Twitter marketing in 2012 is a whole new animal. The ever-popular platform is growing in all kinds of crazy directions. Just last week, Twitter announced its foray into email marketing as it purchased RestEngine with the promise of an email newsletter filled with the best tweets you might have missed. RestEngine is just one in a recent bunch of companies and apps added to make Twitter an even richer experience. With all of these new Twitter advancements, we couldn’t help but notice the one Twitter secret weapon nobody talks about anymore: engagement.

We’ve recently had success with a client on Twitter who has grown their audience and translated tweets into real life sales. We were awestruck and thrilled at the success of the Twitter campaign… mainly because our client did the unthinkable and took tweeting into their own hands. We watched as they chatted back and forth with followers in their area and, before we knew it, they had new loyal customers. We realize that this is the stuff of Twitter lore and that it isn’t the norm. But by simply engaging with their followers, our client was able to meet new paying customers in real life.

So for all of the new Twitter tricks that are available, it’s communicating with our followers and friends that still remains the most powerful tool. Twitter was built for quick, snappy conversations. Just tweeting sales messages or quotes from your favorite author doesn’t cut it on Twitter anymore. Those things are great but in order to make an impact on Twitter, users have to engage. The platform is becoming more social and interactive — and for companies willing to take the time to talk to their followers (like our client), the rewards are very real.

But the success stories don’t just end with clients and sales. We’ve heard tales of Twitter helping people find jobs, new offices and speaking gigs. So, friends, tell us your Twitter marketing success stories in the comments section below!

In a week filled with political bombshells, high-profile deaths (RIP Maurice Sendak and Vidal Sassoon) and Mother’s Day marketing mania, you might have forgotten to get caught up on the latest digital engagement and online marketing news. But we’ve got you covered with a little list we call our Five Things You Might Have Missed.

1.) Long-lasting Banner Flavor Goodness: While Stride gum may not have the catchy jingle that Big Red had back in the day, the chewing gum has made quite a name for itself for being a long-lasting confection. And its latest ploy for chewing gum domination comes in the form of the world’s longest banner ad. Digital Buzz Blog turned us on to the ad that challenged eager clickers to click and hold the targeted area for as long as they could. The winner clocked in at 46 minutes and 27 seconds and walked away with $500 bucks, while Stride might just have created a new banner ad-gaming sub-genre.

2.) Spammer Convention: Our friends in Sweden have come up with a nifty way to thwart spamming — throw a spammer summit! Microsoft and Hotmail Sweden are the forces behind Spammers Aid, a new campaign set on educating spam marketers on new and innovative techniques in online marketing that don’t involve blowing up innocent folks’ inboxes. Spammers will attend a seminar in Stockholm this summer, and we think it’s a swell idea.

3.) Prison Cuisine: Over in Spain, marketers for the J.J. Abrams’ drama Alcatraz delivered a little bit of the famous prison to some adventurous eaters. “Lucky” Spanish diners got to eat like the incarcerated when they ordered their meals online, receiving prison food packaged on metal trays and stuffed in boxed (filled with Alcatraz swag like magnets, of course). The limited time promo brilliantly pushed the show’s premise and TV fans got a whole new version of the TV dinner.

4.) Apps and Likes: Mobile marketing, social media marketing and app development all converged in a marketing supernova this week when Facebook announced it will be opening its own app store! Now all of those Facebook apps that you see your friends feverishly downloading will be in one place. More of a hub and less of a traditional store, we’re anxious to see if this will amp up Facebook app development — especially those from big brands.

5.) When Mama Tweeted Obama: Lastly, it seems, like everybody else, we can’t stop talking about the President of the United States this week. On Mother’s Day, one lucky mom will have the chance to actually tweet with the Commander in Chief. The grassroots Twitter marketing fundraising effort hopes that a personalized tweet from Barack Obama on Mother’s Day is incentive for one lucky winner to bring in at least five other donations.

My, how things have changed in Campaign Land. Six months ago, social media marketing specialists were predicting that if a presidential hopeful was going to get elected, he was going to have to turn himself into a brand on Facebook. As the race heats up, however, the media has turned all eyes on Twitter. In other words, the leader of the free world better embrace hashtags and Twitpics — or be prepared to watch the title go to somebody who already has.

An article from the Associated Press spread like wildfire on Monday and made the little hearts of Twitter marketing mavens go pitter pat. In it, reporter Beth Fouhy points to the jump in tweets posted by presidential hopefuls.

“While relatively few voters are on Twitter — a study by the Pew Research Center found that about 13 percent of American adults have joined the site — it’s become an essential tool for campaigns to test-drive themes and make news with a group of politically-wired ‘influencers’ who process and share those messages with the broader world,” Fouhy writes.

Basically, Twitter is the focus group before the big splashy campaign commercials hit the airwaves and a great way to test the waters on how the American public feels about hot topics. Obama, an active Twitter user, has even called on voters to speak out using Tweets at recent rallies. Mitt Romney and wife Ann use Twitter to help followers get to know the family and learn about their background and views.

Both campaigns, like most businesses on Twitter, have truly benefited from the platform’s lightening-fast reach. No other social media marketing site has posts that quickly become national news like Twitter. Twitter has become a supplement to newswires and is quoted everywhere from NPR to People magazine. Sure, everybody in the world may be on Facebook — but the political world pays attention to Twitter. And every brand can benefit from that kind of power.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a good, old-fashioned soda smack-down contest between Coke and Pepsi. But as the summer months approach, both beverage giants are getting ready to release some seriously competitive social media marketing maneuvers and we the next generation of the cola wars brewing.

Yesterday, Pepsi unveiled its latest marketing weapon: Pepsi Pulse. Pepsi Pulse is an interactive social media dashboard that covers all things pop culture happening right now. The enticing, headline-driven dashboard is right on trend for Pepsi’s “Live for Now” campaign, which launches on May 7. Pepsi Pulse hopes to cash in on our thirst for the latest pop culture headlines by using Twitter hashtags like #LiveforNow and #Now on tweets about celebrities, movies, music and television.

“Pepsi Pulse is a cheat sheet for pop culture,” Shiv Singh, global head of digital for PepsiCo Beverages, told Mashable. “It’s not enough anymore to have phenomenal TV ads — brands have to do more.”

Pepsi Pulse is hoping to evoke memories of its past memorable ads featuring pop culture icons like Britney Spears, Michael Jackson and Madonna.

Speaking of music, Coca-Cola is going all in on a partnership with Spotify to push its Coca-Cola Music campaign this summer.

“We want to… have a sustained conversation around music with our consumers because it is an everyday passion point for them. This is just the next chapter in that evolution where you take the product and the services and social ability of Spotify and bring it into the Coca-Cola brand experience,” says Joe Belliotti, director of global entertainment marketing for Coca-Cola, in an interview with indystar.com.

Coke and Spotify will be rolling their global music domination campaign this summer during the Olympic games. Expect Coke’s Facebook page to serve as the hub for the partnership.

Which “sodie pop” is gonna wind up on top after all the Facebook and Twitter marketing moves are said and done? Stay tuned. In a summer filled with big sporting events and major marketing opportunities, the battle is just heating up.

All natural cereal brand Kashi tells us in its commercials that the company comprises “seven whole grains on a mission.” Recently, the mission in question looks like one to save the company’s face through strategic social media marketing.

The best defense is a good offense, and this is doubly true in the world of online marketing. When consumers start bombing a brand’s social media pages with complaints, smart brands use those same pages to combat the negative messages. And Kashi is currently working overtime on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to do just that. The issues for the hippie-dippy cereal started late last year when a watchdog group uncovered GMOs in Kashi’s list of ingredients. GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, are the last thing a shopper would expect to find in an “all natural cereal.”

The story picked up heat this month as Green Grocer, a healthy grocery store chain, dumped Kashi from its shelves. The following sign appeared on Green Grocer’s shelves: “You might be wondering where your favorite Kashi cereals have gone. It has recently come to our attention that 100 percent of the soy used in Kashi products is genetically modified, and that when the USDA tested the grains used there were found to be pesticides that are known carcinogens and hormone disruptors.”

Soon social media outlets were abuzz with Kashi criticism. The brand’s Facebook page was plundered with posts from angry consumers who felt like they’d been duped by the company. Kashi, which is owned by cereal magnet Kellogg’s, hustled to convince consumers that everything was okay and that GMOs aren’t harmful, even if they aren’t natural. The company released a video late last week on YouTube featuring a Kashi nutritionist and team member named Keegan who reads from a script about the “inaccurate information being circulated online about Kashi ingredients.” The brand has taken to Twitter and Facebook to post the video and to address any product concerns.

Has Kashi’s offense worked? It might be too early to tell, but once a brand has betrayed its image, it is extremely hard to win consumers back. Especially on social media. The Facebook shopper and Twitter critic aren’t easily swayed by corporate moves and they are in no hurry to help a brand restore its name. Also, we live in an era where consumers love to roast a hypocrite and Kashi, with its all natural claims, looks like just that to the average shopper. The big unfortunate fact for Kashi is that in the instant information age, you can’t get away with hiding things from the public. One way or another, it’s going to get out — and when it does, you better be ready to embark on a mission to save your image.

Wanna know how Twitter is helping some nuns or where to play the biggest game of pinball in the world? Then read on, dear friends, because this edition of our Five Things You Might Have Missed list has juicy online marketing and social media news for everybody!

1.) Rollerskating — Better than Crack: Hey, if you found a better local commercial for a roller rink that’s about to go viral, then by all means, post the darn thing! If not, please enjoy the so-hilariously-bad-it’s-brilliant ad for Roller Kingdom in Reno, Nevada.

2.) Help a Sister Out: Nuns on Twitter? Sure! Reverend James Martin is hoping his hashtag #WhatSistersMeantoMe will help raise awareness for work of modern nuns around the world. The Vatican, which has gone Twitter-crazy in the last six months, has embraced the campaign, and now Twitter is filled with nun tales, proving every cause can benefit from a good Twitter campaign.

3.) Le Pinball Wizard: Ford Paris had a little fun with those tres serious French drivers with a one-of-a-kind digital installation which turned parking on a busy Parisian street into a game of pinball. As the drivers banged back and forth between two cars, pinball game noises sounded from a display above. It’s outdoor advertising turned into a game, and all we can say is, “J’adore!”

4.) Gadget-free Getaway: Last week we yammered about turning off our tech and this week we find several articles about how the travel industry is marketing gadget-free vacations. Coincidence? Nah. Gadget-free is the latest trend in getting consumers to spend time (and money) on things like travel where they can interact with one another. Like in person. Call it “anti-tech chic.” We think it’s here to stay.

5.) And Speaking of Phones: Rounding out the quintet this week is a new mobile marketing campaign from Greenpeace. Greenpeace Mode puts your phone to work for good when it’s on silent. The ingenious setting sends out messages about Greenpeace’s latest efforts and causes while you’re busy at work and school. Talk about gadget-free work!

Social media marketing, in its relatively short time in existence, has already claimed certain days of the year as its own: Cyber Monday, Super Sunday, Black Friday and, most recently, Tax Day. This year, a record number of brands offered big-time deals on Tax Day, and we have the rundown on who gave out what, what promotions worked and which brands missed a golden opportunity.

It was a junk food lovers jamboree on Tuesday as tons of brands used Facebook to promote free food giveaways. Arby’s gave out curly fries to Facebook friends while Chili’s doled out free desserts and appetizers. And the social media gut bomb didn’t end there; Cinnabon, Panda Express and Chevy’s also gave out free Tax Day eats. Seattle’s Best gave out free coffee coupons on its Facebook page. But the big winner here was Pizza Hut, which used social media to pick out winners of free large pizzas in six U.S. cities at midnight to feed those last-minute filers.

Food wasn’t the only category busy on Tax Day, though. Hydro-Massage once again gave away free 10 minute massages and Office Depot donated free copies to the rushed tax day crowd.

Things like free copies, free coffee and free pizzas speak very much to the spirit of Tax Day and using Facebook as the coupon hub makes a lot of sense. What doesn’t make sense is the companies that didn’t promote at all on Tax Day. If we ran the Facebook marketing for an airline or a travel website, we wouldn’t have missed offering flight specials and vacation deals to those lucky folks who are dying to spend that refund money on its way. Likewise, the pain relief industry, the Tylenols and Advils of the world, really missed a promotion opportunity to hand out free samples to filers who had splitting Tax Day headaches.

The Tax Day social media marketing blitz has become a tradition and we can’t wait to see what the brands roll out in 2013. But don’t get any funny ideas, IRS. We’re in no hurry to file again.

Twitter and your blog should go together like peanut butter and jelly. Like macaroni and cheese. Like Ben and Jerry. Like… well, you get the drift. Twitter marketing and blogging for business are such a natural fit that there are literally hundreds of tools to help the pair get along even better. Here are four of our favorites:

1.) Twitter Chats: Everybody has been chatting about Twitter chats lately — and for good reason. Twitter chats are the super easy way to get your following interacting with one another (and your brand) by using a simple hashtag. All you have to do is set a time, pick a hashtag for the chat and alert your following. Twitter chats are fun, simple to set up and, best of all, free! Check this Mashable piece for great examples of Twitter chats.

2.) Twit This: Yeah there are dozens of ways to shrink URL links and tweet them with ease. But Twit This is certainly one of the easiest. And the coolest part of the tool is that it has a plugin especially made for blogs where your readers can tweet your brilliant posts with just one click.

3.) Visibli: Are you a link sharing machine? If so, Visibli is definitely for you. Visibli is an “engagement bar” that allows you to share links with your followers but keeps your brand’s name on the top of the page (and, hence, at the forefront of your followers’ minds). Totally personalized, the bar lets you send links like a madman while your followers never forget from whence they came.

4.) Dlvr.It: Bloggers are often perplexed about how they can synch up their RSS feeds with Twitter. Thankfully, Dlvr.it makes it a lot easier by automatically taking your blog posts from your RSS feed and tweeting them without your ever having to lift a finger. It’s like a cyber paper boy for your blog and you don’t have to worry about tipping him!

Okay, lovely readers, it’s your turn. What are some of your favorite Twitter tools to help promote your blog? Enlighten us in the comments section below!

Most of a brand’s Twitter management duties consist of tweeting fun little tidbits and conversational items to get followers excited about the company. But what looks fun from the outside takes a whole lot of effort on the inside. In fact, entire afternoons can be spent figuring out what our tweets should say to our consumers. Yet it takes no time at all for Twitter to be used as a weapon against our brands. Rumors, distorted information and outright lies spread faster than the speed of light on Twitter and making them go away can be a serious undertaking. Just ask South Carolina governor Nikki Haley.

Haley’s Twittertastrophe grew from an unknown blogger who reported that the Republican governor was on the verge of being indicted. According to the New York Times, the blog Palmetto Public Record claimed that Haley was facing indictment on tax fraud charges. Logan Smith, the blog’s editor, had no contact with the governor’s office before he posted his story. In an email to the Times, Smith was fuzzy, to say the least, on where he got his information.

“I reported that credible sources said they believed the governor would be indicted — not that I knew she would be indicted, or even whether or not I personally believed she would be indicted,” he said.

Yet the damage had already been done. The blog was tweeted and major news outlets in the area started to report Haley’s supposedly inevitable indictment. The Washington Post, CBS News, Buzzfeed and the Huffington Post all re-posted the story on Twitter. Only thing was, it wasn’t true. And no one bothered to check and see if the “news” was actually news before posting it on Twitter and reporting it. The governor and her team then spent days trying to stamp out the blazing rumors.

Haley’s disaster isn’t the first time we’ve seen lies spread through Twitter at lightening speed. From phony celebrity deaths to made-up business news, Twitter doesn’t have a great reputation when it comes to telling the truth. But journalists, publicists and Twitter-for-business gurus have to remember that Twitter is still only a social network. It’s not a news network or a reference website. It’s a place where sitcom stars can post pictures of the salads they had for lunch and where brands can chat about their latest products. For real news, marketers and reporters alike should go elsewhere. And news outlets like CBS and The Washington Post should try fact checking before reporting tweets as gospel.

Between all the campaign drama and sports shenanigans, you might have missed some of the smartest, sassiest and strangest stories from social media and online marketing this week. Fear not, gentle reader! We have you covered.

1.) The BK Blige Bilge: If you missed this story about Mary J. Blige’s yanked commercial for Burger King, you really were hiding under a rock this week. Nevertheless, it’s a list topper for personifying all that is ridiculous with viral advertising, racial sensitivity and celebrity endorsements. Claims of racism aside, we dare you not to chuckle while listening to Blige warble the ingredients of Burger King’s new chicken wraps. In the end, BK apologized for releasing a spot they claim “wasn’t ready” and Blige apologized for offending anyone with the commercial. Perhaps the ad was pulled because it’s a really horrible ad. Just a thought.

2.) A PSA with Balls: We’re always on the lookout for print ads that have a strong voice and a clever delivery. So we were thrilled when we found these ads for the League Against Cancer on I Believe in Advertising. The photos feature cell phones, joysticks and magicubes on the front flap of men’s underwear in an effort to raise awareness for testicular cancer. On the band of the underwear is the message “Give your fingers a better use. Examine yourself for testicular cancer.” Kudos to the League for grabbing their audience in a way that’s hip and bound to make them think.

3.) Hand Over that Password: This ominous sign of the times couldn’t be over looked by those of us who work in the social media marketing field and who often hustle for freelance jobs. The Atlantic and other big news sources were in a tizzy this week at the news of Representative Ed Perlmutter’s proposed amendment to H.R. 3309, the Federal Communications Commission Process Reform Act of 2012, in an effort to thwart employers from demanding the passwords of employees’ social media accounts. Perlmutter’s amendment was voted down and now all of media land is gearing up for a social media privacy battle unlike anything we’ve seen thus far.

4.) And Speaking of Creepy: Without giving too much away, we can tell you the latest promo for Google+’s Project Glass is part science fiction, part annoying Google+ branding at its most shrill. Yet whatever you think of these yet-to-be made Google goggles, it can’t be denied that the idea is a groundbreaking one. Tell us what you think about this Geordi LaForge-style innovation in the comments section below.

5.) When Skype Talks Smack, You Can See it: Finally, we haven’t had a good old trash talking from a tech brand in quite some time. Thankfully, the good folks at Skype answered our prayers with a series of UK ads that straight up diss Facebook and Twitter. Oh no they didn’t! (Oh yes they did!) And the result is pretty entertaining.