How Social Networks Rank, Survey Results on Content Sharing, and More: Digital Innovation Corner

Earlier this month we started publishing articles with an innovation theme. There is much social media news out there, and lots of tips and opinions, but not much practical interpretation of the news. How should you apply the news to your business?

So this column is dedicated to delivering the news and telling you why it matters and why you should care. Here are the latest rendition of digital marketing innovation moments.

People Want Content from Friends Not Brands

The results of a new survey by Acquity Group show people are unlikely to reshare most social media content created and shared by brands.

The rest of the survey results dig a bit deeper into the types of content most likely to be shared. Funny videos are the winner, and videos that spread awareness for a cause are a close second.

It’s time to start thinking how to share your brand stories via video and the funnier the better.

Reddit and Quora Grow Steadily As Two of the Top Ten Social Networks

The Moz 2015 Marketing Industry Survey results came out this week and we’re happy to see Reddit on the top 10 list. Earlier this year we wrote about how to use Reddit for marketing. Clearly, we are fans. And we’re not alone.

Both Reddit and Quora are great mining tools to help you gain a better understanding of what pains your target audience faces. They’re also great places to share knowledge. Both social networks are self-curated so it’s hard for brands to get away with promotional materials. Focus on teaching and helping.

Wilco Used Free Downloads to Collect One Truly Valuable Asset

It doesn’t get simpler than this: enter your email address and we’ll send you our album. And so Wilco released their new album as a free download, as long as you enter your email address. But was it really free?  There was no dollar exchange but there was a digital currency transaction – Wilco got email addresses.

They now have a valuable asset for the long-term. You see, when someone buys an album from Amazon, Wilco doesn’t get an email address. They don’t even know exactly who bought their album. They don’t get the opportunity to start a conversation with their fans. They can’t continue to reach their most dedicated fans or invite them to concerts.

The lesson here is that sometimes you must give something big away for free to gain something of longer-term value.

Glamour Mag Recovers in Style After an Epic #Fail

Here’s the backstory – Glamour published an article titled “13 Little Things that Can Make a Man Fall Hard for You.” These tips included handing your guy a beer as he steps out of the shower, making him a snack after sex, letting him solve your petty work problem, and other such nonsense that made the Twitterverse cry foul.

Vice deconstructed the article in a humorous tone and concluded, “The central truth is so obvious it is barely worth repeating but let’s go through it anyway: this article is insulting to just about everyone on Earth.”

In response Glamour took down the article and delivered a close-to-perfect apology.

If you are looking for 13 Little Things That Can Make a Man Fall Hard for You, it is no longer available. For a quick explanation of why, here’s our response, posted Monday.

We’ve been taking some heat for a post on man-pleasing tips that ran here a few days ago—and honestly, we kinda asked for it. (That’s the consensus across the Internet and even within our own ranks). We hear you, tweeters—and we agree.

Finding real, satisfying romance in 2015 essentially comes down to one thing: showing someone who you are, celebrating who he or she is, and respecting each other. We understand that the list read like a 1950s marriage handbook—and nobody wants to go back there.

That being said, we’ll always be here to help you decode dating. So let’s be clear: You’re welcome to make a grilled cheese for anyone you love, but you shouldn’t be whipping one up in an effort to lock the all-important “him” down. (That’s just a waste of Gruyere.) What we want for you is love based on equality, not indentured servitude with date night. We’re sorry for slipping off message. And speaking of slipping, please, please ignore that beer-right-out-of-the-shower thing. It feels like it could get dangerous fast.

Lesson here, if you make a mistake and the whole world comes after you, keep your cool. Un-make the mistake. Listen and give a genuine response. Write from the heart and write well. Write like your life depended on it.

Write the best piece of writing you’ve never written.

Is there any news out there lacking an interpretation? Leave a comment and we’ll give you our two cents.