For a more detailed look at the findings, the survey can be downloaded here, free of charge.

1. Discover all relevant communities of interest and observe the choices, challenges, impressions, and wants of the people within each network.

2. Don’t just participate solely in your own domains (Facebook Fan Page, Twitter conversations related to your brand, etc.). Participate where your presence is advantageous and mandatory.

3. Determine the identity, character, and personality of the brand and match it to the persona of the individuals representing it online.

4. Establish a point of contact who is ultimately responsible for identifying, trafficking, or responding to all things that can affect brand perception.

5. As in customer service, representatives require training to learn how to proactively and reactively respond across multiple scenarios. Don’t just put the person familiar with social networking in front of the brand.

6. Embody the attributes you wish to portray and instill. Operate by a code of conduct.

7. Observe the behavioral cultures within each network and adjust your outreach accordingly.

8. Assess pain points, frustrations, and also those of contentment in order to establish meaningful connections.

9. Become a true participant in each community you wish to activate. Move beyond marketing and sales.

10. Don’t speak at audiences through canned messages. Introduce value, insight and direction with each engagement.

Click for the complete list.

In the past, a home builder that wanted to promote one of its communities or homes on 10 different listing websites would have to input then upload the same information 10 separate times. With NewHomeFeed.com, the information gets input once then sent out to the selected websites simultaneously. Updating listing information is just as easy. NewHomeFeed.com users make the change once, then with the click of a button that change goes out to all the sites that listing is on.

NewHomeFeed.com also features powerful reporting tools that compare site-by-site performance, allowing you to evaluate and optimize your online media dollars.

Currently the beta version is free. Home builders interested in registering for a free trial can do so at NewHomeFeed.com. The next enrollment for approved beta trial users begins May 1, 2010. Check it out, and tell them red rocket LA sent you.

Tired of carrying around those cumbersome, wallet-busting gift cards? Target wants to ease your burden by allowing you to keep their gift card right in your smartphone. The big box retailer just announced that customers can now  access their gift cards right from their smartphones by presenting the digital bar code to the cashier at time of checkout.

Clearly this is a big step forward in m-commerce (as in mobile commerce) and a likely look at the shape of things to come. “There’s been such rapid growth in m-commerce in the last two years,” Ben Rushlo, senior manager of Internet technologies at Keynote, based in San Mateo, Calif., told Marketing Daily.

Read Sara Mahoney’s article in Marketing Daily for more info.

If you live in California, this will come as no surprise; there is an overpopulation of Chihuahuas here.

Concerned that our sunny streets will soon be overrun with unruly gangs of these little critters, Virgin America has partnered with the San Francisco Animal Care and Control to transport the homeless dogs to New York where the demand for the dogs is high. Once in New York, the Chihuahuas will be under the care of American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals employees, who will work to find adoptive homes for the micro-mutts.

Why did Facebook do this? According to the LA Times, it’s simply good business. For them, not necessarily for you. Read the Op-ed piece here.

In this interview with Sky News’ David Spears, Murdoch explains the thinking behind his position.

“We always saw a steady level of growth with our mobile business via our WAP site, but to be candid it wasn’t the explosive level of growth we’ve seen with the iPhone app. iPhone applications capture consumers’ imagination in a way that WAP sites simply can’t do, so the decision to expand to the iPhone was as good one for us.”

In addition to bringing in added revenue, the app has also earned one of the highest distinctions available; it’s been featured in an iPhone TV ad.

Click here for the full story.

This event runs counter to the cosmetic industry’s “gift with purchase” promotions, but the executives at Estee Lauder are viewing this as a way to bring a more contemporary image to the brand and perhaps attract a younger buyer as well. And, since the photos will have an Estee Lauder logo in the background, the company can likely expect to increase its brand presence on Facebook and other social sites.

Read more

Testimonials

According to Mary Engle, associate director of ad practices at the commission, the FTC is changing its guidelines on endorsement so that advertisers will no longer be able  to use statements like “Results may vary” as a way to justify claims that are counter to the norm of a product or services’ expected performance.

David Vladeck,  head of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said, “Disclaimers of guidelines are not working. Misuse has been especially prevalent in weight-loss products.

“In the FTC’s review of 300 ads, two-thirds used consumer testimonials. Few showed realistic claims, and disclosures of atypical results were flashed too quickly to read. ‘Results may vary’ does not adequately inform consumers that claims are outliers or extreme cases. They do not disclose results consumers should realistically expect. That is the main problem.”

The changes to the guidelines will take affect this year.

Bloggers

The Associate Press reports that under new guidelines approved the by the FTC,  bloggers will now be required to disclose any gifts or payments they receive for reviewing a company’s product. The penaly for noncompliance is a fine of up to $11,000 per violation.