Have you been hearing whispers about "important 1 to 1 social networks" and "mobile messaging usage being on the rise" but haven't had the time to dig into all of the platforms that this covers? Well, you're in luck because we have, and we're sharing the...

As we are half-way through the year, many marketers are starting the exercise of looking ahead to 2016 and beginning to think about what their social budgets should be.  Since we frequently consult with brands on social media planning (including the budgeting exercise) we wanted to share some tips on how to set your...

Recently I was asked the question "What's the next big thing in social?".  Immediately I had a flood of possibilities come to mind, followed quickly by the inherent fear "have I missed anything major?". As I nixxed trends that are nearing maturity and immature trends on the horizon, I started...

Back in 2010, Social Media Group in Canada created a template for companies to use when they were looking to find a social media agency. (I'm not going to link to it because I don't want you to use it.) It was certainly well-intentioned, but...

One of the most enticing parts of social media is that the conversations are organic in nature, free from certain outside forces. This organic flow leads to the creation of networks where so much can happen. They can foster relationships, invoke emotions, create controversy, build...

With the rise of video, you've probably taken another look at how video views are counted and valued.  Is a video view simply an impression?  Are video "click to play" elements considered as brand engagements? Do auto-play views "count" the same as a "click to play"? In yet...

While Vine is still a relatively new platform, just celebrating its second birthday in January 2015, it’s impossible to ignore the effect the channel has had on pop culture. Terms originated in Vine videos, like “on fleek,” have been used by CEOs of major companies,...

If you’re going to ask hundreds, thousands, or millions of people to pay attention to your brand during a major, real-time live event, you better make it count. But how? Entertainment brands can be seen as having it easy, with passionate, engaged fan bases to drive awareness for...

We created Ignite Social Media in 2007 and so much has changed in the intervening eight years. The rise of Facebook brand pages and the fall of organic reach; Brands chasing likes and followers, encouraged in part by the social networks themselves; Twitter gradually introducing...

As social media marketers we spend a good amount of our time giving advice to our brands about how to be clever and engaging in order to seamlessly join the conversation on social. We steer away from “selling” outright in most cases even, while feverishly...

When I first read the term “content shock”, I thought of the word that once followed shock -- jock. History will likely remember Howard Stern as the King of Radio Shock Jocks, one of many controversial broadcasters who would deliberately provoke or offend their audience...

Since we opened our doors in 2007, Ignite Social Media has developed hundreds of social strategies and marketing plans for a variety of household name brands.  As we enter into the time period where many brands begin looking to shape their 2015 plans, I wanted to...

Ignite Social Media