Tag Archives: Twitter

Team USA and The Olypmics

There was a lot of chatter about Team USA’s uniforms designed by Ralph Lauren.  They were not at all discrete about displaying national pride and considered by some as just down right hideous.  Ralph Lauren makes pretty clothes, and I imagine the flack will subside over time as we all rode the wave of nationalism during the opening ceremonies.

Still, the topic is two-fold.

On the one hand, we all have opinions and are quick to share them via social media.  Say what you will about the design, but based on what other countries were wearing we should not have been too quick to judge.  There is no question which country this team represents.  On the other hand, wearing such definitive outfits could have potentially caused a security threat to Team USA – athletes, coaches, family, and fans.  Russia “properly motivated” the Cossacks, famous for their contributions to maintaining the status quo during tsarist Russia, to volunteer for security detail during the Sochi Olympics.

OLYFASHIONsilo1-superJumbo   140124114137-03-cossacks-horizontal-gallery

That being said, I’ve crafted tweets and blog headlines to address both situations.

Entertainment Story:

You’re not going to the Olympics in THAT are you? http://nyti.ms/1eWIEtn  #TeamUSAOlympicUniforms #Olympics #TeamUSA #RalphLauren @steph4867

Team USA Olympic Uniforms Blog Headline:

The infamous Tacky Christmas Sweater has competition from an unlikely contender… Ralph Lauren. 

Hard News Story:

Meet the Warrior Horsemen of the Sochi Apocalypse: http://cnn.it/1f1vahE #Cossacks #SochiSecurity #Olympics #OlympicsSecurity(@steph4867)

Warrior Horsemen Blog Headline:

How Russian history could be doomed to repeat itself and the world would be watching.

Social Media… Explained

This image pretty much summed up my perception of social media until I took a class on it:

20-Stunning-Social-Media-Facts-and-Figures

In all seriousness, I took the class to learn what I idn’t know about social media and its use as a marketing tool.  For me, right now, I use it to keep in touch with friends, family and classmates through Facebook; network through LinkedIn; and retweet the occassional tweet of significance.  I just finished taking a class on Emerging Media and we touched on a lot of the uses for social media, but I was hoping the class on Social Media would really help me understand all the moving parts.

What I’ve learned :

  • Social networking sites are increasingly used to keep up with close social ties
  • The average user of a social networking site has more close ties and is half as likely to be socially isolated as the average American
  • Facebook users are more trusting than others
  • Facebook users have more close relationships
  • Internet users get more support from their social ties and Facebook users get the most support
  • Facebook users are much more politically engaged than most people
  • Facebook revives “dormant” relationships

To me, it seems Facebook is all I really know about social media.  And what Facebook does it make it really really really easy for people to say whatever they want with very few repercussions.  You can “like,” “share,” and post whatever you want without a real commitment to the cause you’re presumably supporting.

But… again… my experience is 95% social use of Facebook.  I know there is more to life.

How Twitter makes NASCAR’s social media engine purr

Even though the first race of 2014 is a little over a month away, there is still a lot of chatter online about NASCAR, its drivers, and so on. Social media is clearly a preferred channel for avid NASCAR fans.  Especially noteworthy has been the growing use of YouTube among avid fans.

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As of January 21st, NASCAR’s official Twitter account (@NASCAR) had 1,321,973 followers and features high quality and engaging content about races and NASCAR.  Twitter crew: favorite NASCAR follows

Additionally, the official NASCAR Facebook page has to 3,803,936 “likes” and 88,443 people talking about the page.  Avid NASCAR fans share all or most NASCAR social media content.  There’s a website – Hashatit – that scours the use of hashtags throughout the World Wide Web.  The results for #NASCAR hashtag kept me distracted for most of the weekend despite my efforts to pull away.

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NASCAR is focusing its efforts on the charm and dexterity of its drivers.  It’s clear the empire is committed to highlighting driver personalities in an attempt to appeal to broader audiences.  This allows them to reveal the “real” NASCAR through stories real people share.  The behind-the-scenes access to its idols is unrivalled in any other sport.  Race Day not just an event; it’s a one-of-a-kind experience.  NASCAR understands that and is putting these moments and stories front and center.  Using popular drivers to extend the brand only broadens its reach.  NASCAR knows it needs to both excite its core fans and to become relevant to new audiences.  Knowing “where” and “how” to engage followers is imperative to drive deeper engagement.  Understanding future and current audiences is crucial for any brand to maintain and grow their fan base.

Livefyre, a leading provider of real-time social software which allows fans to have conversations in real-time across NASCAR.com.  This means NASCAR fans can bring others into the conversation by tagging friends on social media networks like Twitter and Facebook. Fans can also share comments out to those networks for additional viral impact.  People like to get news and information about the people, topics and brands that they care about in real-time.

NASCAR does a great job of not only being social and engaging, but keep fans engaged.  This is vital.

Banking on social media

There is still a lot to learn about how to measure the ROI from Social Media.  But definitely something that needs to be explored and understood going forward because it will not be going away.  And every industry is different.  For instance, in the financial services there are a lot of compliance concerns as to what you can and should say about products, guarantees, and so on.

The general consensus seems to be that many in the financial services industry feel unsure of how to utilize social media in regards to their practices.  There are multiple schools of thought when it comes to social media and business, and I wanted to address two of the most prevalent ones.

The first school of thought is to actively pursue sales via social media — everything from promoting products and services via websites, blogs, email or Twitter, to using YouTube or other social video sites to reach new clientele, to using sites like LinkedIn for prospecting and lead generation.  No matter how you cut it, businesses have wholeheartedly jumped on the social media bandwagon in an effort to carve out their piece of the profits.   And it’s working, too.  Check out some of these stats:

  • 500 years of YouTube videos are watched on Facebook every day
  • 99 percent of U.S. online specialty retailers use YouTube, up from 93 percent in 2012
  • 70 percent of business-to-consumer marketers have acquired a customer through Facebook
  • Facebook users share 2.5 billion pieces of content on the site each day (Yes, that’s a “b” — as in billion!)
  • 43 percent of U.S. marketers have found a customer through LinkedIn
  • Twitter users send 400 million tweets each day
  • 50 percent of technology companies have acquired a customer through Twitter

The second school of thought is a little less in your face about the topic of social media.  These users subscribe to a different theory. Instead of using social media to directly sell products, these businesses prefer to use their social media marketing more passively — to educate and inform.  This strategy aims to demonstrate a business’s industry experience and expertise, and therefore develop their personal brand.

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Talk is cheap, food porn is worth a thousand clicks.

sm%20menu%20boardStarry Kitchen took the LA dining scene by storm and hasn’t looked back, eventually opening a small (and legal) restaurant in California Plaza in the heart of Downtown, along with unique pop-ups and other events around town.   Starry Kitchen caters to everyone and not just the local immigrant community, providing a unique experience that fans rave about.

It started with an illegal restaurant in their apartment offering lunch on Sundays, offering one dish per day and asking for a $5 donation.  Within a few weeks, friends and neighbors had spread the word.  The service on Sundays increased from 25 people to 75 people, so they added dinner on Wednesdays.  Once people came in, they liked it, they brought in more people, and the buzz just grew.   They had Yelp reviews about their apartment. In fact, they were the No. 1 rated Asian restaurant on Yelp, and No. 2 was a five-star restaurant.  Eventually the health department found them.  Although they were technically a dinner party with donations, they shut Starry Kitchen down, and that was the best thing that ever happened to them.

They’ve been predominantly dependent on Facebook (up until now, since the Twitter following has now surpassed the Facebook fans).  They provide a glimpse into what they’re doing, how the restaurant’s faring, what they’re eating, and food porn.  That helps the most.  Talk is cheap, food porn is worth a thousand clicks and eventually translates into people showing up.

starrykitchenThere’s no point in updating a Facebook or Twitter account once a month.  They don’t just offer “deal updates.”  There has to be a sort of voice, unless you just offer super awesome secret deals every day.  While social media is “free,” it’s not worth it to make yourself look silly.  When and if you do, it’s all out there for everyone to see if they want to share, re-tweet, or blog about it.

Nguyen Tran, the owner, worked in the film business for 10 years selling, distributing and marketing independent films, so he’s used to thinking outside the box.  He is known for his ridiculous costumes.  For instance, in honor of Halloween, the restaurateur and tofu ball impresario transformed into a few of his many famous alter-egos.

In some tweets, Tran suggests the perfect Starry Kitchen dish to pair with each disguise.  They want to build the brand as well.  The benefits are obvious.  They get back in the press; people are like, “These aren’t just goofballs in banana suits; their food is awesome.”

Here’s a recent tweet promoting an upcoming event:

SO, we ran outta MALAYSIAN CHICKEN CURRY yesterday… and today, that WILL be rectified (YOWZA you guys came out of the wood work even though it was like 115 degrees ya’ll!).

Secondly, if you haven’t heard, we’re doing an event tonight (open to the public chockos) from 6-8p with Dine LA. It’s a Top Chef-style QUICKFIRE event and we’ll be selling out CRISPY TOFU BALLS (among other things) tonight just for this event. And AFTERWARDS, FREE BOOZE-FOOLERY next door with our friends at Casa (not all of it, but just whatever they choose to give us) so we can have a wild and CRAZY time like this.

starry-kitchen

Other Social Media Outlets They Use:

http://www.pinterest.com/starrykitchen/

http://web.stagram.com/n/starrykitchen/

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/starry-kitchen

https://plus.google.com/103353254145096722742/about

http://www.flickr.com/photos/guzzleandnosh/4713419248/

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Sasquatch is real.

MessinWithSasquatch_1Marketing involves trying to convince a prospective client of the goodness or benefits of a product and service. Basically, it involves appealing to the human mind and soul.  Marketers have mostly focused on only selling the product idea on the customer. This has become old and cliché, and in most cases it doesn’t work.  Nowadays you have to touch people’s emotions so as to convince them. Video storytelling is one of the best ways of doing this. Unfortunately, most people tend to do it wrong, minimizing the effectiveness of the marketing technique.

While the “Messin’ with Sasquatch” ads are designed to fit within the normal confines of television spots, they still tell a story rather than just pitch the product.  According to Linda Cowell, author of Writing short films: Structure and content for screenwriters, advertising short films include these six elements:

  • “A hero who – in this case, Sasquatch
  • wants something, – Jack Link’s Beef Jerky
  • takes action, – goes after beef jerky
  • meets conflict, – individuals who play “mess with” him
  • leads to a climax and finally, – he gets annoyed
  • a resolution.” – Sasquatch gets his revenge

A publicity stunt was created to launch the campaign with a talk show and ESPY appearance.  Jack Link’s has a YouTube channel dedicated completely to the ads, as well as bonus footage (designed as “outtakes”) and viewer uploads.  The ads have upwards of 1,839,701 views.  On the Jack Link’s company website there is a section completely dedicated to Sasquatch, you can “follow” him on Twitter, “like” him on Facebook, and there are numerous references to Sasquatch sightings.  There’s even a foray into advergaming where you can bring Sasquatch to life and create your own video.

Jack Link’s has taken the surreal (depending on where you fall on “he’s real” meter) and made Sasquatch real as a marketing campaign, employing every possible outlet from emerging media.

How Social Media Can Help Save the World

It’s a  slippery slope to be too self-promoting when it comes to an organization that  raises money.  I would like to think that people genuinely want to help others  but may not know how or where.  We’ve seen the results of the fundraising  efforts for natural disasters through the use of Twitter, Facebook, websites,  and SMS messages.  The Red Cross is one organization that seems to lead the  charge in these efforts.  Use of social networks during natural disasters has  become so main stream that even hospital staffers and the Red Cross are logging  in.

Historically, the Red Cross does not lead rescue missions, but provides shelter, food, emotional support, and access to services to enable communities to recover from disasters.  Social media tore down those traditional boundaries by giving victims a voice that could not be ignored.

A Red Cross survey revealed that the Internet now is the third most commonly used way for people to get emergency-related information; nearly a fourth of the general public and a third of the online population would use social media to let loved ones know they are safe.  The survey found that people use social media during disasters to get updates, seek and give help, and connect with loved ones.

Practicing public relations through social media is effective and necessary in the emerging digital age, as shown through the Red Cross’ development of a two-way dialogue with younger constituents, the media, and the community.  This two-way dialogue has been accomplished primarily through Twitter and Facebook, with barriers such as lack of staff and time, and opportunities to improve National Headquarters and local chapter relations.  The American Red Cross has applied social media practices to build strong, lasting relationships.

Seeking to increase its customer service capacity, Dell Computer has long been operating a ‘social listening command center’ to engage with customers on social media networks.  The company volunteered to build the Red Cross its own Digital Operations Center which opened in March 2012.  Any mention of emergency-related terms—earthquake, flood, tornado, and hurricane—instantly appears on a brilliant heat map of the world.  The system calculates the frequency of the mentions, shows clusters of activity, creates charts listing the contents of messages, and other data visualizations.  Red Cross staff can send information to response agencies, alert and begin to mobilize local Red Cross chapters, and post safety information on Twitter, Facebook, and other social spaces, all in real time.

The Center was in full swing during the 2012 Midwest Tornadoes, responding to thousands of tweets. Here’s an example: “There are tornado warnings all around my house.  I’m scared and alone.  SAVE ME.”  Red Cross responded, “Head to basement or a bottom floor, inner closet/windowless room to take shelter!  Stay safe and ((hugs)) from us @RedCross.” To which the Twitterer replied, “Thanks! To the basement!”

Though the staff at the Red Cross itself is small but the organization has amassed a vast network of “digital volunteers” who can reach out to people on behalf of the Red Cross, and spread information across their own personal networks.  People a couple states away can offer emotional support, write back to someone who is home alone, let them know they’re not alone and somebody is there for them, in addition to donating.

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Bringing the Outside Online

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, and other natural places, ensuring livable communities for generations to come.  They also protect farms, ranches, forests, and other working lands that foster a healthy, vibrant agricultural system and support land-based livelihoods.  With an estimated two million acres of land lost to development every year, preserving these places is more important than ever.  TPL helps communities nationwide balance the demands of growth with the protection of wilderness and open space.

TPL employs a variety of online marketing techniques to convey their message and promote their cause.  Depending on the message, the images and language change to reflect its audience, while maintaining a level of consistency for the organization and its “brand” as a whole.  Here are some of the channels TPL utilizes:

Facebook

fb

Twitter

twitter

Blog

blog

Magazine

magazine

Digital edition of magazine

digitalmagazine

Land&People app

eNewsletter & SMS alerts

There is an entire channel on YouTube of projects sponsored by TPL.  Most recently they worked with a community to help children build the playground of their dreams.  It was featured on the local ABC channel and went viral on YouTube.

For 40 years, TPL has worked to enrich cities with parks, playgrounds, trails, gardens, and open spaces. We bring together civic leaders, agencies, neighbors, and donors to create these special places, which improve residents’ health, strengthen neighborhoods, and boost local economies.  Their Power of Parks program video has almost 50,000 views on YouTube.

In 2012 TPL received the Gold Award for Email Campaign of the Year from Fundraising Success Magazine.  The objective of the campaign was to increase the number of renewed donors.  To make it different from the regular messages in the renewal series, it offered early renewal donors the incentive of voting for the image on the membership card for 2012.  Once people filled out the donation form with their renewal contribution, they were redirected to a separate page with four choices for a member card where they could cast a vote.  The 2011 online renewal revenue totaled $55,356, a 40% increase over the prior year.

In 2011, TPL executed multi-channel campaign that ran over the course of two months.  They utilized direct mail, email, and homepage takeovers—all with a focus on deadlines—to promote the message.  In the mail, a lead and a follow up dropped four weeks apart from each other.   Using online marketing software, TPL sent eight hard ask emails, and two “give a gift” e-card emails with soft fund-raising asks.  E-newsletters had the same look and feel to the entire campaign, and also offered giving opportunities.  They were awarded the Innovator Award in the Best Integrated/Multi-channel Campaign category from Convio for this program.  Convio offers constituent engagement solutions, from which nonprofits can more effectively raise funds, advocate for change and cultivate relationships with donors, activists, volunteers, event participants, alumni and other constituents.

Building a Better Mouse Trap

There are many opinions about whose responsibility it is to monitor what a child is exposed to when it comes to marketing.  On the one hand, the parent should monitor what messages are being delivered.  On the other hand, this has become increasingly difficult to do with the advancements of technology reaching far beyond the television.  Children are a coveted audience for many reasons.  They have considerable influence over purchases made by their parents because they will become intolerable until the parents caves in.  Many marketers take advantage of this awareness by promoting this behavior in an effort to create brand loyalty starting in the cradle.  Advertisers spend an estimated $17 billion marketing specifically to children in the United States.  Children are more influenced by commercialism than previous generations and this can present significant conflict with their parents.

With more than 200 million “Likes” on Facebook, the Walt Disney Company and all its entities (Disney) is one of the most powerful brands around, online and off.  And they take this responsibility very seriously.  They have dedicated teams to oversee all aspects of marketing and promotional practices, especially when it comes to children.  They know children are impressionable and the Disney brand speaks not only to them but to their parents – who were once children – as well.  Not only does Disney know how to acquire new customers, they have mastered the art of keeping them happy on a continual basis.  Their target audience may be children, but the money comes from the pockets of their parents.  Disney respects that.

Disney is diligent in its belief that parents know what is best for their family and strive to deliver marketing messages in a way that families are comfortable with.  They adhere to the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the National Advertising Review Council (NARC) strict guidelines for all media outlets that target children 12 and under.  These guidelines include that marketing must not be deceptive, inappropriate, unfair, or exploitative in any way.   These self-imposed restrictions empower parents in the decision making process of what their child interprets – with their limited cognitive abilities – when they see anything from Disney.

This is evident in their website, disney.com, and the lack of blatant marketing messages from the initial point of entry throughout the site.  Instead, Disney engages the visitor by offering access to any message of their individual selection rather than forcing the message on them.

Disney’s website is easy to find without prior knowledge of its address, being well positioned on numerous Internet search engines.  Therefore, it is easy to see how Disney attempts to surround its existing and future consumers with a global marketing campaign that is immersive and crosses international borders with a minimum of change.  They aggressively pursue new audiences as well as trying to maintain its current consumer base by driving traffic toward its website.  Disney focuses on access to interactive online technology by specifically promoting Disney merchandise through the Internet and vice versa.

The packaging of Disney culture has now reached global markets once unattainable.  The Internet, in particular, has delivered this culture to millions of households, schools and workplaces all over the world.  Their website represents all of the individual Disney business units as a whole.  Unlike any other promotional vehicle, disney.com has given all the Disney business units direct access to consumers’ homes and the ability to solicit immediate interaction.

The Disney web site is sleek and impressive to navigate.  Visitors can view movie clips, TV schedules and episodes, games galore, music, events, and travel information, as well as a Disney shopping extravaganza.  Children are engaged by being able to visit specific areas of interest and parents are relieved to know their children are in a safe place.  Not only are children involved, but parents – especially moms – can learn successful parenting tips through Disney’s Spoonful, Babble, and BabyZone websites. Families can plan their Disney vacation, learn about upcoming movie releases, and get the inside scoop on all things Disney.  Visitors can sign up to receive weekly emails and connect through social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook, and “Pin” Disney items to their Pinterest boards.  And, of course, any data that is collected is mined by Disney to better personalize future marketing endeavors to these individuals.

Disney also advertises its website address in newsletters and at the end credits of its home videos and theatrically released features.  Each of these cross-promotion vehicles drives traffic toward the disney.com home page while reminding audiences how easy it is to log on.

As long as Disney maintains its high standards of developing and distributing their marketing message, no immediate concerns are raised.  It is important that the tactics and interactions are well crafted and thought out to continue building on the sense of community Disney has established through all of its media outlets.  Looking at the content shared on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube it is clear that the messages are not purely product-driven; in fact, they are more conversational and interactive in nature.  Disney recognizes the importance of connecting with its fans and these new media marketing channels allows them to speak with each one individually.

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How to engage and create community on emerging media platforms

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, email, blogs, surveys, etc.:  These and many other collaboration and social media platforms are now an everyday part of people’s lives around the world.

Regardless of sector, emerging media trends are forcing companies to rethink how they engage with their consumers. But social media should be approached as more than just another mass communications platform. While it can be effective at that, the real power in social media is building a community of people that share a common passion or interest as your organization, and interacting with them in a way that increases brand recognition and loyalty; persuades people to support your cause or product; and drives business metrics.

Using a customer relationship management program to capture data on customers and their preferences will allow marketing campaigns to engage that individual, well, individually.  I think a big trend that will emerge is the creation of cross-functional teams within marketing organizations – traditional communications, digital marketing, social media, customer services, etc. – that are tasked with designing better customer experiences consistently (aka, collaboratively) across various touch points.

This infographic does a good job of illustrating my thought.

Retrieved from Engage Sciences.

Retrieved from Engage Sciences.

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