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[SOCIALNEWS] But while we all marvel at the power of Obama’s online campaign, the truth is that most of the tools his campaign used are available to ordinary citizens and advocacy groups for less than $20 a month. The platform that provides these tools is NationBuilder. I sat down with NationBuilder’s Vice President of Organizing Michael Moschella to learn more about this great tool. http://mrlnfx.co/3XTrym

[SOCIALNEWS] In 2012, Nissan tapped into their social community’s passion for rebuilding classic cars by introducing Project 370Z, the first ever social media build of a classic car. Over eight weeks, Nissan gave its community a choice of the car to restore, the parts to use, and the colors to paint it; together the community built a car from the ground up. http://mrlnfx.co/3X5Vz3

[SOCIALNEWS] Democratisation requires differentiation to stand out, and in this saturated landscape, how does a brand differentiate itself from it’s competition? What is that difference that makes all the difference? http://mrlnfx.co/3WtHsw

[SOCIALNEWS] Even in the ad world content plays an important role. 68% of UK users responded that ads should tell a unique story which mentioned John Lewis and Guiness as good examples. One of the main ingredients should be the humour factor of the story. Funny is the driver for happiness, and outplaces “sexy” ads. http://mrlnfx.co/3WbWHK

[SOCIALNEWS] Engagement in social happens when conversations are relevant to the intended audience. It’s critical to understand the makeup of your social audience and deliver relevant social brand experiences. Success in social isn’t about tricks to get more followers or short-term solutions for a single campaign. http://mrlnfx.co/3WCKg3

[SOCIALNEWS] Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, invented his business on accessibility to their customers. Today’s customers are social customers, so rather than measuring how little time each customer service rep spends on a resolution or general communication, Zappos built a model where employees are rewarded for spending more time conversing with their customers. http://mrlnfx.co/3VpxlF

[SOCIALNEWS] Salesforce.com announced its intent to acquire email marketing and marketing automation vendor ExactTarget for ~$2.5B or $33.75/share, ending a few years worth of speculation as to which marketing automation vendor it would eventually acquire. http://mrlnfx.co/3VNrTN

[SOCIALNEWS] You may come to understand which types of content drive more leads and conversions for your business, but another factor to consider is the time and money that goes into different types of content. http://mrlnfx.co/3V3yH8

[SOCIALNEWS] Social media has grown a lot since 2010, and marketers have undoubtedly become a bit more comfortable with new media, but the problems of competency and time still haunt a business’s marketing efforts. A social media manager is often brought into a company to solve those problems. http://mrlnfx.co/3Tk99t

[SOCIALNEWS] A critical moment for consumer/brand interactions is the Zero Moment of Truth (or ZMOT). ZMOT encompasses the time between consumers’ first exposure to advertising for a product and the ultimate purchase decision—with emphasis on the online research of the product that happens in between. http://mrlnfx.co/3TS8jM