From LIKE to LOVE: 3 Awesome Social Brand Advocate Campaigns

This is the final installation of a three-part series on how to build a successful brand advocacy program. The series covered the importance of brand advocacy, how to find your advocates, and examples of implementing a brand advocacy program. 

Throughout this series we learned why brand advocacy is crucial for your business and three steps to implementing a successful program. Brand advocates are 83% more likely to share information than the average Internet user (Source: Bzz Agent Field Guide to Brand Advocates). And each time an advocate posts content on a social network, it reaches 150 people (Source: Zuberance via Forrester Peer Influence Analysis). So once you have your strategy in place, how do you mobilize your brand advocates to be the marketing force you want them to be? Here are three creative brand advocate campaign examples from Shoutlet customers. (more…)

Bottom Line of the 2013 Social Media Marketing Report: You’re Not Alone

Some days, a social media marketer’s life is a challenging one. With little time to build a strategy, you’re stuck in an endless cycle of trying to keep up on Twitter, create like-worthy content and battle trolls on YouTube.

But then, you go to a conference, or read data like Social Media Examiner’s Social Media Marketing Industry Report, and you don’t feel quite so alone. Everyone has the same challenges. And most importantly, everyone has the same opportunities.

Social media is a brave new world, ready for innovators and big ideas. Take a look at this year’s social data. We promise you’ll feel motivated to take action. (more…)

Facebook Replies: A Powerful New Tool for Brands

Community managers asked, and Facebook granted: Replies are here! As of March, brand pages and public figure profiles can now respond to specific comments on a Facebook thread – a dream feature for stimulating conversation and handling customer questions or concerns.

Today, Shoutlet is excited to announce its own integration of Facebook Replies as part of its Social CRM, providing customers the ability to view replies and respond to fans through the Shoutlet platform. Shoutlet customer Finish Line is already anticipating major boosts to their social efforts through the new feature. (more…)

Q&A with Brian Nelson, Shoutlet’s New Vice President of Application Development

Today, we’re excited to announce the addition of Brian Nelson as Shoutlet’s new Vice President of Application Development. With Shoutlet’s rapid growth to date, and the momentum that is pushing the company forward, Brian will undoubtedly bring an incredible amount of value to the business and its platform development plans.

Get to know Brian in our Q&A and hear about his past experience at Angie’s List, thoughts on social trends for 2013 and what you can find him doing in his free time. (more…)

Company Update: Executive Leadership Change

Shoutlet announced today that its Founder, Jason Weaver, has stepped down from his post as Chief Executive Officer. Jason’s future plans include the pursuit of other entrepreneurial opportunities.

Being a true entrepreneur and lover of start-ups, Jason feels he has helped grow Shoutlet to the point where it makes sense for him to step away in confidence, leaving the company in the strongest market position in its history and in the capable hands of existing leadership.

Since the company was founded three years ago, Shoutlet has grown from 10 employees to more than 125, having expanded its footprint beyond the company’s headquarters in Madison, WI, to include six additional offices in North America (San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Salt Lake City) and Europe (London). Quarter-over-quarter growth continues at record highs – with Q1 2013 closing as the biggest in company history. And validation of product excellence was reinforced this week as Shoutlet was given top honors for its current social relationship management offering by prestigious analyst firm, Forrester, in their report “The Forrester Wave: Social Relationship Platforms, Q2 2012.” (more…)