Archive for “January, 2011”

SMG is looking for you. Why you should be looking at SMG.

The best jobs to get are the jobs that find you.  That’s how I came to work at Social Media Group.  I was fully engaged in a job search at the time – networking, meeting with recruiters, applying to the occasional ad.  Then, Maggie called me after having read my blog coverage of the Toronto mayoral race. I was both flattered and impressed that she’d picked out my work.  I figured that she must have her ear pressed firmly to the ground to detect my website amidst the billions of blogs out there.

Needless to say, we hit it off really well.  After just a couple of meetings I was sold on working at SMG (and they were sold on me, thankfully).  In my first blog post I talked about the reasons why I joined SMG.  But now that I’ve actually worked here for a spell, I thought I could expand on what makes SMG a great place to work.  Why should you care?  Because SMG is expanding rapidly, and you could work here too.

So, without further ado, here are the top five things that make SMG a great place to build your career:

SMG gets Social Business – Many organizations have come to understand that social media impacts functions beyond Marketing.  As such, consultants need to have a philosophy and approach that exceeds the campaign mentality that’s been the bread and butter of agencies since time immemorial.  This thinking exists here, and as more clients come realize what they really need, even more opportunity will to flow SMG’s way.  If you don’t believe me, read what industry prophet Jeremiah Owyang has to say about why social media boutiques are winning deals over traditional digital agencies.

SMG is punching well above its weight class. In comparison to many of the agencies SMG confronts in pitches, we are relatively small.  We’re not part of a multi-national, and have but one office here in Toronto. Yet, I have been absolutely amazed at the size and caliber of SMG’s current clients (Thomson Reuters, Ford, CNN, SAP, 3M, Select Comfort, Norwegian Cruise Line) and soon to be clients, (can’t disclose any names, sorry!) working on the meatiest, juiciest assignments imaginable.  Size becomes a non-issue when clients get to experience the depth of experience and thinking that resides here.

There’s unlimited vacation. OK, maybe it’s a bit early in my tenure at SMG to talk about time off.  But the fact that employees can take however much vacation they need is a pretty sweet perk.  SMG is of the attitude that we are all responsible adults, who respect their clients and coworkers enough not to leave anybody in a lurch.  Work hard, get your sh*t done and take what time you need.  It’s the way things should be, everywhere.

Social media is about people.  So is SMG.  Doing great work isn’t worth much if you don’t like who you’re working with.  I can say with hand on heart that the people here are terrific.  Supportive, collaborative and fun are the first words that come to mind.

The best is yet to come. Let’s be honest, it’s still early days in social media.  You may have been thinking and talking about social media for some time now, but the majority of businesses are just now starting to take it seriously.  So if you want to get in on the ground floor with a company that’s poised for a fast and furious ride to the top – contact us!

Social Media Roundup for January 14, 2011

We Love Our Facebook

OnlineSchools.org released a great infographic this week, detailing the ways that people use (or sometimes over-use?) Facebook.

It’s interesting to note, but not too surprising, just how far Facebook’s reach extends: 1 in every 13 people on Earth are active on Facebook.

The one statistic to which I turn a crooked eyebrow is that “57% of people talk to people more online than they do in real life.”  Saying “in real life” when meaning “offline” is a popular turn of phrase, but a misguided one. Online communication and activity is just as “real” and can be equally as meaningful as what we do offline. I’d also be interested to see how this factor was measured – is real life just face to face? Where do phone conversations fall?

Nonetheless, there’s no denying the remarkable impact and reach of this platform. Do the statistics outlined here indicate “obsession?” Or just that people like to communicate with one another, and this is the popular tool du jour?

Social Media Trends for 2011

The folks over at Focus Research have published their 2011 Trends Report on Social Media Marketing. This is a targeted, concise guide to what experts like Jay BaerStephanie Marx, and our own Maggie Fox predict for the year ahead. Be sure to check it out!

Surprise! Your Airline Wants to Do Something Nice For You!

This week, four members of the SMG staff got stranded in various airports around the U.S., thanks to the wintry weather, myself included. As we can attest first-hand, waiting for a flight can be a stressful, long and incredibly boring process.  KLM Royal Dutch Airlines wanted to make it a little more fun for a few of its passengers. Using their checkins on FourSquare and mentions on Twitter, KLM identified a few select passengers to receive small gifts, personalized to them (based on information available in their public profiles). Check out the results!

Social Media Monitoring Platforms – How to Choose?

There are a lot of social media monitoring platforms to pick from out there, and it can be hard to cut through the clutter and pick one that’s right for you and your business. This week, J.D. Lascia and Kim Bale at Socialmedia.biz put out a great resource to help you compare and contrast all the different choices, including tools like Radian6 and Sysomos.

Cat Face – He’s Got a Big Cat Face

And finally, the video we can’t get out of our heads this week: Cat Face.

In terrible news for my productivity both at work and at home, it seems that there are 23 more Cat Face videos. I will be watching them all.