Google+ is Google’s attempt at competing with Facebook in the social media arena. It is still far behind Facebook, but is catching up in many ways. According to Nielson, the average visitor spent 6 minutes and 7 seconds on Google+ in March. While that number may not seem large, it is a big increase from the 3 minutes and 18 seconds that visitors were spending on it in February of 2012. While this increase may have not been a factor, Facebook saw time spent on its site drop from 7 hours and 9 minutes in March of 2012 to 6 hours and 44 minutes during the month of March this year.

Google+ has also seen unique visitors of its iPhone and Android app increase by 238%. To compare total visitors, Goggle + had 28 million unique monthly visitors compared to Facebook’s 142.1 million. You can see more stats by going to this article from Mashable.com.

So while Google+ may be growing, it is still missing something. To catch up to the big powers, Google+ must establish its uniqueness. Facebook is a great way to catch up with friends and past acquaintances. Twitter allows you to quickly share what is on your mind in short, quick posts. Using Instagram you can share your life solely through pictures. LinkedIn gives you the power to connect to other professionals and advance your career. Each of these Social Media sites has something unique about it that users love. Google+ needs to establish what makes it special. By doing that, consumers will find a way to connect to Google+ and its identity.

Do you have any ideas about what Google+ could do to work its way into the powerhouses of social media?

The post Will Google+ Catch Facebook? appeared first on Serendipit Consulting.

Alexis Krisay, Vice President of Marketing at Serendipit Consulting, shines light on the importance of creating a strong brand for your student housing community.

“Brand development is the foundation for a successful student housing community and will establish an overall lifestyle that students can relate to and identify with. In order to do this, it is important for everyone involved in the project to have a clear understanding of what a brand is, how it is created and how it is maintained. While branding covers a large scale of components, it is important to keep in mind that a brand is not just a symbol, name or something that can be frequently changed; a brand is an entire identity created to personify a community.  For ultimate success, a brand must be clearly established from the start, resonate with the appropriate audiences and strengthen the overall appeal of the community.” Click here to read more.

The post The Importance of Creating a Strong Brand for Your Student Housing Community appeared first on Serendipit Consulting.

• 96% of fans don’t return to a brand’s Facebook page.
• A post is 40-150 times more likely to reach fans in the News Feed.
• 27% of the time people spend on Facebook is spent on their News Feed.
• On average, 16% of your fans will see your post.
• Photos get 120% more engagement (this shouldn’t be a surprise!)

So what does this mean for your company? It means that your posts need to be engaging and that they need to be posted at the right time. EdgeRank is simply the outcome of how well you put together all the variables to consistently reach your fans. To increase your page’s EdgeRank, be consistent and post great content everyday to make sure that you are showing up in a fan’s News Feed as much as possible (without being obnoxious of course!). As the stats show, they aren’t coming back to your company’s page to see content. They need to be reached on the News Feed and a good marketing plan will help ensure that this is done.

At Serendipit Consulting, we constantly create engaging content for social media and come up with a plan to reach fans at the optimal time. Do you need help creating engagement that increases awareness and drives consumers to your business? Give us a call!

The post Facebook EdgeRank: What It Means For Your Company appeared first on Serendipit Consulting.

On Monday, Tim McGraw will debut the video for his new single “Highway Don’t Care” ft. Taylor Swift and Keith Urban. The interesting part about this isn’t the fact that McGraw is releasing a new video; he has released many during his time as a country superstar. The interesting part is how he is releasing the video.  At 2 PM on May 6th, McGraw will be premiering the video in a live event with Google+ Hangout.

This is the first time a music video has ever been premiered via a Google+ Hangout. The video will also be live-streamed on Youtube. McGraw’s out-0f-the-box idea allows him to instantly connect with a worldwide audience and receive instant feedback.

“This video is really more of a short film, and I think it will surprise everyone and hopefully leave a strong impression,” McGraw says. “Shane brought a lot of passion to the concept we worked on together, and it’s cool that we’ll be able to get an immediate live response from the fans when we introduce it.”

By hosting this event on a Google+ Hangout, Tim McGraw is making himself and his music more accessible to the common fan. McGraw will not only present his newest music, he will also chat with fans about a variety of topics during  the Hangout. Urban and Swift are also expected to make appearances on the Hangout.

McGraw is not the first celebrity to take advantage of Google+ Hangouts to appear more accessible. The Black Eyed Peas, The Muppets, President Obama, David Beckham, Conan O’Brian and even the Dalai Lama have all appeared on Hangouts in the past.  While the Hangouts are limited to 10 people talking, millions of people around the globe can tune in and watch.

Will you tune in to watch the “Highway Don’t Care” video debut on Monday? Share your thoughts with us by sending us a tweet!

The post Tim McGraw to Premiere New Music Video via Google Hangout appeared first on Serendipit Consulting.

Everything that you need to know about the new mobile design for Facebook business pages.

It is important to remember that half of Facebook business page views are coming from a mobile device. That is why this new mobile makeover will enable your business’ Facebook fan page to remain attractive from any device. Let’s take a look at the main improvements summed up by HubSpot.

1. Simplicity is Key – The new layout will give viewers a much cleaner and simplified look when visiting fan pages from their mobile device.
2. Button Upgrades – The design has enhanced the interaction capabilities from a mobile device. Viewers can now like your page, check in, call  and click for more information with easier functionality. The “more” feature will allow viewers to share the fan page, send a message and copy the page link with a click of a button.
3. Important Info First – Information such as the business map and address, rating and hours of operation is information that is considered to be the most important among consumers and the new design now features this information conveniently at the top of the page.
4. Pinned Info – This is specifically important for admins. “Pinned” posts are now seen front and center on a mobile device. This is great for important events or other calls- to- action that your company wants to highlight on the Facebook fan page.

In addition, the new mobile makeover gives admins easier access when swapping from public view to admin view. This is important when posting for brands on a regular basis.

Is your company cohesively built out across Facebook and other social media outlets? Contact the Serendipit team to increase your social media presence.

The post New Mobile Design for Facebook Business Pages appeared first on Serendipit Consulting.

“Brand development is the foremost important aspect to a successful student housing community. Branding is the foundation of the community, therefore it is important for everyone involved in the project to be clear on what a brand is and how it is derived. Branding can be a confusing concept for many people to understand since it is used so frequently to describe such an abstract idea. A brand is not just a symbol, name or something that can be changed every year. A brand must be clearly identified, resonate with the appropriate audiences and strengthen the validity of the community.”

Read the full article >

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Serendipit Consulting wraps up the week with a look at the most innovative companies.

What defines an innovative company you ask? From new designs to unique and engaging platforms, Fast Company has taken a closer look at some of the most innovative companies that are rocking the marketing industry!

1. Nike - Nike is very well known for dominating the athletic industry with continuous innovations and technological advancements. In an interview with Fast Company, CEO Mark Parker explains, “One of my fears is being this big, slow, constipated, bureaucratic company that’s happy with its success.” It is obvious that Nike will never be that described company because of its constant drive for innovation.
2. Amazon - Amazon is number two on the most innovative list with its constant innovation in warehousing. As Fast Company points out, “…the expansion of its next next-day and same-day delivery services was a jolt, the entire retail industry seemed to realize its power.” Plans for the future indicate that we have yet to see all that Amazon can do; it will only continue to get better.
3. Square - This simple concept has forever changed the way we do business. It has not only enabled credit card transactions on mobile devices, but enabled businesses to create an entirely new customer relationship. Square currently processes more than $1 billion worth of transactions annually.
4. Splunk – This tool has taken company analytics to the next level. As the Fast Company points out, “Rutgers University, for example, can use Splunk to search for the term “error” and find anything that might be slowing down its students’ class registration. No matter the industry, all companies can utilize this to improve their business practices.
5. Fab - With more than 10 million in sales, this boutique housing site provides niche consumers a customized shopping experience. According to Fast Company, “Fab has built its own warehouse to ship goods faster.” This enables the company to stay on top nationally, as well as internationally.

Is your company in need of an innovative revamp, or new marketing approach? Contact Serendipit today for all of your innovation needs!

The post Weekly Wrap-Up: Most Innovative Companies appeared first on Serendipit Consulting.

Serendipit is taking a stroll down memory lane to provide you with the inside scoop of what all of our favorite YouTube sensations are doing now.

From British babies to Star Wars mega fans, YouTube has become the home for many overnight sensations that have captured the hearts of consumers everywhere. While we thought the entertainment would never end, the question remains, what are these YouTube stars doing now?  No need to get your knickers in a twist, we have provided a recap of where some of our favorite sensations are today, courtesy of a Vixy infographic.

• Hide Yo’ Kid, Hide Yo’ Wife - Do you remember Antonine Dodson? The acclaimed bed intruder interviewee that was remixed into a one hit wonder. The video originally received 48 million views on YouTube and made it onto various talk shows. He is currently pursuing his music career and continues to release music that can be downloaded on iTunes!
• Ouch, Charlie Bit Me - Those adorable British toddlers generated 506 million views on YouTube, in addition to endless amounts laughter. The boys are still in action and have been signed by companies such as Ragu pasta to film commercials.
• Sophia Grace and Rosie - Another British duo, but in this case, female British duo that put their vocal chords to use by covering the Niki Minaj hit, Super Bass. This video instantly became a worldwide phenomenon - tutus and all. The girls have since been seen multiple times on Ellen Degeneres and are now hosting their own show, Tea Time with Sophia Grace and Rosie, that takes place during The Ellen Show.
• Rebecca Black - Her infamous song, Friday, sparked curiosity from all over the U.S. and received over 46 million views. The low budget video was Rebecca’s claim to fame and she recently held her first concert at the Anaheim House of Blues.

Are you including YouTube into your company’s marketing mix? With over 3 billion views per day,  YouTube can be a very effective campaign platform. Contact us today for help putting a YouTube strategy into action!

The post Before and After – A Look at YouTube Sensations appeared first on Serendipit Consulting.

Serendipit Consulting wraps up the week with important components to include for effective reporting

At times, the marketing industry leaves marketers with a difficult task of reporting success outside of traditional ROI and sales reporting. In addition to increasing sales and profits, marketing tactics can build overall brand awareness, a brand’s digital reputation and effective communication with consumers. These components need to be included to effectively report all aspects of the marketing efforts executed for the client.

For example, social media engagement drives customer service and will increase a brand’s overall reputation by consistently responding to followers’ questions and comments. Hubspot recently put out an e-book discussing effective reporting tools and we have wrapped up a few key components that we find especially effective.

• SEO – With SEO, it is important to cover the increases of site traffic generated from SEO changes made, as well as the specific keywords targeted. It is also effective to align these components with the actual rankings of the site.
• Blogs – By including strong call to actions within the blogs, you can relate blogs back to leads generated. This is important for measuring the content produced from the blogs. In addition, you want to report how many blogs were posted, which ones had the most views and any positive comments.
• Social Media – In addition to increases in community followers, reporting engaging conversations and overall “talking about” numbers will help show the social influence.

Hubspot is a great example of software that enables reporting of these components, as well as many more. Do you need help putting your marketing goals into action? Contact us at Serendipit Consulting to take the next step.

The post Weekly Wrap-Up: Effective Reporting appeared first on Serendipit Consulting.

Serendipit Consulting wraps up the week with a look at the Millennial Generation.

As technology continues to change and innovate, the millennial generation continues to change with it. The millennial generation, between the ages of 16-34, is the generation that stays most consistent with current trends and appreciates the digital world. This is an important target for many brands and recent reports show that this generation’s shopping changes are also changing with technology.

As Entreprenuer Magazine reports, “Half of millennials regularly use a mobile device to compare prices or read user reviews while shopping…” Asking a friend for an opinion is no longer the most important thing to them. They prefer to see what the online conversation is saying about what they want to purchase. Why is this important for businesses? This just reinforces the fact that having online listings and an effective social strategy is becoming more crucial for targeting the millennial generation.

The report also indicated that millennials want to receive special mobile promotions and that this will increase the likelihood of purchasing. In addition, 46% of millennial males prefer for sales associates to wear store merchandise and to be on top of trends. This isn’t only relevant for retail companies, but for any brand. This shows that having a brand personality and creating a strong brand image is important to consumers.

Need help targeting the millennial generation or revamping your brand? Contact us at Serendipit Consulting to get the job done!

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