A new initiative along these lines is the application CauseWorld. Instead of checking into locations you can check in by just walking into a store and earn karmapoints by doing so. You can even scan products in stores that enable you to earn more karmapoints. These karmapoints actually turn into money which you can donate to your the cause of your choice. The next step is sharing your activities with your friends.

Karma works both ways, because the app is sponsored by large retailproducers such as Kraft foods. The checking in and scanning of products gives consumers the incentive to buy that specific product more easily.

It is a very interesting cause marketing collaboration where commercial and good cause come together in a social context. Unfortunately the application is available in the US only, but it demonstrates how location based applications are used in a creative way. We will definitely see more of these initiatives sprouting in the nearby future.

This month Facebook announced that the social network site has got more than 350 million active users. Each user spends an average of 55 minutes each day on Facebook.

In 5 years Facebook has grown from 1 million users to an impressive 350 million users. 300,000 Facebook users helped to translate the platform in 70 different languages.

Each month users upload over 2.5 million photos to their Facebook profile and share more than 3.5 million pieces of content (weblinks, news stories, blog postings, notes, etc.) each week.

Currently there are over 350,000 active Facebook applications, built by 3rd party developers. 250 of these applications have more than 1 million monthly active users.

Approximately 20% of the active users access Facebook through their mobile devices. These users are almost 50% more active on Facebook than non-mobile users.

Will Facebook grow to 500 million users in 2010? If Facebook does, they will be bigger than Microsoft’s Live network that currently has got more than 500 million users.

Some brands wonder in which manner the can apply social media & communications to their business-to-business marketing strategy and operations. Businesses start to realize that they need more than the latest CRM software update to be effective in their relationships. Luckely social business-to-business marketing works essentially the same as social business-to-consumer marketing. The only differences between B2C and B2B are represented specifically by the influencers, communities, conversations, questions, interactions and their place within the buy and value cycles.

To get a deeper view at B2B social media marketing in 2010, eMarketer graphed the results…

Conveying thought leadership is a clear and promising chance for social brands. 60% of polled B2B marketers reported that thought leadership was at the top of the list for reasons they would engage in social networks. Generating leads and customer feedback served as the second and third top motivators for participation with 49% and 46%.

We can conclude that the dynamics of doing business and the role of influence share similar attributes that significantly benefit from socialized media and participation. So start being a social brand with thought leadership today.

Since 2007 it’s possible to create Facebook Brandpages. According to a just released report titled Inside Facebook Pages most Facebook brandpages look like normal profile pages. The difference is that social brands added functionality.

According to this report, the average Facebook page has 4,596 fans, and only 4% of the 600,000 pages analyzed have more than 10,000 fans.

Only 300 Facebook Brandpages have more than a million fans and those pages have three times as much owner-generated content than an average page.

Successful Facebook branding isn’t easy. So, don’t forget to really add something brilliant to your fans.

With this feature social brands can target multiple countries and languages. Smaller, localized and more effective branding trough Facebook is made possible.

Check this Mashable article on the steps you should take when you want to position your brand on a Facebook Brandpage.

• 65% of consumers have had a digital experience change their opinion about a brand
• Branded experience is replacing advertising
• 73% have posted a review on a social network/website
• 40% of consumers “friended” a brand on their social network
• 26% follows a brand on twitter
• After deals the main reason consumers “friend a brand” is because they are really a fan
• Majority of consumers who engage with a social brand change from passive receivers into brand advocates almost instantly!
• Mobile internet use skyrocketing
• Multiple positive brand experiences build and make a brand
• Connected Consumers are the new Mainstream

Download the full report here

Briefing: Spread the word on the opening of a new IKEA store in Malmo on a tight budget

Campaign
A Facebook profile was made for the store manager, Gordon Gustavsson. On this social profile images were uploaded from IKEA showrooms to his Facebook photo album. Then they put out the word that the first person to tag their name to a product in the pictures, won it.

Results

Thousands of people saw the promotion and spread the word to their friends and family through sharing links on Facebook, through email and word-of-mouth. Sharing on Facebook was also done by using the newsfeed and of course people putting it on their profile. A successful social media campaign with a huge viral effect and for very low cost.

• Gordon made a 1000 Facebook friends helping him spreading the word
• Lots of free PR on IKEA Malmo. Check news overview
• Enough conversations to get it done
• Successful opening of the new store.

And the buzz continues…