Open up your mind and say, ahh...

The Mobile App Trends Series is supported by Sourcebits, a leading product developer for mobile platforms. Sourcebits offers design and development services for iOS, Android, Mobile and Web platforms. Follow Sourcebits on Twitter for recent news and updates.

You’re done. After months of slaving away over Xcode or Eclipse, you have finally finished your mobile app and submitted it to the App Store or Android Market. Within minutes of releasing the app, you see reviewers complaining about a bug or requesting a new feature. Whoops.

Figuring out how and when to update a mobile app is a crucial part of the mobile app development process. Mobile apps are very different from traditional desktop software apps. Let’s look at some of the most common reasons to update an app and how to handle the inevitable “upgrade” question.

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Update Stages

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When it comes to software versioning, or assigning a version number to a certain piece of software as it exists in a unique state, the most common number scheme is to assign a major version number, like 1, followed by a point release for minor updates, and sometimes followed by a second-point release for a revision or bug fix.

In the software world, version numbers typically follow a major.minor.revision pattern. For example, the current version of Twitter for iPhone is 3.3.6. The “3″ indicates that it is the third major release. The second “3″ indicates that it is the third minor revision of that release and the “6″ indicates that it is the sixth revision, or bug fix, to that minor release.

These numbers indicate what type of update an app has received.

The Bug Fix

The most frequent types of app updates are bug fixes. Bug fixes are typically covered in “revision” or “bug fix” releases. Bug fixes don’t change the structure or feature set of an app. Instead, these updates make sure that the app is working as designed.

No matter how much beta or user testing a developer does before releasing an app, there are always going to be problems, bugs and issues that only show up after the app is used more broadly.

Bug fixes are a way to keep the integrity and structure of the app intact, while making sure that it doesn’t crash and performs more optimally.

Google‘s update policy with the Android Market allows developers to push out updates whenever they want. With Amazon, Apple and Microsoft, however, updates have to go through the same approval process as submitting an app to an app repository in the first place.

Apple has a policy in place with the App Store that allows developers to fast-track an important or crucial bug or security fix without having to wait as long as with a regular update. Still, these instances are reserved for situations in which an app is either crashing consistently or is potentially insecure.

Because it takes time for even bug fixes to get approved, many developers try to lump several updates and bug fixes together in one release. This limits the number of new downloads for the user and prevents the developer from having to wait through multiple approval queues.

Developers should triage bug fixes based on factors like how many users are affected (or how many have complained) and the severity of a problem.

Adding or Removing Features and Updating UI

Adding or removing features from an app is a more significant update than a bug fix. For example, when Facebook released version 3.5 of its iPhone app, it rolled in new privacy updates, refined the user interface and added the ability to share external links from within the app.

It’s common for developers to use designations like “.5″ as a major milestone for a release. In other words, a 3.5 update is often seen as more significant than the 3.1 update.

Adding and removing features is an important part of the app development process. When it comes time to add a feature, it’s important to look at the feedback you are getting from your users. If enough users are requesting a feature, it’s a good idea to look into what would be required to add that feature.

Just as important as adding features is removing functionality. It isn’t uncommon for developers to go into the app creation process with one feature in mind, only to find that users don’t like or use the feature, or that it doesn’t work as expected.

Sometimes, features have to be removed for performance, stability or even compliance reasons. When making the decision to remove a feature, keep in mind what impact removing that feature will have on your users. If a feature is causing undue strain, performance problems or it’s not being used, dropping it is often worthwhile.

Marco Arment’s popular Instapaper app for iPhone and iPad has undergone some significant changes over the years. Arment is not afraid to remove features that aren’t used by enough of his users or that cause undue server strain.

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Major Updates

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A major version number update indicates that the app has some significant changes to its features, UI or both. This is the big release for an application.

Earlier this week, Instagram released version 2.0 of its popular iPhone app. The new version added a significant number of new features, including live filters, tilt-shift in camera, higher resolution photos and enhanced filter options.

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Major Update or a Whole New App?

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The big question for lots of mobile developers is when to issue a major update — as in a new version number — and when to release a whole new app.

With traditional software, developers can charge for software and offer special upgrade pricing. For example, when I bought Adobe Creative Suite CS5.5, I was able to get a discount directly from Adobe because I owned an earlier version of Creative Suite.

Likewise, when my favorite lightweight image editor Acorn was updated to version 3.0, its developer was able to offer it as a whole new version and charge for it accordingly.

This isn’t the case with most mobile app stores. Apple doesn’t allow developers to offer upgrade app pricing. In other words, if I want to update my iPhone app to version 2.0, I have to either give everyone who purchased 1.0 or higher a free upgrade or release a brand new version of the app.

Both strategies have their pros and cons, and it’s important for developers who charge for their mobile apps to take both scenarios into account.

Pros and Cons of Releasing an App Update

• Pro: Existing users will be happy that they don’t have to pay.
• Pro: Promoting the app and the update won’t require changing any links to the App Store.
• Con: The development costs for the new version need to come from brand new customers.
• Con: Users are forced to update the app (unless they explicitly choose not to).

Pros and Cons of Releasing a New App

• Pro: The developer can get paid for their work.
• Pro: Users are not forced to upgrade the app. They can continue to use the old version indefinitely.
• Con: Users might revolt or be disinterested in buying a new version.
• Con: Migrating settings might be difficult or untenable.
• Con: Promoting the app and letting new users know about the upgrade might be difficult.

Most mobile app developers do not release a new version of their app and instead update the existing version. However, some developers have managed to release a new version of the app and have done so successfully. Before selling to Twitter, Loren Brichter released Tweetie 2 for iPhone as a brand new app, and thus a paid upgrade. Some users did complain about the charge, but Brichter held his ground and the app was a massive success.

A common workaround that many developers have successfully used is to offer their app for free for a limited time, in order to allow existing users to upgrade for free, and then to start charging the usual sales price. Some developers also offer the app at a discount for the first few days both to promote a new release and as a gesture of good-will towards existing users.

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In-App Purchase as an Update Tool

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For developers of games and other types of extensible apps, a common upgrade approach is to release new level packs via in-app purchase.

PlayFirst, Inc’s Dash series of games frequently releases updates both to the main application, as well as additional level add-on packs. This is an easy way for the developer to extend the game without forcing customers to buy and download a new version.

Likewise, music apps and document and utility managers can offer add-ons that add support for new features.

Keep in mind, the in-app purchase approach doesn’t work with all apps. It’s a very different type of business model, but for game developers, can often be the best way to approach extending a game.

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Your Thoughts

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When do you update your apps? Are you in favor of releasing free major updates or releasing a brand new version of an app. Let us know.

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Series Supported by Sourcebits

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The Mobile App Trends Series is sponsored by Sourcebits, a leading developer of applications and games for all major mobile platforms. Sourcebits has engineered over 200 apps to date, with plenty more to come. Sourcebits offers design and development services for iPhone, Android and more. Please feel free to get in touch with us to find out how we can help your app stand apart in a crowded marketplace. Follow Sourcebits on Twitter and Facebook for recent news and updates.

Sasha Dichter gives a tremendous talk that was just picked up at TED. Other than an insane amount of effort and practice, what’s his secret? He’s speaking his own story. Rather than following a map or parroting a line from someone else, Sasha is talking about his own work, his own ideas. He paces because the creative energy gives him no choice, it’s that eager to get out into the world.

Here’s a followup I did in response to a request from Sasha’s cohorts at Acumen. Again, this is straightforward (I won’t say ‘easy’) because it’s what I believe. I’ve been in the field and seen this with my own eyes. Too often, the corporate world pushes talking points onto people, and more often than that, speakers and writers get nervous and they turn into parrots. The only reason to go through the hassle and risk of putting yourself out there is to be out there… you, not a clone.

PS In honor of my new book, here are a few interviews I’ve done recently that you might enjoy…

With Brian Clark at Copyblogger on blogs, books and more

With Radio Ink about risk and creativity

With William Arruda on careers and promotion

Thanks to David for a fine review. CC Chapman too.

Guest post by Chris Beck of 26DotTwo

You allocate increasing amounts of budget, time and resources with social media to connect one on one. What about the other 90% of your budgets? What learnings can be cross-pollinated to increase your impact?

The focus in social is on the 5th P (people); communities, niche groups, and influencers. Traditional media consists of the 4Ps; product, price, promotion, and place. Consider integrating the 5th P into traditional; not just a ‘Follow us on Twitter’ or ‘LIKE us on Facebook,’ but deeper learnings that can create significant impact.

Here are 6 social insights you can and should start applying to traditional…

TARGETING

Chances are your social campaigns are highly geo and contextually targeted. What about your traditional? Does it mirror your segmented user targets? Or is it a commoditized plan reaching broad demographic groups, using essentially the same creative?

Highly targeted ads create much higher consumer connection. You can see this clearly with social. A hyper targeted campaign on Facebook will generate upwards of 0.1% CTR’s with 60+% Fan Click Through Rate (FCTR). A broadly targeted demographic campaign may only generate a 0.2-0.3% CTR and 25-30% FCTR. Thinking the same way about traditional can dramatically increase your impact and ROI.

How are you customizing your outdoor and place based messaging? Do you use wild postings in urban areas and day-parted messaging with digital out-of-home? We do. In fact, we even use different messaging for men’s and women’s locker rooms. Do you have broad demographic targets for your radio and TV, or separate campaigns and music beds for your different segmented groups? The more traditional is customized, the greater your ROI will be.

CREATIVE OPTIMIZATION

Is your creative approach focused on the big idea? Or are you using a series of smaller ideas designed to resonate in specific markets and within specific niche groups? Typically the same traditional creative may be running in all markets for several weeks. However, traditional can learn lessons from social’s top creative, where top performing social ads may only perform for 36 to 72 hours before needing to be optimized. In the case of the Facebook Ad Server, it will save you from creative burn out because it will just stop serving your ad. However, your traditional could keep running and running…

LISTENING

Are you listening to conversations and then attempting to tap into them to promote the next deal period or sale? Looking at consumer insights for the 4th of July, it became clear that BBQ recipes and cupcakes were the most searched for items historically. Thus, we integrated these topics of interest into our creative to better join in the conversation and fulfill actual wants and needs.

MEDIA MEASUREMENT

Most of the media analytics applied to traditional are decades old and primarily mechanisms of commoditizing a buy to broad demographic groups. Effective social campaigns are focused on reach and frequency.

GRPs and IMPs mean nothing in terms of actual reach and frequency; 100 GRPs can be a 50 reach and 2 frequency or a 10 reach with a 10 frequency. They also do nothing to indicate the environment that the message is being showcased in. Are you looking at GRPs and CPPs or reach and frequency with different consumer segments? If not, you could be entirely over-reaching logical frequency levels with one group and entirely under-reaching another.

ENGAGEMENT

Think about the amount of time devoted to strategizing your 1 or 2 daily Facebook posts. Think about the analysis of the timing and content of when your tweets are most amplified. Could your traditional use the same analysis to better engage? The first step in the process is an understanding of how the consumer is actually consuming media and what other media is being used simultaneously.

Pandora Web is used mostly in-office and Pandora Mobile is generally used in the car. Won’t your messages engage more effectively if you take advantage of where people are consuming media? That’s why we’re huge advocates of heavy use of day-parting; it engages better. Drive time radio may have slightly higher usage, but much lower consumer attention spans and receptivity. A well produced :05 or :15 might better engage people in drive time, while an engaging :30 is a more effective messaging tool middays and weekends.

CROWDSOURCING

Think of crowdsourcing as the focus group of the future; it can offer much deeper information than a series of “controlled” focus groups ever could. It’s the next level of listening, by actually reaching out and having on-going insights on your creative, product mix, line-extensions and promotions. It’s no longer what you or your agency is thinking “back to school” may or may not represent, but what your segmented consumer groups want and will engage with.

Consumer’s media consumption, adoption of new technology and increased reliance on social elements will only continue to explode. Astute marketers will see that this translates into much less value to the “old days” of traditional commoditized media plans, siloed strategies and one size fits all creative. Integrating best practices from social can help your traditional better connect and create higher ROI.
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Chris Beck is a 30-year marketing veteran and is the founder and Chief Vision Officer of 26 Dot Two. The company works with leading brands, including Whole Foods Market & Popchips. He can be reached at chris@26dottwo.com
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Image Credit: Shutterstock

We make no bones about loving the Jaguar C-X16 hybrid sports car. It’s gorgeously styled, technologically advanced and promises to be a hoot to drive.

Jaguar unveiled the car at the Frankfurt auto show, and now we’ve got some video of company execs discussing the “design concept,” which almost certainly will see production at some point.

The C-X16 is not a hybrid in the traditional sense. Jaguar cribbed from Formula 1 and fitted the two-seater with a kinetic energy recovery system. The supercharged 3.0-liter V6 — 375 horsepower, 332 foot-pounds — provides most of the thrust, but a 70 kilowatt (94 hp) electric motor provides added boost at the push of a button.

Mash the gas and the red button on the steering wheel and you’ll hit hit 62 mph in 4.4 seconds. Top speed is 186 mph, and the car emits 165 grams of CO2 per kilometer. That comes to 33 mpg by our math, but let us know if we’ve screwed up the conversion.

All that and it’s drop-dead gorgeous? Sign us up.

In revolutionary times, it’s tempting to work to get things back to the way they were.

How often, exactly, does that plan actually work out the way you hoped?

I think it’s worth beginning a policy, strategy or tactical discussion that revolves around a choice between forward or back by saying, “We’d like to roll the market/technology/competitive landscape back to the way it used to be, even though it almost never works out that way. Here’s why it’s going to be different this time.”

A little bit of honesty goes a long way in helping you be realistic about how you’re going to spend your time. The good old days are old. That’s part of the deal.

The Egyptian Revolution is a historical event for many reasons, not the least of which is the relentless dedication of human will to overcome tyranny against all odds. For those who study social networks, the revolution is also of course significant because of the role Facebook and Twitter played in the concentration of discontent and the orchestration of upheaval. For the purpose of this discussion, I would like to focus on how Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social networks continue to demonstrate the revolutionary effects of network density and continue to escalate the promise of social connectivity as part of our digital sustenance.

Over the years, we’ve learned the importance of social media in our professional and personal lives. It is after all a revolution in of itself. From improving governments to socializing businesses to improving collaboration and learning to investing in personal development, social media is influencing and reshaping all it touches. But there are very real costs associated with social media and they extend well beyond technology, popular networks, trends or monumental events.

You are here because you live and breathe new media and with each day that passes, you place unprecedented value on social and mobile networks and the role they play in your livelihood. Your experiences are incredibly personal, but are also influenced by your connections. The value you glean from each network is directly correlated to the relationships you forge within each network. The content that you curate, create, and consume dictates the focus and significance of your interest graphs.  The gravity that attracts people and information to your egosystem is essentially yours and only yours to define. And, that’s the point of this post. We must study the human cost of social media to improve how it is we adopt and employ it in life, study, and work.

Aside from the inherent value of connections, engagement, and information commerce, understanding the human cost tied to social networking will help us focus precious resources to prioritize desired benefits and outcomes.

The human cost of social media is something we’re learning as we go and the price we pay for the benefits of connectivity starts with an exchange of privacy for a new era of publicy, or as Jeff Jarvis refers to i,t publicness. Privacy as we once knew it is over. The values of privacy are sacred as are the opportunities tied to living in public. Perhaps as valuable and sacred as privacy, we must also explore another human cost of social media…time.

We all know very well that activity within social networking can lead to distractions. With one click, we can find ourselves hopelessly lost in a labyrinth of fascinating experiences that have nothing to do with our initial focus. Serendipity is part of the splendor of social media, but it is something that necessitates discipline to learn, entertain and be entertained, while also staying the course. In the end, we exchange time and privacy for exposure and attention.

In addition to time and privacy, we learn that the human cost of social media is also emotion. We indeed invest a bit of ourselves in each new connection and form of expression we publish. We say a bit about who we are in all we create and share. Our actions and words put the “me “in social media and as time passes we construct a digital persona that reflects a vision of how we see ourselves and how we wish to be seen.

As in anything, when we invest emotion, we expend a great deal of energy and passion all for the promise of reactions, connections, and a sense of significance. And at the end of each day, we’re simply exhausted. Whether we realize it or not, fatigue is an inevitable product of engagement. From Social Network Fatigue to Deals Fatigue to Follow Fatigue, we are slowly realizing that we are not invincible. We are not without a very tangible perimeter of limitations.

How many networks do you call home? How many social and interest graphs are you shaping? I’m sure many of you are at least active in four or more networks including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, FourSquare, Flickr, or Google Plus.

During the beta launch of Google +, I conducted a survey that asked those new to Google+ if they planned on abandoning their Facebook presences as a result of joining the new network. The response was surprising as I did not expect the number of people who would express social network fatigue.

The reality is that the cost of social networking is great and without checks and balances, engagement can cost us more capital than we have to spend. The net result is then social and emotional bankruptcy. And, the most difficult part of this unfortunate state is that it is at first difficult to recognize and far more exacting to overcome.

There’s a saying, “everything in moderation,” but it’s impossible to explore these new horizons with anything less than exuberance. This is our time and who we are online and in the real world is ours to define. But without ambition, desire, and focus, social media is a recipe for chaos. Through all of the distractions and fatigue, we must continually renew our focus to bring important goals to life based on our actions and words in each social network.

I ask you to pause for a moment. Think about what it is that inspires you. Think about what it is you are trying to achieve. Now, look at what it is you’re doing today and compare these activities and results to your aspirations. Do this at fixed intervals over time to plot your position and look ahead to where it is you’re hoping to reach. Then ask yourself, “am I on the right path?” Never stop asking that question.  The answers are more important than you might think.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

The biggest realization that came out of 9/11 for me was that nobody was coming to save me (us). I mean this in a gazillion ways. My company’s HR department couldn’t care less about my career development. No one at all would ultimately be responsible for my happiness, but myself. All of this came crashing into reality for me because of 9/11. And since then, I forget the lesson quite often. But just lately, I’ve had reason to think about it again, for my own purposes, and based on two recent conversations.

You Are Your Own Superhero

We’ve already agreed that you know what to do. We realize that part of what we have to do involves getting stronger with our choices. We know that letting the emotions and thoughts of others affect how we see ourselves is a problem and that we have to get untangled. We’ve thought about how important discipline is to our world. We know that we have to say no faster. So what’s left?

The work.

You are your own superhero. No one has to save you. You don’t have to say “if only.” You just have to do the work. Do you need to make more money? Then start working on that. Do you need to lose weight or get healthy? Today’s the day.

Superheroes are part of a very powerful mythology that says this: you’re not strong enough, so some outside force will have to come and help you.

That is, unless YOU are the superhero. Right? Mmmmmm. Isn’t that neato?

Pick Out Your Cape and Tights!

What kind of superhero do you need in your own life right now? You probably need the kind of superhero that knows how to do things right. Competence matters. Learn how to be a better builder. You need a brave hero who can face the waves. You need to be the kind of hero that knows that there really are no enemies. And frankly, you need a practical hero who can help you find time.

But that’s all inside you. You know what to do. Yes, sometimes part of “what to do” involves reaching out. Community is a very powerful resource and going it alone can stink. But you have to approach this like a superhero. Let’s talk about that.

The Superhero Approach

First off, realize that superheroes mess up all the time. Superman used to drop airplane parts all over the place while trying to safely land people. Batman has all kinds of angst that he hasn’t quite dealt with in therapy. Green Lantern? His weakness is the color yellow. Anyone with a Livestrong armband can beat him. Aquaman? The dude’s only power is that he can talk to fish. Fish, I’m guessing, aren’t that interesting.

However, superheroes do their very best. They realize that they are the only ones who are going to answer the call. YOU are the only one who will answer the call to save yourself. They pick themselves up after every failure. They rethink things as fast as they can. They seek the next best approach if Plan A fails (and it always does).

Superheroes don’t stand around to take praise. Praise is just as poisonous as criticism. Forget that. Just do the job and get back to your secret identity.

Superheroes don’t worry too much about belonging. They’re too busy working on what needs doing. There are some exceptions:

Aquaman never fits in with the other superheroes very well.

Save Yourself

You don’t have to wait for someone to save you. You’re the hero. Do it. Pick up the challenge and bring yourself to what has to happen next.

Just a Hair More About Superheroes

Ani Difranco has a song that resonates with this:
Can’t see the video? Click Here

Friend, PodCamp co-founder, and mentor-at-a-distance, Christopher S Penn writes about awakening your inner superhero.

Friend, Trust Agents co-author, and mentor-at-a-distance, Julien Smith, writes very challenging posts about how to grow.

And then beyond that? It’s yours to tackle. You’re the superhero, after all.

My language isn’t safe for work on this post. Save criticism for another post. In this case, I need to use this word.

Seth Godin is right to tell you to ship. Get your stuff out. Make something. DO something. It’s important. And waiting until something is perfect isn’t an option.

Putting out crap isn’t all that useful, either. There’s a big difference between “ship” and “shit,” and in the latter case, I’d say the difference is one you already know about in your gut.

The Balance

Let me be clear: it’s quite often okay to put out something that’s “good enough.” What isn’t okay is trying to get something out to your audience or community that just doesn’t get anything done. And by the way, the “it” in this case is whatever your “product” is. If it’s a blog post and you’ve just thrown it together, you know that. If it’s a speech, then writing it an hour before you give it is shit. If it’s a book and you’re just writing to fill pages, that’s shit.

You feeling this?

Restaurants make this mistake all the time. Servers do it all the time. People phone it in all the time. They have the chance to deliver something even vaguely good, and they push out what? You got it. Shit.

How Do You Manage It?

Here’s the thing, and I’m sorry to keep repeating, but people don’t read any longer. They skim.

You know when you’re pushing out shit versus shipping. You’ve got pressure to ship. Great. Then make the time to make it worth it. Don’t hold things until they’re perfect. That’s constipation, and serves no one.

If it’s something you know will help others, put it out. If it’s not ready to help others, don’t. If you haven’t completed it, wait. Do the work. Finish it. If you haven’t given it a quick polish, wait. If you haven’t garnished the plate, so to speak, wait.

Then ship it.

Seth didn’t ask for your poop. We can all do better. I’m on this same watch. You with me?

There are things we need in life and there are things we think we need. In which category would you place thumbtacks? Of course you’d place them in “things we think we need.” But what if we’re paperless? What if we don’t have a static office? And yet, there are people out there, still, who need thumbtacks. Somewhere, there’s an office admin who has to make sure he gets two boxes of thumbtacks a month (or a quarter), or Mrs. McFeeney will be furious.

What Are Your Thumbtacks?

It’s easy to see what you think you need when it’s something as tangible as a thumbtack. You need them or you don’t. But what are your things you think you need that you don’t? Do you need to get email on your phone? Do you need a smartphone? Do you need a Mac versus a PC? What are you not doing because you’re waiting for something you need?

When You Look at It That Way

Soon, everything can fall into the same category of thumbtacks, can’t it? Maybe you need your job, until you don’t have it, and then you figure out some other way to pay the rent. Maybe you need your identity as the creative genius at some agency, until some new creative genius gets all the credit, and then, maybe then, you’ll see just what else falls into the category of thumbtacks. When you look at it all that way, your view changes quickly. Doesn’t it?

What are your thumbtacks?

I have to be honest, the headline is a bit hypocritical. I spend most of my time helping businesses embrace the opportunity to understand customer needs and engage with them in ways that they appreciate and value. Contrary to popular belief however, everyday consumers aren’t flocking to social media to build relationships with their favorite brands or local businesses. The truth is that consumers are using the likes of Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, et al. to connect with friends and family. But, that’s not all. People also follow those who help them better understand the world around them, share their interests, or introduce moments of desired distractions.

In early 2011, IBM conducted a survey of roughly 1,000 consumers for its annual CRM Study. One of the questions asked of participants sought to shed light to the subject of why consumers were active on social networks. At the top of the list with 70%, no surprise, was the aim of connecting with family and friends. In second with 49%, consumers revealed that they were looking to stay connected to relevant news and information. Just behind with 46%, consumers expressed the desire for entertainment. And, last but certainly not least, 42% wished to share reviews of company or product experiences.

So where does that leave businesses? After all, the original Social Media Manifesto celebrated the opportunity that would eventually unite organizations and customers in a new generation of oneness, co-creation and innovation. How can organizations build a relationship with people if their primary use for social networks is to connect to the people they already know or wish they knew?

The good news is that consumers do wish to connect with businesses, just not in the way we might have originally envisioned. According to the same study 23% used social networks to interact with brands. Yes, consumers are connecting with brands, but it’s not as pervasive as we assume. To improve the number of connections and also increase retention, we must learn the reasons for why consumers connect with businesses, what they expect, and how to captivate their attention now and over time.

As consumer use of social media matures, their expectations grow. Your challenge is whether or not your organization can not only meet their needs, but anticipate and exceed them. This is the time to stop looking at social media as merely media in social channels and to start getting to know customers and their priorities and designing programs and a supporting infrastructure that socializes customer and employee facing roles, departments, and functions.

In August 2011, Lab42 surveyed Twitter users about their habits driving brand engagement. Believe it or not, 11% claimed that connecting with brands was the only reason they initially used Twitter. What does that tell us? People needed resolution or attention and Twitter represented the most logical choice for immediate satisfaction. On the other hand 10.6% stated that they do not follow any brands at all. Not all is bleak however. The study does indeed bring good tidings for worthy businesses.

30.6% of consumers follow 1-5 brands
19.6% follow 6-10
17.8% follow 11-20
9.8% follow an astounding 31-50

Depending on how you view these numbers, the glass is either half full or half empty. I believe that the state of the glass is determined by the actions surrounding it. For example, are we pouring or drinking from the glass? As Twitter is still growing, I see the glass is half full. Therefore, the time to invest in a sincere social media program that meets the needs of the various roles consumers may play in your business.

Theses roles include:

- Customer
- Prospect
- Advocate
- Detractor
- Co-creator
- Employee

The studies above reflect that consumer engagement is only just beginning. Consumers are not just connecting because they can, they do so with intention and increasing expectations. No matter where you are in the social media maturity cycle, the questions you have to answer will guide your strategy and evolution. It’s never too late to integrate an intelligence system that constantly examines the 5 W’s and an H.E.:

1. Who
2. What
3. When
4. Where
5. Why
6. How
7. Extent

The answers will help guide a useful, value-driven and an evergreen strategy and engagement program that attracts and retains consumers. Without careful or relevant engagement, businesses risk running anti-social campaigns that cause social blindness or far worse, disconnection via an unfollow or unlike.