Google+ May Have A Better Revenue Model Than Facebook

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How Google+ Could End Up More Valuable Than Facebook (Forbes)
Facebook gets all the attention, especially with earnings coming up tomorrow. But in a quiet way, Google+ has become far-reaching and very valuable. At first glance, Google+ users appear to be way less active then Facebook users. But in a different way, Google+ users are more active than Facebook users will ever be. As long as you’re signed into Google services or properties, you’re passively using Google+, and the site collects data either way. Everything that Facebook is chasing for revenue— its new and improved Graph Search, point-of-sale usage, meaningful interaction with brands— is something Google already has. So while Facebook has to back-engineer parts of its highly successful free communications tool into something that can make more money, Google is taking something that makes money and expanding it. Read >>

Guess What People Are Doing On Their Smartphones? (BI Intelligence)
Social networking is the second most popular mobile app category, accounting for 26 percent of time spent in apps. The percentage of all U.S. mobile users that accessed a social network on their phone rose from 14 percent in September 2009 to 39 percent in November, according to comScore. The growth of mobile social underscores that companies like Twitter and Facebook are now essentially mobile businesses. Mobile is not a superfluous sideshow, but central to these companies' businesses. In a new report from BI Intelligence, we analyze the main mobile usage trends developers and publishers should consider to be successful in mobile, detail how users are consuming content on their mobile devices, take a look at the most popular mobile activities, and examine how mobile usage is an additive activity. Read >>

Mercedes And RIM Lead The Super Bowl Social Media Buzz (salesforce)
With Super Bowl XLVII less than a week away, many brands have already begun their big game marketing campaigns with teaser content on social media to generate pre-game buzz. Let’s take a look at which brands are getting the most mentions across social media in conjunction with Super Bowl conversations over the past seven days (January 22 – 28), across all social media platforms.

Mercedes-Benz is the leader by a large margin in terms of pre-game mentions. The automaker has drawn plenty of attention by launching its Super Bowl spot early via YouTube. Leaping to second place is Research in Motion (RIM), on the strength of the announcement of their first Super Bowl ad to promote the BlackBerry 10. Read >>

The Government Is Still Spying On A Lot of Your Twitter And Google Data (The Atlantic Wire)
Twitter is still giving away more user information requested by the U.S. government than ever, and without a warrant. It's the continuation of a frightening trend. U.S. officials are asking for more of what we're doing daily on the Internet. And more often than not, they're doing so without getting a court's permission. The privacy act is part of that, and so is a growing database of government eyes. Google, however, is hoping to change that. The search giant has increased its lobbying efforts to get the outdated privacy changed. This year, the Senate will vote on an updated version of the ECPA that requires a warrant for all email and private communication stored over the cloud. Google is in talks with other advocacy groups to get those reforms passed. Read >>

More Than Half Of B2B Marketers Will Increase Social Media Spend In 2013 (eMarketer via MediaBistro)
More than half of U.S. business-to-business (B2B) marketers plan to increase spending on their social media budget in 2013. In fact, 56 percent said that their marketing spend on channels such as Twitter and Facebook will rise this year, with social media being favored above both search (52.5 percent) and mobile (a surprisingly low 35.5 percent). Website development (70.1 percent) and the ever-reliable email marketing (61.9 percent) were the top digital marketing priorities. Overall, slightly less than half (48.7 percent) of marketers plan to increase their total marketing budget for 2013. Read >>

Reasons Why Avoiding Social Media Will Hurt Your Business (Social Media Today)
Social media is essential for every business. Here are three reasons why avoiding social media will hurt you:

1. It is already happening without you (whether you like it or not)
2. It is key to increasing conversions
3. It fuels your other marketing tactics

It's not because it's trendy or popular. But social media has introduced new ways to either help, or hurt your bottom-line in the long run. In fact, you don't even need to see a direct ROI right now to know that every professional needs to use it. Read >>

Corporate Social Media: What Does It Have To Do With Your Business? (Social Media Need)
It is important to understand that the purpose of any social media is primarily to build relationships. People want companies to be more “transparent” and social media provides a channel for that transparency when done right. Corporate social media has the ability to reach the masses like no other media campaign ever has. It already has going for it the basic desire most people have to share things with others. The very thing someone needs may very well be exactly what your corporation provides, but the trick is getting them to notice! Social media involves grassroots exposure to human nature: socializing. Read >>

Which Social Media Tools Are Right For Your Business? (Purolator via Infographic Journal)
Small business owners may find it difficult to devote time to create and manage content across social media channels. Learn which social media sites are right for your business:

With the help of a strategic plan and good marketing sense, any business can successfully set up and manage a social media presence. Read >>