I'm taking a class from University of San Francisco to become certified on Social Media and Google Keywords. These stats were given by the teacher and social media guru, Jim Kukral.
1. 60% of people interact with companies with a social media presence
2. 93% say companies should have a social media presence
3. 85% say a company should interact with customers via social media
4. 56% feel better served by companies with a social media presence
5. 43% say a company should use social media to solve customers' problems
6. 41% say a company should use social media to solicit feedback from customers
What does this all mean. Social media is now as mainstream as any media. It's now the "obvious" media.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
My Social Media Resolutions
2. I will read more about new trends. This one goes along with...
3. I will use pipes.yahoo.com to aggregate all my RSS feeds and save some time. I need to know more about their tools
3. I will try to create better content that drives traffic.
4. I will discover and use at least one new social media site.
5. I won't rely on the "5 best" types of posts that EVERYONE uses on their blog.
6. I will retweet more.
7. I will redo my website. I also say this every year.
8. I will change up the podcasts I listen to and maybe even create more audio and video files for this blog.
That's enough for now. I'm already exhausted. Happy 2012 everyone.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Content Marketing
I've been a copywriter for the last 15 years, creating ads, radio spots, newsletters, advertorial, articles, tv commercials, power points, web sites, blogs, brochures, white papers and even annual reports. I just found out there's now a term for everything I've written in the past: Content Marketing.
According to Wikipedia:
Content marketing is an umbrella term encompassing all marketing formats that involve the creation or sharing of content for the purpose of engaging current and potential consumer bases. Content marketing subscribes to the notion that delivering high-quality, relevant and valuable information to prospects and customers drives profitable consumer action. Content marketing has benefits in terms of retaining reader attention and improving brand loyalty.[1]
So, here's 5 rules that I've had for "Content Marketing" even before there was a Content Marketing.
1. Keep writing. Even if you can't think of anything. Keep writing until something comes.
2. Speak in the voice of the Brand. When I taught copywriting at The Portfolio Center and Creative Circus, the first mistake beginners had to learn to avoid was only writing in one voice.
3. You get points off for gammer, I mean grammer, and spelling. I hate it, but it's true.
4. Even if your audience are only tax attorney's, try to make it understandable for everyone. It widens your audience and even the tax attorney's appreciate it. Trust me.
5. Rewrite. You may think it's brilliant after you've stopped typing, but give it a second or day and then reread it. You'll end up rewriting as well.
According to Wikipedia:
Content marketing is an umbrella term encompassing all marketing formats that involve the creation or sharing of content for the purpose of engaging current and potential consumer bases. Content marketing subscribes to the notion that delivering high-quality, relevant and valuable information to prospects and customers drives profitable consumer action. Content marketing has benefits in terms of retaining reader attention and improving brand loyalty.[1]
So, here's 5 rules that I've had for "Content Marketing" even before there was a Content Marketing.
1. Keep writing. Even if you can't think of anything. Keep writing until something comes.
2. Speak in the voice of the Brand. When I taught copywriting at The Portfolio Center and Creative Circus, the first mistake beginners had to learn to avoid was only writing in one voice.
3. You get points off for gammer, I mean grammer, and spelling. I hate it, but it's true.
4. Even if your audience are only tax attorney's, try to make it understandable for everyone. It widens your audience and even the tax attorney's appreciate it. Trust me.
5. Rewrite. You may think it's brilliant after you've stopped typing, but give it a second or day and then reread it. You'll end up rewriting as well.
Friday, April 29, 2011
PetSmart's Facebook Photo Contest
Photo and video contests were popular on our roundup of featured Facebook campaigns this week. Virgin America, PetSmart and Tourism New Zealand each used a variation on that theme. Meanwhile, film director Peter Jackson used his official Facebook Page to promote a film not due out until next year, Warner Music is set to create a virtual world for one of its featured artists and a Tblisi, Georgia-based bank is using Facebook to engage its customers when they’re out of the store.
Below is a recap of PetSmart's campaign:
PetSmart’s Just Doggin’ Around Photo Contest and Sweepstakes
Goal: Engagement, Network Exposure, Page Growth, Product Purchase, Brand Loyalty
Core Mechanic: The Just Doggin’ Around Photo Contest and Sweepstakes allows users to submit photos of their dogs, use their networks to get friends to vote for their photo, and have a chance to win prizes.
Method: The contest is Like-gated, so users first must Like the PetSmart Page, then submit photos of their dogs caught “doggin’ around”, with a brief description to enter the contest. Entrants may win a daily drawing, one of 9 runner-up prizes or the grand prize. The runner-up prizes include gift cards, pet apparel or a dog makeover, the grand prize is a four day, three night trip to Miami, Florida where your dog can stay at a per spa, plus a cash prize and more merchandise. Daily winners win $50 gift cards to PetSmart.
Perhaps one of the best things about this campaign is that the branding is wound through and through the contest. Not only with the prizes, the Like-gating of the promotion, but also the promotion directs users back to PetSmart services, such as providing grooming tips for your dogs (PetSmart provides this service. When a user participates in the promotion a feed story with a thumbnail is published to the stream.
Impact: The Votigo-powered promotion ran from March 28 through April 24, the Page’s total Likes recently numbered 245,6500 and entries total about 10,100. Multiply that 10,100 by the network exposure every time someone voted or uploaded a photo and PetSmart likely received a lot of exposure for their money on this particular promotion.
Below is a recap of PetSmart's campaign:
PetSmart’s Just Doggin’ Around Photo Contest and Sweepstakes
Goal: Engagement, Network Exposure, Page Growth, Product Purchase, Brand Loyalty
Core Mechanic: The Just Doggin’ Around Photo Contest and Sweepstakes allows users to submit photos of their dogs, use their networks to get friends to vote for their photo, and have a chance to win prizes.
Method: The contest is Like-gated, so users first must Like the PetSmart Page, then submit photos of their dogs caught “doggin’ around”, with a brief description to enter the contest. Entrants may win a daily drawing, one of 9 runner-up prizes or the grand prize. The runner-up prizes include gift cards, pet apparel or a dog makeover, the grand prize is a four day, three night trip to Miami, Florida where your dog can stay at a per spa, plus a cash prize and more merchandise. Daily winners win $50 gift cards to PetSmart.
Perhaps one of the best things about this campaign is that the branding is wound through and through the contest. Not only with the prizes, the Like-gating of the promotion, but also the promotion directs users back to PetSmart services, such as providing grooming tips for your dogs (PetSmart provides this service. When a user participates in the promotion a feed story with a thumbnail is published to the stream.
Impact: The Votigo-powered promotion ran from March 28 through April 24, the Page’s total Likes recently numbered 245,6500 and entries total about 10,100. Multiply that 10,100 by the network exposure every time someone voted or uploaded a photo and PetSmart likely received a lot of exposure for their money on this particular promotion.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Here's a topic I know we all need. How do we get more done with what seems to be less time. I know that almost everyone I know says they are twice as busy as they were two years ago. Why is that? Here's Sean Malarkey's solution.
In the last few months I have been using Google docs to make my todo lists. It is awesome tool to keep all of your to-do lists in one place and also to delegate tasks to other team members.
If you like simple solutions – you’ll like my method.
This short video shows you exactly how I do it.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Facebook Fan Page tips for business users. Or the Fan Page cheat sheet.
Remember main goal of the page and ask yourself before posting if the post is on topic.
Leave a little room for fun. Your fans will enjoy it if it doesn’t overwhelm the reason they fanned you in the first place.
Delegate a project ownership, if you don’t have time to post continuously.
Give the page a username for unique and memorable Facebook URL (facebook.com/“brandname”). Go to facebook.com/username – select your page from “My Pages” and then apply for username. MAKE SURE YOU’RE NOT SELECTING FOR YOUR PERSONAL PAGE. Then double check, because you can’t change it. Maybe even have someone watch you do it, really.
Don’t forget there may be a larger community discussing your category, you can join and post there, too. Feel free to post respectfully.
Monitor daily at best. Weekly at worst. Set alerts so you know when someone has written on your wall.
Facebook should only part of your online presence. Use it to capture fans and then drive them to deeper content on a blog, connect on Twitter, and promote video on YouTube. But, most importantly, they need to be moving toward business goals.
Use other online vehicles to recruit Facebook fans including links on your homepage, ads, promotions and other social media sites.
You are only a small reason your fans are on Facebook. Be respectful and don’t over-promote or you risk losing them.
Put fans first. Consider what is valuable to them and link to it or post about it.
Consider promoting others on your page who have done something significant in your area.
Listen, converse, energize, help, support, or embrace are six things you should ask if your post do.
Keep things as positive as possible.
Promote offline and integrate with other marketing materials. (Example: Put that unique URL on your ads.)
Respond to comments.
Thank people for becoming fans.
Ask people to use the “share” button if it’s a particularly important post.
Ask fans what they think about a subject or post, when appropriate.
Consider using apps to give your fans something interesting to do.
Promote real-world events. This connects online and offline.
Facebook isn’t just for kids anymore – consider that FB is getting more mature, less edgy. Don’t treat fans like kids.
Put a fan box on blog and site.
Take notes. Make an Excel spreadsheet with stats. (Don’t rely on Facebook to store your data.)
Occasionally use Fan Page as focus group and consider giving a prize for participation.
Track fans. See if you have people leaving or coming. Try to figure out why.
Frequency is key. You can’t ignore fans and expect them to stay interested.
Leave a little room for fun. Your fans will enjoy it if it doesn’t overwhelm the reason they fanned you in the first place.
Delegate a project ownership, if you don’t have time to post continuously.
Give the page a username for unique and memorable Facebook URL (facebook.com/“brandname”). Go to facebook.com/username – select your page from “My Pages” and then apply for username. MAKE SURE YOU’RE NOT SELECTING FOR YOUR PERSONAL PAGE. Then double check, because you can’t change it. Maybe even have someone watch you do it, really.
Don’t forget there may be a larger community discussing your category, you can join and post there, too. Feel free to post respectfully.
Monitor daily at best. Weekly at worst. Set alerts so you know when someone has written on your wall.
Facebook should only part of your online presence. Use it to capture fans and then drive them to deeper content on a blog, connect on Twitter, and promote video on YouTube. But, most importantly, they need to be moving toward business goals.
Use other online vehicles to recruit Facebook fans including links on your homepage, ads, promotions and other social media sites.
You are only a small reason your fans are on Facebook. Be respectful and don’t over-promote or you risk losing them.
Put fans first. Consider what is valuable to them and link to it or post about it.
Consider promoting others on your page who have done something significant in your area.
Listen, converse, energize, help, support, or embrace are six things you should ask if your post do.
Keep things as positive as possible.
Promote offline and integrate with other marketing materials. (Example: Put that unique URL on your ads.)
Respond to comments.
Thank people for becoming fans.
Ask people to use the “share” button if it’s a particularly important post.
Ask fans what they think about a subject or post, when appropriate.
Consider using apps to give your fans something interesting to do.
Promote real-world events. This connects online and offline.
Facebook isn’t just for kids anymore – consider that FB is getting more mature, less edgy. Don’t treat fans like kids.
Put a fan box on blog and site.
Take notes. Make an Excel spreadsheet with stats. (Don’t rely on Facebook to store your data.)
Occasionally use Fan Page as focus group and consider giving a prize for participation.
Track fans. See if you have people leaving or coming. Try to figure out why.
Frequency is key. You can’t ignore fans and expect them to stay interested.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Window Into Your Company
My grandmother and I used to tour the department store windows on Madison Avenue. We'd love to look at the elegant displays and the glamorous products they were selling. They had style. They also told you everything you needed to know about the company without having to say a word.
Your website is a window into your company. Just like the displays on Madison Avenue, before a client or customer reads a word, they tell that person who you are.
Whether it's as spare as Google's landing page, as busy as cnbc.com, the look tells the vistor whether you are easy to use (like Google) or full of information (like CNBC). It gives a personality and intangible qualities to your company. Look at Target.com, Macys.com and LizClaiborne.com. What do these sites tell you about their company and what they stand for? These companies have windows in New York and on the net. It's just how they use them that's different.
What this means to you is look at your site and think about the messages you're getting just through the design and headlines. Most people spend less than 10 seconds per site. So what's the takeaway in three blinks of the eye?
Whether it's as spare as Google's landing page, as busy as cnbc.com, the look tells the vistor whether you are easy to use (like Google) or full of information (like CNBC). It gives a personality and intangible qualities to your company. Look at Target.com, Macys.com and LizClaiborne.com. What do these sites tell you about their company and what they stand for? These companies have windows in New York and on the net. It's just how they use them that's different.
What this means to you is look at your site and think about the messages you're getting just through the design and headlines. Most people spend less than 10 seconds per site. So what's the takeaway in three blinks of the eye?
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