According to an NM Incite report, nearly three-quarters of customers would recommend a brand that gives them a ‘quick and effective’ response on social media.

Given this massive pay-off, brands are clamouring to get their social customer care in order – a Mashable post revealed that 80% of companies plan to use social media for customer service.

Read more on Why brands can’t afford to ignore social customer service…

Financial organisations have to operate under strict regulations, even on social media. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA ), which replaced the FSA on 1st April, has made it clear that financial organisations have to communicate in a way that is clear, fair and not misleading, irrespective of the channel used. (April also saw American regulator, the SEC, issue fresh guidance permitting companies to post earnings and investment updates on social media channels.)

As more people turn to social media to communicate with companies, financial organisations such as banks, insurers and investment firms are finding creative ways to attract fans and followers, and engage them enough to keep them coming back for more. Read more on Seven ways financial brands are using social media to communicate…

A live event is no longer just about being in the room or at the venue. With social media you can be part of an event taking place on the other side of the world. Below we take a look at how all kinds of events are being enhanced by social media, and the different platforms being used to boost engagement. Read more on How to extend the reach of live events with social media…

Brands often talk about their online communities, when what they mean is their branded Facebook, Google+ or LinkedIn page, or Twitter feed. All of these usually start as broadcast channels for brands – you’re incredibly lucky if your Facebook fans are all engaged enough to be considered a community from the outset – but, with time and effort, can become thriving communities.

Building a community starts with the fundamental principle of marketing: having a basic value proposition that your members believe in. If people feel they are part of something bigger – a group of people with a common interest, or part of a movement – they’ll work with you to help that community grow. Read more on Building a branded online community: a long-term project…

The fashion industry and its fans have embraced visual social media sites like Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram, and blogging platform Tumblr.

It’s natural that social mediums that focus on (or include) images will attract designers, fans and brands.

But a real community takes time and skill to develop, and requires nurturing if it is to succeed, particularly in fashion. Fashion is such a personal, subjective thing that it can attract disproportionate levels of passion from fans, which can be wonderful if the passion is positive and the brand knows how to channel it.  Read more on The seven elements of great fashion community management…

If your brand isn’t a sponsor of the Olympic Games, posting content that directly relates to the Olympics (either from the brand or retweeted from someone else) is a risky business.

The first rule of obeying the London Olympics Association Right (LOAR) is to not associate your brand and the Olympics. Any content you create and advertise must not mislead people into thinking there is any kind of official association. Read more on The Olympics Guide: how brands can (and can not) get involved online…

Financial organisations have traditionally shied away from using social media to connect with customers. In such a regulated market, who could blames them?  And who’d want to ‘engage’ with their bank anyway?

As ever, things aren’t quite that simple. The under 24s prefer to sort their customer service issues out over social media, and research has shown that people want to interact with brands – including their banks, it would seem – on social networks. As a result, a number of banks and financial organisations have started to develop their social media presences to service this increasing demand for social interaction – and they can do this well within regulations. As we’ve seen with that resignation letter from Goldman Sachs, having no or little  social media presence yourself doesn’t stop your customers, employees and potential recruits using Facebook and Twitter to talk about you. Read more on 7 Benefits: Why financial service providers are taking to social media…

A lot has been written about how to set up a Google Plus page, and reports are starting to come in about some of the best brand implementations. But we’re interested in how to administrate and manage a G+ brand page – and how easy it is (if at all) to moderate and manage user content. This is important if you’re a brand about to create a presence on a new network.

Read more on Moderating and managing content on Google Plus Pages…

Facebook has created and launched a best practice guide for public figures and celebrities, with step-by-step advice on how to create, build and maintain a public presence on Facebook.

It shows how important Facebook has become for celebrities and public figures in managing their reputation with fans. There’s advice on how to develop a compelling identity online (unsurprisingly, Lady Gaga features heavily here), how to develop a posting plan, being authentic and building awareness. There’s even advice on using developers to create apps. (There’s a great summary of the guide on AllFacebook, here.) Read more on Authenticity on Facebook…