Facebook recently released two white papers, dubbed “Social Media Blueprints,” that are designed to help businesses market their brands using social media channels. The blueprints were released on the heels of new data, commissioned by Facebook and performed by Forrester Consulting, revealing that :

• 71 percent of marketing leaders believe companies can gain a competitive advantage through social media
• Only 33 percent have a long-term plan for becoming a social business
• 75 percent of the market leaders surveyed agree that social media channels, such as Facebook, are critical for brand building and customer loyalty
• 59 percent of the vice president- and chief-level marketing professionals surveyed believe that companies that don’t fully embrace social media will ultimately fail
• 40 percent of chief marketing officers surveyed say they will begin integrating social into their marketing plans soon

Facebook users in South Dakota, Tennessee and Colorado click through ads on Facebook at record rates. In South Dakota, Facebook users click on ads at a rate of 174% the national average. Meanwhile, residents of Vermont, Alabama and Indiana are the least likely to take the bait. In Vermont, th…

I’m speaking about Email Marketing Trends at ad:tech San Francisco today, April 3, at 3:45 pm in Moscone Center West. Join me along with presenters Andrew Bailey of FedEx Services, Quinn Jalli of Epsilon, Kara Trivunovic of StrongMail, Jack Hogan of LifeScript, and Craig Swerdloff of LeadSend as we discuss the following:

With so many communications channels in place for reaching today’s customers, it’s important to focus your email efforts with better targeted, segmented smaller sends that are relevant and personalized to your audience. Whether you’re a small shop or a major brand, how do you get the most out of your email efforts? Email must become more relevant to the right audience as content-quality tools are making it imperative that you segment your lists. But where do you start? Are you optimizing your messages for mobile delivery? Are you using email automation tools to trigger those messages that nurture leads? Join our Email Marketing Master, Drew Bailey of FedEx Services as he shares where email is headed in 2012 and invites marketers to share case studies that examine key factors such as quality content, automation and deliverability that brands need to master to be successful.

Key Takeaways:

- Discover how to send trigger email messages to follow up on an inquiry, send timed promotions and upsell a customer

- Hear from real-world case studies to gain best practices for your email marketing efforts

- Understand how users interact with the inbox to maximize your delivery rates

Zynga Inc. (NASDAQ: ZNGA) annouced it bought OMGPOP, a New York developer of the wildly popular online game “Draw Something,” and All Things Digital reports the price tag at $180 million plus $30 million in employee retention payments.

Fodder regarding the competitive space of marketing games on Facebook… While still a major platform for distribution, developers need to continue diversifying where they distribute and acquire audience.

Some general tips for mobile game developers - and here are some of the key takeaways: 

1. Marketing does NOT mean advertising (i.e. leverage social channels and the media)

2. You cannot start marketing too early

3. Use every channel you can

4. Follow the leaders

Full article: http://www.pocketgamer.biz/r/PG.Biz/IDMT+news/feature.asp?c=38732%20via

I always love a good infographic, and I found this to be informative on designing landing pages.

For those social game developers who missed the update from Facebook on January 30, thought I’d share it here as well. Facebook released some new ways to drive greater social game discovery and engagement, including games stories in the News Feed, showcasing games on the Timeline unit, and placing prominent links to App requests on the Homepage.

Great summary on the evolution of content creators to curators on the web.

Now getting into Pinterest…have been starting to pin my favorite restaurants across San Francisco. After years of managing my favorite restaurants in a Google spreadsheet (which I’ll continue to do), using Pinterest has been a fun way to tag my all-time favorite restaurants with photos and share with friends.

Just booked my first-ever discovery flight on a Cessna 172 via JATO Aviation in the Bay Area. Can’t wait! Hopefully the first of many flight lessons…