Best Of Social Media

Posted by Rahna on May 21, 2009 under Consumer Engagement, Digital Branding, Social Media | 2 Comments to Read

So today’s project is trying to find some great (current) examples of social media done right.  I teach businesses about the necessary mindset for using Web 2.0 tools, and I have found that specific examples help them wrap their brains around a concept in a much more tangible manner. 

So, who’s done a good job in engaging their consumer base in meaningful interaction that builds relationships and company value at the same time? 

I’ll put this out there as a list to get some conversation started, but if you have others, I’m all ears:

·         Entertainment industry

·         Charity Tie-ins

·         Viral campaigns

·         Blogs

·         Video

·         iPhone Apps

·         kids campaigns

·         Mobile marketing

Tell me:

·         What did they do that was so interesting?

·         Why do you think it was so great ?

·         How did they do it (what elements did they use)?

You can post something here as a comment or send a tweet to @Rahna.

Thanks!

“I Need More Cowbell!”

Posted by Rahna on April 6, 2009 under Consumer Engagement, Social Media, Strategy | Read the First Comment

I attended a workshop last week at the Simsbury Library, where Suzi Craig was talking about social media.  It’s a topic I’m always interested in, and I always learn some little thing that I didn’t know before….  But sometimes what you learned has nothing to do with the topic presented.  Such was the case for me.

 Start With The Strategy

First, the mass of confusion surrounding social media continues to beg for a strong sense of strategy to be brought to every digital media discussion.  Why are you thinking about engaging in social media?  What are your objectives?  Answering these two questions will drastically simplify any further conversation with any social media expert.

Understand Your Audience.

She told the audience that she had sent a “tweet” out to her followers:

hey Twitterverse: talking Tweets, Posts and more with Simsbury CT crowd. If you’re out there give us more cowbell at: #simsburycowbell

She was asking for people to send a tweet back to her so that, as she displayed her Tweet Deck on screen, messages directly to the audience would appear.  The audience of mostly 40- 80-year-olds had been struggling all night to wrap their brains around the basic concept of Twitter…. and now, when she started talking about “cowbell,” the audience collectively cocked its head, puzzled, and asked “Cowbell?”  One brave soul raised a hand and asked, “Is cowbell some kind of Twitter phrase?” 

For the few in the audience who understood this classic Will Ferrell-era Saturday Night Live reference, this comment was comical.  The presenter tried to explain her meaning and then deftly turned to the misunderstanding into an opportunity to have the novice audience learn how to use YouTube by giving a homework assignment: “You need to go home and search YouTube in order to find the referenced clip (when I went to YouTube, I found that the clip has been taken off!).

So what’s the lesson?

Remember your audience.

 When you are with a theater full of octogenarians, you can talk about the 1950s in a very different way then you could with a general I audience.  For one, the 1950s constitute the past–is in history, something to be studied, and for the other, it constitutes their past.  As a marketer, you need to speak to your audience in a way that resonates with them. 

And by the way, if you don’t understand the cowbell reference, follow the links I have provided for a cultural education, Saturday Night Live-style.

I’m in love with skittles.com

Posted by Rahna on March 5, 2009 under Consumer Engagement, Media | Be the First to Comment

I love what the skittles.com team has done.

Just this week, skittles.com made a seismic shift in its website.  They made the bold move to transition their home page away from a standard, brochure-type web page that touts the wonders of Skittles, replacing it with a dynamic page that automatically monitors digital conversations.  Monday it was a Twitter Feed, Tuesdayfeatured their Facebook Fan page, and now the landing page redirects you to the ever-evolving Skittles facts posted to Wikipedia.  While the more “corporate” product-driven information is still there, the brand has embraced the consumer whole-heartedly, saying, in effect, “Whatever conversations our consumers are having is way more relevant and interesting than what we ourselves could say.” 

I LOVE IT!

It’s just a sign of things to come. 

‘Tis the Season to Elf Yourself

Posted by Rahna on December 15, 2008 under Consumer Engagement, Strategy | Be the First to Comment

Okay, I love clever, funny pass-a-long emails just as much as the next person, but as a responsible digital branding expert focused on helping companies create relevant on-line engagement,  I am struggling to see the relevance between Office Max and Elf Yourself.  If you’ve never seen this fun holiday application (which is almost as good as the classic elf bowling), you can see a recent Elf Yourself dance done using my lovely family at http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/8RBn5ALLcMBFlwxvYvJb (notice my husband’s grimace—that is truly how he would look if he were forced to dance like that!).

Definitely, there are pure impressions that Office Max will get just because so many people will elf themselves this holiday season….but where’s the relevance?  The dance could be done in an office, distributing office products, or sponsored by a musical group, with specific music behind, or anything more relevant.  It just feels like gratuitous exposure that was done for the raw numbers but wasn’t thought through to the finer details…a real missed opportunity!

If you work at Office Max and are reading this, please let me know how same store sales are doing versus year ago (or whenever you weren’t involved with Elf Yourself)!  I’m dying to know.

It’s ALWAYS About Understanding Your Consumer

Posted by Rahna on December 11, 2008 under Consumer Engagement, Consumer Research, Strategy, Uncategorized | Be the First to Comment

I read an interesting article by Morgan Steward on Email Insider that commented and compared two different panels hosted by two Email Insider Summits (one in May and one in December).  The panel from May provided insights into how college students use email and the one in December highlighted  moms usage.  The writer provides a synopsis of the differences between the two target groups that should be noted by marketers…basically, college kids (who have the luxury of time) are looking for interactivity, connectedness, and engagement, while time-starved moms are looking for facts, structure and streamlined communications.  Steward surmises, “Seems to me that in all the conversations we have about being relevant or about the influence of social media on email, we need to acknowledge that there is a fork in the road. Moms’ use of email (and the Web in general) is incredibly utilitarian, while students use of the Internet is incredibly interactive.”

Here was my response: Marketers need to remember that e-mail is simply another medium, another way to deliver their message.  The differences shown between college kids and moms is merely indicative of the multitudinous ways that the medium is used.  The visual is not a fork in the road…the image that comes to my mind resembles the myriad computer cables that snake under the floor of the stock exchange!  There are as many ways to use e-mail as there are consumer groups that use the medium.  Just think of the television.  Most providers offer over 600 channels from which to choose…not two.  Marketers need to look at their messages and find out how best to convey their message to their audiences, on HGTV, ESPN or Nickelodeon, in fifteen second spots or thirty minute infomercials.  Email, just like television, is just the medium.   The marketer’s job, AS ALWAYS, is to understand their consumer–their media consumption habits and desires so that they can deliver their message in the most impactful, compelling manner possible.

At the end of the article, Steward re-poses a good question posed by someone at the Email Insider Summit: “Have we even really scratched the surface?”

If you are involved in email marketing, evaluate your data.  Email stats can be tracked in order to give you information…for free!  What messages or offers are getting response?  What patterns can you find that can help you further segment your lists? In short, what can you do to understand your consumer?

Technorati State of the Blogosphere 2008

Posted by Rahna on September 22, 2008 under Consumer Engagement | Be the First to Comment

It’s hard to keep up with all the technology available to marketers today, but in order to serve my clients in the most thorough manner possible, I feel that I need to keep investigating all the options open to those who want to strengthen their brands.  Anyone who talks with me knows that I am a huge advocate for digital marketing avenues–social media, blogging, email campaigns, etc. 

 Technorati has just come out with their new research document about blogging….who’s doing it, why, how, and what the avenues for profitability are.  It’s a really great look at blogging today, backed up with tons of facts and figures.  Have a look at the report at: http://technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere/

 My blog is posted with Technorati through <a href=”http://technorati.com/claim/zmgvthexmq” rel=”me”>Technorati Profile</a>

Gen X moms versus Gen Y moms

Posted by Rahna on September 18, 2008 under Consumer Engagement, Media, Social Media | Be the First to Comment

ontinuing the discussion of my last post, I just read a bulletin put out by MediaPost’s Research Daily that recaps a study done for Parenting Magazine

http://www2.worldpub.net/images/parenting/pdf/MomMatters_JulyAug.pdf

The study shows the differences between Gen X moms and Gen Y moms in terms of where they are going for information and parenting guidance.  Here’s what it showed:

So if you are going to grow your base with the coveted 18-34 year old crowd, you cannot ignore the social aspects of the internet.  Join in the conversation and get engaged.  You’ll find out quickly that your consumer is already there and already talking!

Swearing in Times Square

Posted by Rahna on July 10, 2008 under Consumer Engagement | Be the First to Comment

I saw a billboard in Times Square the other day that was advertising the television series Gossip Girls.  It pictured a couple making out, and the headline read “OMFG.” My reaction to it was strange: on the one hand, it was clearly aimed at the 18- to 30-year-old crowd.  I give them kudos for understanding their target audience and speaking their target audience’s language.  It’s a good lesson to remember that, now in the midst of multicultural/diversity communications, we now need to speak the language of the various generations.  It’s just another language to learn.    

But on the other hand, I was disappointed in the agency that developed the ad and the brand manager that approved the ad.  My reaction was, “Okay, so now, this is the way that we get around standards?  Is it okay to swear in headlines, as long as we don’t actually say the words?”   

I’m not a prude by any stretch of the imagination, but it just didn’t seem right.

Business Week Blogs

Posted by Rahna on June 2, 2008 under Consumer Engagement, Social Media | Be the First to Comment

Did anybody see this week’s Business Week article, cover story on “Beyond Blogs:  What Business Needs to Know.”  This article is a recap or an update to a cover story done three years ago that stated “Blogs Will Change Your Business.”    The article talks about how technology has dramatically changed over the last three years.  Anyone following media can see how quickly social media has blossomed and is changing.  The major forces of YouTube, iTunes, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Wikipedia are all discussed briefly.  If you are not up to speed on any of these digital phenomenon, if you are not figuring out how you can incorporate these into your marketing efforts, you are completely missing the boat.       I highly recommend this article.  But understand that it only scratches the surface.  There is so much now that can be done with social media marketing ; where are you engaging with your customers?

Managing Your Digital Identity

Posted by Rahna on May 19, 2008 under Consumer Engagement, Uncategorized | 3 Comments to Read

In my last blog, I talked about social media audits.  Once you have the analysis of what is being discussed (or, sometimes just as importantly, what is NOT being discussed) you can move into action. 

How do you do that? 

Get help.  There are also companies that will help you manage your on-line positioning and help you shape how people see your brand. Social media is not something just for college students anymore. Whether you are a Fortune-500 company or small start-up, you need to think about your online image, both in terms of a website but also in terms of the blogosphere. Are there positive things being said about you? Are negative things being said about you?   Engage in the conversation!  Hire a firm that specializes in social media to jump in to the blog/forum/video-sharing site/social network/message boards on your behalf and communicate YOUR message.  This allows you to a measure of control in today’s user-generated world during a time when many advertisers feel out of control.  

If you are “old school,” you may think this is SPAM.  It’s not.  It’s conversational marketing that has a leg up on traditional marketing…it’s completely measurable.  Activating this type of a campaign can radically improve your results.   

Ask anyone who’s tried it.  Welcome to the twenty-first century.  Enjoy the ride.