360i

Today we shared the results of a six-month study tracking Twitter usage by consumers and marketers. This whitepaper, Twitter & the Consumer-Marketer Dynamic, analyzes the current state of Twitter when it comes to how consumers and brands relate. Why are people using Twitter – and how? And given these insights, how can marketers use the service to create deeper connections with consumers?

Just four years after its founding, Twitter has more than 100 million registered users that log a collective 65 million tweets each day. Beyond that, the site records 190 million site visitors per month – indicating that a large volume of people are reading content on Twitter, even if they aren’t participating in the conversations themselves.

The surge of consumer interest has inspired brands to follow suit, and today, businesses great and small are signing on in force. Our whitepaper looks at where brands fit in — and how they can make the most of opportunities on Twitter.

Download the full report: http://www.360i.com/TwitterWhitepaper

» Read the executive summary

Each week we share some of our latest career opportunities on Twitter as part of #findajobfriday. This week, we’re taking things up a notch by running down 16 positions at three 360i offices across the country. See something you like? Learn a bit more about us and apply today.

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Up next in our summer mobile series (this is our fifth installment) is a report on mobile applications.

Applications have become an enduring form of mobile media, thanks in large part to the ease of buying apps from Apple’s App Store and the increasing usage of apps on Google Android handsets. With apps’ popularity come new challenges for marketers, as consumers’ attention is split between apps and the mobile web. Marketers will have to prioritize and make tough decisions when allocating finite resources. You can learn more about the challenges and opportunities by reading or downloading the full report below.

360i POV on Mobile Applications

Key Takeaways

• Mobile app usage is on the rise. One of the biggest drivers of app usage is smartphone penetration. In fact, by late 2011, roughly half of all US mobile subscribers will use smartphones (source: Nielsen).  Other studies from AdMob have found that consumers spend about 80 minutes a day engaging with apps.
• How can marketers get involved? Marketers have three primary options when it comes to mobile apps: advertise (via ad networks), integrate (to develop custom experience within established app providers) or build (custom apps).  We also dive into how marketers can prioritize when it comes to building a mobile-friendly website or creating an app, and what’s in store given the recent release of the iPad.
• How marketers are using branded apps? We look at specific case studies from Universal Pictures, Kraft and Tiffany & Co.

For the foreseeable future, apps will only consume more of consumers’ time and attract wider audiences, especially as smartphone penetration keeps rising. The competition for attention within the app market is daunting, and standing out requires a marketer’s steadfast commitment. If creating a branded experience isn’t the best fit for a marketer’s plans and goals, there are still other ways to reach app users. Marketers will increasingly want to explore such options as mobile applications attract more of consumers’ media consumption.

Read the blog and follow us on Twitter to learn more about how you can make the most of mobile marketing through apps in the future.

Mashable has declared today, June 30, as Social Media Day – #smday if you’re on Twitter – to celebrate the revolution of media becoming social. And while everyday is Social Media Day here at 360i, we’re getting in on the action by bringing you the all-time top 10 social media posts from our blog.

10. 10 Social Marketing Resolutions for 2010
9. REPORT: Nielsen and Facebook’s Advertising Effectiveness Study
8. Forrester Unveils New Segment of Social Technographics – The Conversationalists
7. A Look at Notable Social Shopping Sites: Social, Wired & Fashion Forward
6. The SEO Implications of Social Check-in Sites
5.  REPORT: Twitter’s Promoted Tweets Platform
4.  REPORT: Twitter for Marketers
3.  100 Ways to Measure Social Media
2.  REPORT: Social Graph Ad Targeting
1. 360i Publishes Social Marketing Playbook

For more information on Social Media Day you can follow @mashSMday on Twitter or check out a list of events on Mashable’s Meetup page.

How do you plan to celebrate Social Media Day? Let us know in the comments below.

Marvel’s Create Your Own Comic microsite recently picked up a Best in Class Award in the Entertainment category at the Interactive Media Awards (IMA) competition. The IMAs honor excellence in web design and development.

The Best in Class Award is the highest honor granted by the IMAs, with winners representing “the very best in planning, execution and overall professionalism.” The Create Your Own Comic microsite earned 492 points out of a possible 500, making it eligible for inclusion in the IMA’s Top 10 Websites of the Year list.

Marvel Entertainment partnered with 360i’s Creative & Technology group to create a fully interactive destination within the Marvel.com family, fostering creativity and imagination among kids and parents. The action-packed microsite allows visitors to fully customize their own comic strip or book from start to finish, empowering them to create their own layout/design, choose backgrounds and settings – and even add fully editable characters from Marvel’s Superhero Squad.

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Today, we released the fourth POV in 360i’s summer mobile series – a comprehensive report on Mobile Social Marketing.

Mobile social media, any form of social media accessed through mobile devices, has much in common with online social media: the power of building relationships with consumers, the large and rapidly growing user base, and the potential to incorporate sharing and community functionality into every form of content. In this report we dive into the new opportunities created by mobile social media and how marketers can make the most of them.

360i POV on Mobile Social Marketing

Key Takeaways

• Introduction to Mobile Social Media: A look at what mobile social media is, as well as the challenges and opportunities it presents to brands
• By the Numbers: Social networking is the fastest growing mobile content category – here we take a look at some stats on consumer adoption rates
• Categories of Mobile Social Media: There are many different kinds of mobile social media, including extensions of online social networks (like Facebook for mobile), mobile-central social networks (like MocoSpace), location-based check-in services (like Foursquare) and more
• Location-based Check-in Services: We take a deeper dive into one emerging field within mobile social media that has garnered significant attention from consumers over the past several months
• Developing a Mobile Social Strategy: So, where should marketers begin? Hint: It’s time to bring back the strategic lens as described in our Social Marketing Playbook

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Social media is driving much of the growth of mobile media, just as it has fueled much of the growth in online pageviews and content. New sites and applications seem to sprout daily, while business models of existing players continually evolve to meet marketers’ needs. Marketers should continue to turn to the strategic lens to evaluate opportunities, as it can increase the chances of success for any social marketing program, mobile or otherwise.

Read the blog and follow us on Twitter all summer to learn how you can make the most of mobile social marketing in the future.

The Red Roof Inn website was recently named a Best in Class winner in the Hotel & Resort category in the Interactive Media Awards (IMA) competition, which honors excellence in web design and development. Red Roof Inn partnered with 360i on the extensive site redesign earlier this year, which aimed to refresh the creative, usability and functionality of the brand’s online hub.

360i approached the redesign project with Red Roof Inn’s long-term strategic goals top of mind. In order to more fully understand the brand vision – and the persona of their customer base – we worked closely with the internal Red Roof Inn staff and utilized market research to ensure an optimal customer experience on the new site.

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