Covering Social Media Week Chicago

Last week I was in Chicago covering Social Media week there. It was the first time to the windy city and not only did I enjoy a great time with a friend from back home who came out to Chicago cause she heard I was coming but I got to eat some great food, take the spectacular Architectural boat tour, see some public art, go to a Second City show and make new friends. Oh yes. And I wrote a couple of articles (and I have a few more coming...)



Here are my two favourites:

Get on Google Plus or get left behind

In the 15 months since the launch of Google+, over 250 million people are using it. Though many of commented on it being a ghost town, this is far from the case. On average, users are on Google + 12 minutes a day, which is just shy of Facebook's average of 14 minutes a day. With over one million brands jumping on the wagon (including over 50% of the top 100 US brands), this arena is growing rapidly. With 5 Billion plus ones per day, this has been the fastest global social share button in history.

Yes. Today I've been getting schooled on the world of Google Plus in my first session at Social Media Week Chicago. Though I was asked how many people are holding accounts to prevent brand jacking, the stats say that it's use is only growing and I'd argue, if you're just sitting on your brand page, you're missing a huge opportunity to get ahead of your competition. More-->

The lowdown on promoted tweets and trends at #SMWChicago

Marketers are always looking to find the best way to promote their brand full stop. It's their job after all. As social media picks up the drive toward paid media opportunities, it's easy to be confused on which avenues to take and where to move your spend.

Today's session at Social Media Week Chicago, Tweeting Louder - using paid and earned tactics to make noise in the Twittersphere, tried to tackle this topic with Andrea Javor, Director of Digital and Media Strategy with Beam Global (the makers of Jim Beam and Makers Mark), Kristin Walsh, Director of Influencer and Consumer Engagement for FritoLay North America and Brent Hill, the director of the US Central region for Twitter. More-->