paid version with a few more bells and whistles.

So how could using Yammer could help your business?

Xero, the online accounting software company specialising in simple accounting solutions has found Yammer invaluable for keeping the channels of communication open and friendly during a quick business growth. Yammer allows them to share and discuss information in the same way they did as a small team, despite being based all over the world.

For more insight into what Yammer has brought to Xero, check out this video.

The exposure of military documents on Wikileaks and the coverage through the media has once again put openness at the centre of the debate.

To what extent should Governments keep information secret? What should they keep from public view and what should they make available? On what basis is that understanding/agreement made?

Governments need to understand that the world is becoming more open and people are able to access information far more easily than they could previously.

The amount of data which is now available is unsettling. The default position of most organisations is that they only make certain information available in response to regulators or recognised third parties ie when they are obliged to do so. Still people continue to have unprecedented access to information on products and services which can help to de-stablilise excessively repressive regimes. Look at how the youth of Iran have previously responded using mobile technologies to express themselves.

Some companies though are realising that being open is a precondition to building trust and having more productive relationships with their customers, partners and stakeholders. Opening up data and inviting contributions can in certain contexts create a more healthy and productive result, paving the way for innovation and collaboration.

This debate hasn’t really started yet…but the trend of openness/transparency will be a key theme going forward and one that organisations need to continue to factor into their thinking and strategies.

Corona Light have created a brand new Facebook initiative with one ambitious aim: To become the “Most Liked Light Beer” on Facebook.

The beer brand has dedicated their advertising methods to increase their Facebook fans. Their campaign involves adverts on Break.com and NFL.com, along with a huge social media and page span display ad campaign.

The campaign hopes to tempt fans to the page with the opportunity to have their photo projected on the Time Square digital billboard, if they upload them on to their page. It’s not just limited to New Yorkers either. Images of the projection will be added to the Facebook page, so the featured fans can share them with their friends.

At the moment, Corona Light ranks eighth among light beers. Considering our recent post on Facebook fans who recommend a product to their friends, it makes sense for Corona Light to concentrate their promotional efforts on the social network. In fact, Corona Light has seen sales increase by 1% in early August, since the campaign started, when competitors are seeing falling sales.

In the meantime, Corona Light have further plans for the campaign, branching out to other media channels. Could we be in for a video campaign, similar to those from Old Spice and Tippex?

What do you think about Corona Light’s campaign? Bold or dangerous?

Source: MediaPost

Related articles

• Times Square billboard competition drives consumer engagement with Corona Light (wave.wavemetrix.com)
• Corona Light Launches Facebook Campaign (webpronews.com)
• Corona Light Tempts Facebook Users With Times Square Billboard (allfacebook.com)

We recently wrote about the benefits of attracting and retaining social media “super-fans”. However, a new survey suggests that anyone who ‘likes’ your Facebook page may already be a “superfan”.

The survey from DDB states that 49% of page fans on Facebook are “certainly” like to recommend the brand to their friends, while 43% were slightly less sure, saying they “probably” would. Overall, that’s a total of 92% fans who would recommend the brand.

When asked why they joined a Facebook page, 75% of respondents said brand invitations or advertising encouraged them, while 59% followed a friend’s suggestion and 49% found it from their own research. Recommendation appears to be the key to growing a community, whether it’s by friends or the brand.

But a brand page must be constantly updated with interesting, relevant information for the fans in order to retain them. In fact, 36% of those polled have unsubscribed from a fan page, giving reasons like a loss of interest, statuses that appears too often and dull content. If the content is uninspiring, your fans won’t remain ‘super’ for long.

How do you keep your fans interested in your Facebook page?

Source: AdWeek

Related articles

• Facebook ‘Likes’ Driven Most by Brand Outreach (marketingpilgrim.com)