Katie moffat: "Yes, an impt need ..." « Deck.ly. The New Social Engagement: A Visit to Zappos. This post is co-authored by Soren Gordhamer, author of Wisdom 2.0: Ancient Secrets for the Creative and Constantly Connected, and Paul Zelizer, author of Money Makeover 2.0: 5 Steps to Financial Well-being in Today's Economy. Most Mashable readers have probably heard of the online retail company, Zappos. You may have learned of them via Twitter and count yourself among the 400,000+ people that follow the CEO, Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay but who people refer to as Tony), or from a friend after she had one of the best customer experiences in her life.
No matter how you heard of them, we wager to guess that you did so through word-of-mouth. And word about Zappos has been spreading. . . . They did $3 million dollars in gross sales the day before our recent visit, and surpassed $1 billion last year. They are one of the companies forging a new era of business that emphasizes, in their words, “making personal and emotional connections.” 1. 2. 3. ...It's gonna happen whether you like it or not!
Finding Your Social Media Purple Cow. Darren Barefoot is the co-founder of Capulet Communications, a web marketing firm specializing in high-tech and sustainability clients. Co-author of a forthcoming book about social media marketing, "Friends with Benefits," Darren writes a blog at DarrenBarefoot.com. Every potential client I've ever met with thinks their product is extraordinary. They emphasize the unique selling points, the bleeding-edge technology and the frothing delight of their early adopters. But the fact is, even in the technology sector, everything old is new again, and our world overflows with the ordinary. And yet, marketers must promote what companies sell. It would be great if we worked for Apple or Volkswagen. But what do you do if it's your job promote toilet paper or minivans on the web?
Find a gimmick. So what makes a great gimmick in social media? 1. Humor drives much of what's popular on the web. About a decade ago, I made a strange little web services satire site. 2. 3. Brevity is the soul of, er, Twit. European Social Media: 19 Web Startups to Watch.