Amid a surging sea of social media bits and bites, how can brands stand out? For starters, "Negativity works really well!" according to Robin Monheit, Senior Social Media Manager at Hearst Corporation. One of Monheit's favorite headlines of late guaranteed clickers a peak at the "ungliest, craziest wedding dresses" they could imagine. "Definitely going to click on that!" she addmitted during MediaPost's Social Media Insider Summit, on Friday. Also, addressing readers directly as "you" can be effective, Monheit noted. Oh, and you can't go wrong mentioning Ryan Gosling. "The ten funniest faces that Ryan Gosling made yesterday?! ... I'm definitely …

To some degree, are there any publishers not letting social media metrics steer editorial? They're out there, obviously, but their ranks are shrinking fast, according to panelists at MediaPost's Social Media Insider Summit. "Bringing in [social] analysis is a new thing for us, but it's been working really well," Robin Monheit, Senior Social Media Manager at Hearst Corporation, said on Friday afternoon. Individual editors are increasingly using social listening tools to determine, "what worked, what didn't work," and proceeding accordingly. Meanwhile, social measurement can take many forms, noted Mauria Finley, founder and CEO of Citrus Lane. "We do a bunch …

Wow, either Marcus Nelson, founder and CEO of social marketing startup Addvocate, doesn't know that MySpace is attempting a grand reinvention, or he just doesn't care. Talking about lost causes at MediaPost's Social Media Insider Summit, on Friday, Nelson just asked attendees: "Anybody still on MySpace?!" Take that, Justin Timberlake! Beyond bashing MySpace, Nelson -- formerly head of social media at Salesforce.com -- was trying to make the point that brands shouldn't leave "graveyards" around the Web, whether they be MySpace pages that haven't been tended to in years, or microsites that haven't kept up with the times. "It's ok …

Oh, boy. Whelp, Drew Neisser decided to begin his panel on influencer marketing by comparing the process to bad marriages. At some point, they both become "problematic," observed the founder and CEO of social media and marketing agency Renegade. Also, like iffy marriages, "Sometimes, it's difficult to know who's wearing the pants" -- the brand or the influencer -- Neisser told attendees of MediaPost's Social Media Insider Summit, today. Furthermore, with any relationship, "It's ultimately about give and take."

In a market overrun with social technology vendors, how do agencies ultimately choose their partners? Case studies, case studies, case studies, according to Shabnum Mehra, Group Strategy Director/Social Lead at AKQA. "Case studies are the number one place we go -- it's what really differentiates [vendors]," she told attendees at MediaPost's Social Media Insider Summit, today. "Research is also really great," she added. "Even if we don't partner with them [at the time], they become top-of-mind... and then we usually end up using them." Oh, "the leadership team is important, as well," she added. "Financials, too." Yes, financials! "Sometimes, [a …

What the?! None other than LeBron James -- yes (!), the reigning king of b-ball and Twitter -- is kicking off MediaPost's Social Media Insider Summit, today. Courtesy of Katie Richman, Director of Social Media Strategy & Social Products (X Games & espnW) at ESPN, King James is walking summit attendees through his "10 Fan Truths" ... in a prerecorded video. What can James teach marketers about social media marketing? For one, "Fans are attracted to guys with heart .... And guys who can come up big." Other tips that may translate for socially-ambitious brands: - Show the love! "Play …

So, why hasn't mobile "hit" for CPG brands? "It's really about risk," according to Liz Ross, President of BPN North America. Risk, she meant, of the many things that can go wrong when brands experiment with new, untested media channels. The greater risk, though, is missing the mobile train, Ross told attendees of MediaPost's Mobile Insider Summit on Wednesday. Those brands unwilling to adopt mobile "run the risk of being boiled frogs," she said. "With things that happen slowly [like the growth of mobile] we're less attuned to notice." Remarkably, David Ervin, Director of Integrated Marketing at Hillshire Farms, admits …

In the closing panel looking at location marketing in mobile, agency executives pointed out that client education is still a big part of the challenge in rolling out campaigns. Ian Beacraft, senior digital strategist, Leo Burnett, noted that while the agency has become very digital focused, clients may still be more geared to TV and more traditional media. And when creative briefs get change, that can also lead to changes in tactics and technology used, including mobile location. Vaino Leskinen, director of Mobilelab, Digital Arts Network (TBWA), said the precision of location data itself …

Leading off the final day of the Mobile Insider Summit, Amit Shah, VP, mobile and social, at 1-800-Flowers.com explains the company’s approach to mobile development styled after coding “hackathons.” The online retailer has expanded that concept to run “user hackathons”—intense two-day sessions it typically holds once every two weeks or so across with staff across multiple departments to figure out how to make the user experience better. Each hackathon focuses on a different element of the customer journey.Shah admitted that pulling these collaborative sessions together hasn’t been easy but has paid off with better user experiences in mobile …