Start Something Big
Four billion dollar FarmVille
The latest news from Business Insider places FarmVille at $4 billion in value. Game developer and publisher Zynga, which also hosts many other games on Facebook and the internet, like Mafia Wars, Treasure Isle and FishVille, recently started issuing FarmVille shares at phenomenal prices. The company earns its crust by linking to partners and charging users for "energy," giving them an edge in the otherwise free world of gaming, and they've also started using some creative ways to make money, such with as brand-sponsored crops. Their amazing success isn't surprising given over 80 million players use FarmVille - and there is also talk of Zynga extending to mobile platforms like the iPhone and other smartphones. Wow.
So if virtual farming can make a winning from Facebook, why can't your business? Hinging on the fact that 'social links' may one day become the very tapestry of the searchable internet world, and with new tips that Foursquare is poised to become the next Twitter, it is definitely time for your business to get more involved in social media marketing tools. Twitter and Foursquare are two completely different services, and yet both seem to be gathering more and more influence over people's daily lives, for very different reasons.
Mashable have got some more indispensable tips to guide you on the right track. Firstly, figure out why you need social marketing - is it for increased sales? Customer feedback? Viral exposure? When you've jotted down your aims, then figure out which network is the best place to spawn your seeds. What community do you want to tap into? From here you can start measuring the goodies: user engagement, traffic, sentiment, viral analysis and influencer tracking. Keep checking which ones are strong, and which ones need a continual nudge, in real time. In the ever-expanding and ever-changing world of social media, the 'real time' factor is perhaps the most crucial element which could make or break you in terms of customer satisfaction or online reputation. If you don't have enough time on your hands, or if you're not especially learned in the field of social media, make sure the person wearing the captain's hat is a superb professional.
Obviously we can't ignore the dominant SEO scene just yet, and there is news of Google releasing some new amazing apps for customised analysis of whatever you want to track. Some exciting apps include Analytics Wordpress, which let you combine your Google smarts with sites built for Wordpress. Think of the potential! We may think of FarmVille as a successful "early adopter brand", and yet another example why businesses can't afford to be blasé with their marketing approach.
