While Google+ attracts millions of users, companies are entrenched in Facebook marketing. In fact, the number of paid brand advertising campaigns rose 104 percent in Q2 when compared to Q1, according to research released by TBG Digital.

Other insights from the report:

• Retailers to be the fastest-growing marketing sector in Facebook advertising, accumulating 36 percent of all impressions. The second-fastest growth spurt consisted of finance and credit card campaigns, and jobs and education had dramatic gains.
• In measuring campaigns, conversions included ranged from purchases to registering for loyalty cards to RSVPing for events.
• A 435 percent improvement in conversions when brands targeted existing likes or fans compared to when they did not.
• Facebook ads becoming more expensive. CPM rates rose 45 percent year to year in Q2, and cost-per-click jumped 74 percent. This reflects campaigns from the U.S., U.K., France, and Germany (an Efficient Frontier study validates this finding).
• Sponsored Stories decreased cost-per-acquisition by 32 percent in Q2. This legitimizes Facebook’s recent trumpeting of its Sponsored Stories ad option as a sales converter.

TBG, a London-based Facebook marketing vendor, used data across 167 clients, including 200 billion impressions.

So, here’s another bolstering of social media marketing. How are you developing your campaigns on Facebook?

Larry David was dubbed the “social assassin” in Sunday’s Curb episode because he’s the one willing to say what’s on his mind without caring about the consequences. In other words, he can take people out.

Larry asked one women to stop saying LOL instead of actually laughing. He asked another woman to stop  “aaahing and lip smacking” after every sip of any drink.

He was put up to this by another person, so he was then dubbed the “social assassin” by his agent Jeff, who claimed he botched the job.

It was classic Larry behavior and hilarity.  The episode got me thinking about how some brands can be “social assassins”  in their social marketing attitudes and behavior and ignore the consequences:

1. Not listening first – brands dive into rather than wade into the social media stream after monitoring and evaluating social conversation about them and their market. They can monitor simply with these four free tools. If don’t know what’s being said, how can you talk? Listen for the 4Ps — product, people, promotions and processes.
2. Inconsistency – brands are here today, gone tomorrow on posting and connections. Generally, these brands have no content management strategy, no editorial calendar, simple ideas on posting and worse no social strategy at all.
3. Billboarding – they don’t converse with fans and followers, and just post their brand news, sales and events and ignoring criticism and even compliments that can transform transaction into a sustainable relationship and sustain customers.
4. Everyone and noone – no social media manager or team managing or guiding social campaign (or even intern), conversations or connections.  Such brands can be idle, aimless and have no clue about successful applications or results.
5. Push versus pull – using social channels simply as advertising platforms and not valuing social media catalysts. Brands have a “do this (buy) and don’t talk to me about it” attitude. (Top talking brands online).

Ouch, that’s harsh but true. Brands obviously benefit from avoiding social assassination.

What are you doing to kill your brand conversation and following on line? How can you avoid brand social assasination?

Sad to see Tiger’s long-time Stevie Williams get the boot.  It seemed like they were the perfect great team while winning 13 of Tiger’s 14 majors.

So who will get the new job? Betting houses are setting odds on Fanny Sunneson, Nick Faldo’s caddie in his “majors” days.  A woman would be interesting.

But before the hiring is done, should we consider job requirements like these eight:

1. Precision – must know if that distance to the flag is exactly 162 or as caddies say, ’64 or ’65.
2. Ambition– has to want those five more majors more than his own breath.
3. Bodyguard – physically able and ready to defend Boss in any situation.
4. Polite – really, might help the Boss’ image rebuilding.
5. Team guy – accept any and all changes—coaches, homes, sponsors, etc.
6. No ego – leave it at the gates there’s only one Man, despite gallery cat calls.
7. Vision – be able to see errant drives and green breaks like an eagle or lady bug.
8. Intensity – bring it each and every millisecond. Tiger might still be the greatest golfer ever and he needs and wants you all, all in to win.

And for perks — think private jets, huge yachts and sprawling mansions. Oh, and possibly many extended holidays for physical or other challenges.

Hey, maybe he should let super-agent  Chubby Chandler hire his caddie. That guy gets it right from Masters to all the majors, ask Darren, Rory, Charles and Louis. Or what about Rick Reilly? The  golf reporter nailed the caddie job in his Who’s Your Caddy?

Okay, so that’s some good-natured teasing. Tiger is great for golf and sports from the large galleries and TV ratings.

So here’s to a faster and successful recovery and return to the Tour with a new caddie, who is probably already hired and announced (via Twitter).

What are those odds? And did I miss any requirements? Play well this weekend!

Will Twitter remain a niche or will it become mainstream among consumers? Looks like it has some work to do, especially in awarness compared to usage, eMarketer reports.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project announced that Twitter usage had risen from 8% to 13% of US internet users from Fall 2010 to May 2011 — a 62.5% increase in penetration. Is this growth sustainable enough to make Twitter even more pervasive?

In May, Arbitron and Edison Research updated indicating Twitter has a long road ahead in convincing consumers to use the microblogging service. Here are some relevant stats:

• Awareness of Twitter was high, at 92%, but just 8% of consumers aged 12 plus said they had ever used it.
• While Twitter awareness actually increased 5 percentage points from an already high figure in 2010, use increased by just 1 point over the same period.

Facebook has greater awareness than usage, too:

• Arbitron and Edison found that more people have heard of the social networking behemoth than use the internet in the US.
• And Facebook use is high, at an estimated 42.3% of consumers and 57.1% of internet uses this year, eMarketer believes.

More insights about Twitter:

• eMarketer estimates just 11% of internet users will access a Twitter account at least monthly in 2011.
• eMarketer projected in January 2011 that US advertising revenues on Twitter would reach $140 million this year and $225 million in 2012. (Forecast depended on traffic trends improving and the site seeing greater uptake.)

The Pew research indicates that Twitter use may not be flattening, but Twitter has failed to make its value proposition appealing to most Americans who have heard of it.

Wow, so is it the chicken or the egg? What’s your point of view and how does this compare to your experience?

Some of us are still getting or will be getting started on social media. Planning season is around the corner.

Here the 11 questions I ask my clients and prospects before getting started:

1. What listening tools do you have in place?
2. What are your specific SM goals?
3. Do you know where your target customers are online?
4. What key search words attract target users?
5. How comfortable are you with your social media strategies and plans?
6. Do you have a social media manager/team in placed with clear roles and responsibilities?
7. Have you determined what social channels match your goals and targets?
8. How developed is your content management strategy?
9. What are your clear, actionable ROI measurements?
10. How are you integrating your off-line and online strategy?
11. How much time is dedicated to social media?

And if you want to advance, check out this great slowpoke guide to social media  from Marketing Profs (worth the small investment) and these excellent insights about social media results and best practices from Social Media Industry Marketing Report 2011.