Over the past year, I’ve been transitioning from permed to natural hair. I do all of my research by reading blogs, message boards, hair forums and by watching Youtube.  I simply put the key word or phrases, “natural hair, transitioning hair, permed to natural” and so on.  I spend a great deal of time in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia for business and because of family, so I wanted to see if there were any local natural hair groups that could recommend local salons or stylists in the area.  One of the first places I checked was Meet-up.com because it proved to be a great resource or this subject in the Atlanta area.  To my surprise, when I searched for “natural hair” on Meet-up.com, I saw no groups, however, the site informed me that there were over 90 other users that were interested in joining a group about natural hair.  The site also suggested that I start the group.  As a business consultant, I see this as an opportunity.

One of the most challenging things in Marketing, is to identify your potential consumer.  If you are a beauty supply distributor, beauty supply store owner, or natural hair stylist, this group would be a great way to market your services and/ or product.

I attended a panel, sponsored by Buick GMC and OnStar, called “How to Write a Rockin’ Product Review.” The panelists were from GM’s PR and Social Media team, along with one of GM’s bloggers. I was pleased to learn how a major corporation really takes time to connect with bloggers and developed special positions to encourage positive relationships. The panelists cited examples of how they loaned bloggers vehicles for the weekend in order for the purporse of product reviews. In fact, there were actually several bloggers in attendance that had driven a GM vehicle for a product review. One blogger received a loaner vehicle for a road trip to take her daughter, a high school graduating senior, to visit a prospective college.

I left the panel with one major question. Are we (as publicists) doing enough to identify influential bloggers that will likely deliver a favorable review for our clients? One of the panelists, now employed by GM, was a fan first and blogged frequently about their brand. In every industry, there are niche bloggers that are deemed the most influential mostly due to their traffic or the quality of their content. However, these bloggers, even if they are accessible, aren’t necessarily the best bloggers to engage. In most cases, the bigger the blog means more red tape,. Finding a smaller, lesser known blog can often produce the same results as a larger blog if you take the time to nurture the relationship. Engaging a smaller blog over a larger one can be the difference between a mention versus a detailed product review with images and video.

To learn more about the conference, visit . Use the keyword, “Blogalicious10,” on any of the following social networks, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr or Youtube, to gain a better idea of what occurred during the conference.

Last weekend, I attended Blogalicious10, an all female conference that celebrates diversity in blogging. This was the second year of this fabulous conference, which took place on South Beach in Miami. The conference hosted more than 250 attendees, sponsors and vendors. Blogalicous10′s founders are 3-women team of bloggers named the MamaLaw Group. This was also my second time attending. In 2009, I attended the last day of festivities with one of my clients, who performed at the closing breakfast. However, this year, I attended as a speaker. I conducted a session called, Media Training 101.

Some of the most popular people in social media were also in attendance, including James Andrews (Everywhere), Wayne Sutton, StyleMom, Adria Richards, the BrokeSocialite and more. Recognizing the fact that some of the most influential female bloggers would be present, countless sponsors signed for the opportunity to engage attendees. Sponsors included General Mills, GM, Onstar, Kellogg, Pampers, Macy’s, Que Rica Vida, McDonald’s, Kenmore, Sears, Kmart, Yoplait, Johnson’s, Bali, Nature Valley, Invisalign, Cover Girl, Lifetime Moms, Carol’s Daughter, Carnival Cruises, Blogher, Softcup and many more. For brands seeking favorable reviews or mentions, this conference was a goldmine. Many brands offered luring gifts like iPads, iPods, iTouches, gift certificates and free trips to bloggers that posted live tweets, facebook updates and blog entries with key messaging on site. So dependable on how desirable prize was, a brand would receive no less than 20 impressions just for the chance to win a gift.

The creators of Blogalicious10 definitely planned this conference with careful consideration of their attendees. Since, the majority of the registrants were mothers, they offered on-site child care, which was sponsored by the Ritz Carlton (the host hotel) and Pampers. Even though the conference bags were already overflowing with free promotional items, there was additional swag disbursed at nearly every session or event. This presented the good but challenging delimma, how to transport all of the swag back home, considering the strict airline baggage rules.

The sessions offered something for everyone from neophyte bloggers to the seasoned pro. Use the keyword, “Blogalicious10,” on any of the following social networks, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr or Youtube, to gain a better idea of what occurred during the conference.

I’m really excited because I have proposed a panel for one of my clients, to be considered for the 2011 SXSW Interactive Panels. The panel is called “In Living Color: Marketing and Branding to Urban Audiences. The panel will be presented by my client, twtMob, an in-stream advertising network.

Here is an overview of the panel:

Panel will bring together experts from various areas of the digital frontier who’ve successfully carved their niche, thus, building some of the most successful online brands in “urban” America. From TV/ Film, Music, Entertainment, Fashion and Technology, the panel experts have excelled in developing online destinations and executing winning viral campaigns through online and offline partnerships.

Prior to the panel discussion, panelists will be able to present individual brief slide shows/ videos of their brands, demonstrate the history of their brands’ development and share case studies/ success stories. Panelists will also:

- Review trends and case studies of consumer online habits.
- Review challenges of marketing.
- Discuss the rules of engagement.
- Discuss the importance of listening to audiences when developing key messaging and brand development.
- Explore and examine the cross-promotional branding opportunities.
- Discuss social and corporate responsibilities vs brand integrity.
- Discuss the challenges and tips to maintaining relevance in the changing social media landscape.
- Examine technical challenges.
- Examine the growing trends in blogs; beyond beats, gossip and fashion.

Panel attendees will gain a better understanding of:
- Brand strategies involved in marketing.
- Tools for marketing brands, bands, products, events, etc.
- Unconventional and out-of-the-box promotional tactics.

Panel attendees will also leave the session with:
- Practical exercises to incorporate in their current business model.
- List of resources to refer to when developing their brand.
- Tips for successful marketing and campaign execution.

In order for the panel to be a part of the SXSW Festival, it must be voted on by the public.

Here is where you come in. Take 5 minutes to register at the site to vote for this panel. Your vote will help bring another diversity panel to this forum. Year after year, attendees comment on the fact that there aren’t enough diversity in the panels. Here is your chance to help change that.

Thanks in advance for your participation and assistance.

Click here to see what’s in store for us later today.

The new page offers a number of resources to help you find relevant information about cars and car buying and the ability to interact with the CarLocate.com team and other car shoppers. You’ll also be able to quickly browse information about CarLocate.com’s activities, contests, events and social media. In the automotive forum, visitors an connect with other users and click the “Share” button. Fans can also join conversations on CarLocate.com’s Facebook, Youtube and Twitter.

The experience includes visuals from the film and allows fans to play as any of the Four Nations in various adventures.

For your personal experience, visit http://www.thelastairbendermovie.com/ or go to their Facebook at http://apps.facebook.com/becometheavatar.

The research, which studies the social media consumption habits of 630 technology professional respondents and 350 technology marketing respondents, reveals a gap between the social networks that technology decision makers are most consuming and the networks technology marketers are using to connect with them. “While many technology marketers have established a presence on Facebook and Twitter, many are not taking full advantage of the sites that technology professionals frequent and value most, such as LinkedIn and blogs,” said Brandon Friesen, VP and online strategist at UBM TechWeb.

The study also confirms a significant rise in the role social media plays professionally, as it now accounts for an average of 13% of the total time that technology professionals spend consuming media for work purposes. While this is a substantial lift from a study conducted on IT professionals just two years ago, study results also point to the importance of using social media in combination with a fully integrated communications strategy.

Research Highlights:

— Technology professionals (CIOs, IT VP/Directors, IT Managers,
Line-of-business management, etc.)
— Social media is ranked fourth out of eleven in terms of time
investment devoted to information sources; technology B2B web
sites were #1.
— Four in ten respondents plan to increase the amount of time they
spend with social media.
— LinkedIn and blogs were ranked as the top two most used for
business purposes.
— Almost 60% use social networks to get information about technology
purchases.

— Technology marketers (CMO/SVP/VP Marketing, Directors, Managers, Media
Management, etc.)
— Technology organizations are increasing marketing spend for social
media outlets over the next 12 months.
— While most have not used social media to deliver a marketing ROI,
one-third will be tasked to do so in 2010.
— Facebook and Twitter were ranked as the top two most influential
sites.
— Corporate blogs may be more influential than marketers believe.

“Understanding the technology decision-making audiences’ motivations and behaviors when it comes to social media is exceptionally critical – especially at this stage where marketers are still feeling their way when it comes to social networking,” said Scott Vaughan, VP Marketing, UBM TechWeb. ”Social media allows you to get a market pulse and truly listen to what your customers and prospects are saying, driving both short and longer term go-to-market strategy.”

For related perspective and insight, visit www.createyournextcustomer.com, UBM TechWeb’s site for technology marketers.

According to Nate Brochin, Groupable CEO, “Moms Groups represent the most passionate part of a very influential consumer segment. This list shows that influence is more than just Twitter followers. Brands can use Groupable’s ratings as a filter to find groups that will be both responsive to marketing initiatives as well as influential in spreading the word of these brand experiences.”

The following are Groupable’s Top 10 out of the 100 most socially influential moms groups*:

Brochin notes that a group’s collective influence and ability to spread a message can reach a much wider audience as compared to that of an individual. “It’s about knowing which groups to engage with so as to maximize word-of-mouth equity,” Brochin says. “The Groupability Index provides marketers with a single reference point that captures a group’s ultimate influence potential.”

For a complete list of the Top 100 Most Influential Moms, email Groupable at info@groupable.com or for more Top 5 Influential group lists, go to http://influence.groupable.com/.

Apparently, with the craze and excitement of the show, Glee, fans are planning flash mobs all over the world. In fact, if you performed a search of “glee flash mob” on Youtube, you’ll find a handful of videos, capturing these stunts. Today, I came across one that was performed in Seattle. I’m sure it had something to do with the fact that the new season is returning.

It’s hard to watch this stunt, which had more than 800 people, without wanting to dance and wishing that you’d been there to witness it. Check it out.