One participant stated “It’s EXPECTED that a company have some digital face – whether it’s on FB or Twitter I don’t know – but they need a strong electronic presence or you doubt their relevance in today’s marketplace.”

Other participants echoed this sentiment, stating that companies without “digital faces” are seen as behind the times and not interested in their demographic. You can read more about the study here.

iAd is sure to be valuable tool for marketing. According to Apple, iPhone users have downloaded over five billion apps and spend at least 30 minutes a day using iPhone applications. iAd also offers metrics, which adds value to marketers seeking to measure their efforts.

For more information on how IAd will affect mobile marketing, check out this blog post from DMNews.

According to this blog post from SocialFresh, Starbucks started its social media campaign by working with existing unofficial fan pages to consolidate them into one official page at Facebook’s urging.

In the social media space, there are many claiming to be rock stars, but Starbucks is by far the biggest social media success thus far. Companies should look to them as a leader in the space.

Have a Plan
Always have a plan before diving in, including a plan for failure. However, don’t overdo it. There is such thing as over-planning to a point that your risky venture never comes to fruition or you miss a window of opportunity to cash in on an idea.

Talk to the Team
Involve a few people from the departments affected by your risky plan and get their input. They may think of an obstacle that you overlooked. However, don’t overdo this either. Only involve those that have insight into what the possible risks could be with your plan.

Goals
Always attach a goal to your plan, even if it’s just a small one. Having something to work towards will provide you and your team with extra motivation to make the plan work.

For more on risk-taking, I recommend this blog post, Ten Risks Every Entrepreneur Should Take.

Location-based marketing is used via Smart Phone applications. Examples of Location-based applications are GoWalla, Tri-Out and Foursquare. Since Starbucks is using Foursquare as its location-based marketing platform, we will go into some detail about how it works.

A user downloads the Foursquare application to their Smart Phone and creates an account. When you go to a location (restaurant, bar, coffee shop, etc.), you “check in” using the application. You can link to your Twitter or Facebook account so you can let your friends/clients know where you are. The person that checks into the same location the most amount of times becomes the “Mayor” of that location.

Starbucks among a few other companies have started rewarding their “Mayors”. Starbucks Mayors receive a dollar off of their order. This creates incentive for Starbucks customers to show loyalty to a particular location and it’s also a competition.

Since location-based marketing is new, it has its share of problems. For one, you have to have a Smart Phone in order to participate. As Smart Phones get more popular, this will be less of an issue. Another problem is that Starbucks hasn’t been vigilant about letting their employees know about this promotion. As a result, it creates a negative Starbucks experience when it is supposed to be positive. Also, there is nothing to stop employees from checking in effectively blocking customers from taking advantage of the deal.

Once these issues are ironed out, I think location-based marketing will be the next big thing for retailer’s, restaurants, bars and pretty much anything with a storefront. You can read more about Starbucks’ use of location based marketing here.

First, do your research. Don’t approach a coffee blog with a new soda product. Be sure that the blog is relevant to your product and would be interested in writing about what you have to offer.

Second, when contacting them, make it personal. Bloggers do not hide their personal information and you should be able to find their name. Contact them by email or via their blog. Address them by their name and be sure to comment on their blog to show that you have read it. Keep your message casual, short and to the point. Offer them something in return, such as a link to their blog from your website. Include any pertinent info, like if the product can only be promoted after a certain date.

If the blogger delivers, and promotes your product or event in the time agreed upon, keep the relationship going. Be sure to link the post from your site, put it on your Twitter feed or any other online media outlets that you use.

For more information on pitching to bloggers, check out this post on Problogger.

If you are a business owner or a sales person, it’s a good idea to have a prepared Elevator Pitch because you never know when you will need it. You may meet a potential client in an unlikely place and not have enough time go through your sales pitch, or it may just not be an appropriate place to talk business. You should give them your short elevator pitch and give them your card to follow up.

Time is of the essence when forming your elevator pitch, so be sure that top-level information is included, such as the name of your business, what it is that you sell and what makes you different from competitors. Write your Elevator Pitch as though the person you are pitching has no background in your field. Keep it short, use simple language and avoid buzzwords. It would also be helpful to get feedback on your pitch from colleagues, co-workers or friends.

Want more advice on crafting an Elevator Pitch? Check out this article.

While this partnership will bring a lot of recognition and money to the Komen Foundation, this partnership is not faring well for their reputation. Many are calling for an end to the partnership, claiming that the Komen Foundation is selling out women’s health in the name of the bottom line. A Facebook Page has even been created, encouraging people to contact the foundation and voice their disapproval.

The controversy definitely ensures that people will be talking about KFC and The Komen Foundation, but the long term affects could ultimately cause a financial loss to both companies. Protecting your company means protecting its reputation. While you may see dollar signs on paper, you should also take the time to see how a partnership may be perceived by the public.

For more perspectives on this issue, check out these articles:

Cause Dissonance: KFC and Komen Buckets for the Cure
Pink Buckets: Big Win or Big Fail

Hire a Contractor
An in-house writer or someone in the marketing department may be too immersed in the business to write about it from a fresh perspective. Hire someone outside the company to write copy for you. Ask them for clips of their previous work and be sure to let them know that you are not looking for normal, everyday business writing. You want it to POP!

Be Honest
Honesty is the best policy, whether you are going for corporate, silly or serious, but it helps to have fun with it. If turn-around time for customer complaints is 24-48 hours, say just that. If you are short staffed, and it’s a week, say it’s a week. Nothing infuriates a customer more than a false promise. Woot.com is a great example of site with personality that is also brutally honest. For those not familiar with Woot, they are a “Deal-a-Day” website that sells one item per day at a deep discount. You can usually get some good deals, but you are always at risk of getting a dud. Their product descriptions are very literal and hilarious. Here is an example of their brutal honestly from their FAQ page:

Will I receive customer support like I am used to?

No. Well, not really. If you buy something you don’t end up liking or you have what marketing people call “buyer’s remorse,” sell it on eBay. It’s likely you’ll make money doing this and save everyone a hassle. If the item doesn’t work, find out what you’re doing wrong. Yes, we know you think the item is bad, but it’s probably your fault. Google your problem, or come back to that product discussion in our community and ask other people if they know.

Tell a Story
Get creative with you product descriptions by using a story line to describe what your products and services do for its customers. If you have some that are true, even better! You may want to consult your customer service department for assistance if you decide to go this route.