The PayPal Official Insider Guide to Social Media
Make money through viral marketing
Brian Proffitt
The PayPal Official Insider Guide to Social Media
Brian Proffitt
This PayPal Press book is published by Peachpit.
For information on PayPal Press books, contact:
Peachpit
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Berkeley, CA 94710
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Copyright 2012 by Brian Proffitt
Project Editor: Michael J. Nolan
Development Editor: Marta Justak
PayPal Press Managing Editor: Matthew T. Jones
Production Editor: David Van Ness
Copyeditor: Marta Justak
Proofreader: Jan Seymour
Indexer: Rebecca Plunkett
Cover and Interior Designer: Charlene Charles-Will
Compositor: Myrna Vladic
Notice of Rights
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information on getting permission for reprints and excerpts, contact .
Notice of Liability
The information in this book is distributed on an As Is basis without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the author nor Peachpit shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the computer software and hardware products described in it.
While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy at the time of writing, the products and offerings by PayPal, including pricing and the manner in which they are accessed or controlled through www.paypal.com, are subject to change without notice. Subjective statements about the quality of products described in this book are not claims by PayPal but represent the sole opinion of the author.
Trademarks
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Peachpit was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book. In addition, designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Reference to any trademark or trade name is not intended to convey endorsement by or any affiliation with the owner of the trademark.
ISBN 13: 978-0-321-80480-8
ISBN 10: 0-321-80480-5
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Printed and bound in the United States of America
For Jhett
Live long and fight on
Acknowledgments
Authors Acknowledgements
My wife likes to say that Im the kind of geek that you can take to parties. Which, I suppose, means that Im just social enough that I can talk to people without their eyes glazing over in a wash of conversation about mobile phone platforms, Linux kernel headers, and the intricacies of display drivers.
I credit her, along with three fabulous daughters, for keeping my nerd aura down to a minimum, by showing me that theres more to life than circuit boards. Knowing that lets me broaden my horizons and enables me to write books like this.
The teams at PayPal Press and Peachpit get a big helping of thanks for providing their time and insights into producing this book.
Finally, my editor Marta Justak gets my highest praise for her professionalism and expertise. She makes my words better, and makes book writing more of a joy than a chore.
PayPal Press Acknowledgements
We applaud PayPal Product Managers Tanya Urschel and Keith Koenig, whose great subject-matter expertise was matched only by their dedication; Janet Ball, our Marketing Manager, whose thorough knowledge of social media provided invaluable research; PayPal Press Managing Editor Matt Jones, whose expert content strategy ensured top editorial quality; Production Editors Raji Nayak and Karen Richards, whose diligent teamwork mastered our ambitious schedule; and John Heisch, our Illustrator, whose astute artwork enhanced the value of this book.
PayPal Press would also like to thank the following team members for their creative talents and constructive contributions: Janet Isadore, David Hershfield, Sarah Brody, Jonah Otis, Smitha Koppuzha, Cynthia Robinson, Cynthia Maller, Anjali Desai, Eunice Louie, J.B. Coutinho, Jamie Patricio, Sudha Jamthe, and Perrine Crampton.
Foreword
Shopping has always been an inherently social endeavorwhether its serendipitously finding a great deal at a local boutique or going on a mission with a close friend to find the perfect accessory for a big event. Human interactions and shared experiences are a vital part of the appeal of shopping. And its no surprise that today these same experiences have moved online, thanks in part to the rise of social media.
The explosion of consumer interest and participation in social networks has naturally and quickly moved into social commerce. Transacting within social networks is predicted to rise from $5 billion in 2011 to $30 billion by 2015. Whats more, analysts predict that by 2015, companies will generate 50 percent of Web sales via their social presence and mobile applications.
PayPal thrives at the heart of this emerging social commerce era. Our mission is to define the future of shopping and paying, allowing anyone to pay anytime and anywhere. And were doing this by making paying more social. Already, you can find PayPal in numerous group buying and group gifting apps, powering social shopping malls on the most popular social networks, and on millions of mobile devices that share shopping experiences, local deals, and more.
Ever-more retailers are experimenting with new ways to utilize social media to connect with customers and drive sales. At PayPal, our core social media tenets include listening, participating, and adding value. After all, at its core, social media is about building deeper connections with people. Were committed to helping our customers seize the social commerce opportunity. This area will see significant innovation in the coming years, and PayPal will be a driving force.
Amanda Pires
Senior Director of Global Communications
PayPal
Contents
Bonus chapters mentioned in this eBook are available after the index
Introduction
Social media is not new. Human community and conversation have been hallmarks of civilization for thousands of years.
Throughout history, when differing groups (families, tribes, or other units) of people would meet, shared commerce would often be the basis of their communication. What did one group have that the other needed? What would be accepted for trade?
This is how social communication has worked over time among many cultures. Some cultures may not have liked each other, but they would often find a way to talk and trade, despite their differences. In fact, trade often became the reason for communication, as trading tribes became communities that ultimately expanded and grew into our present society.
In Western cultures today, however, the need for face-to-face communication has faded somewhat. The advent of the telephone and the automobile redefined the nature of communities. But while modern ways may have changed the structure of the community, we have not done away with our need to be together. After all, we still love to socialize.