Using Twitter to Gain New Business

As social evolves, businesses and organizations are becoming more savvy on how they use social to reach goals. Here are two ways to use Twitter to get new business:The Passive Approach: Position yourself as an expert to get referrals. Follow others in your field, create an industry specific list, tweet from conferences, share news articles on relevant topics. Be the expert of whatever it is that you're passionate about. It's important to try to be specific about your expertise, so you can make yourself easy to find. If I'm a lawyer then don't just talk about law in general but make your Twitter handle reflect the type of law you practice and the industry you focus on.

The Aggressive Approach: Go find your customer.The search function is highly underused by most companies in their Twitter strategy. Not that you want to cyberstalk people by any means, but it would be nice to find people who fit your customer profile and let them know you are out there.

If you are a restaurant with a focus on healthy, low-cal, fresh food , search for people in your area who are tweeting about exercising, use the term “fit” or perhaps even “diet.”  Reach out to them by following with the hopes you’ll peak their interest and get a follow back. It’s not about spamming someone, it’s about delivering content to someone who has similar interests and has given you permission to share in those interests via a follow.

What other ways have you seen Twitter used to gain business?

American Express Facebook Integration

There's a difference between a marketing activity that is designed to create buzz for the business, and a marketing activity that is designed to provide a solution for a consumer. In theory, if you provide a useful, quality solution, buzz will follow.It's too early to tell, but by all appearances, American Express' new partnership with Facebook provides a solution. If I'm an AMEX user I can enter my card information into an app which lives on American Express' Facebook page. The app then connects my Facebook likes with deals and special offers American Express provides, therefore delivering offers I'll actually use. Pretty sweet.

Even better... the whole transaction is paperless. The deals or offers are loaded onto the card so I don't have to worry about printing anything off.

I love this. I love this almost as much as the Chase commercial I saw recently where you can take a picture of a check and deposit from your phone.

There is so much data on  social to be harnessed and put to good use. Not just to paint a clearer picture of your customer so you can target better, but to actually tweak your services so you're selling something people actually want. A strange concept, right?

What other real solutions have you seen on social or mobile?

Google + = Twitter Plus Facebook

Google + has been a bit of a roller coaster for me. At first the high of getting in, the rush of the potential, the excitement of circles and then the low when I realized my friends are still elsewhere.It's an unusual network where you can be followed without following - a la Twitter - but it also looks a heck of a lot like Facebook not only in design but in the fact that it houses all of your info - photos, videos, likes/pluses.

My biggest struggle thus far is who to follow. I've used a weird methodology to following people - if we're already friends on Facebook, it is a no-brainer, they are in a circle.  If I follow them on Twitter it's okay for me to follow on Google + probably. I feel a little awkward. I'm trying not to follow anyone I'm not already following on one of the other two networks quite yet....seems a bit intrusive and I just don't want to be that creepy person that evokes the reaction - who the heck is this? Although I'm sure it has already happened.

In terms of content shared, Google + also raised some questions. On Twitter we're sharing links, brief comments and the occasional Twitpic, but all and all it can be somewhat impersonal. And then there's Facebook which if I really break it down feels like my online diary of sorts - I'm sharing info on relationships, vacation photos, events I've attended, birthday wishes.

So where does Google + fit in? Is this my new diary or is this my new means of keeping up with interesting articles from strangers who share similar passions?  It seems like a mish mash of both - my worlds are colliding.

For now, I'm keeping my eye on Google + and going to continue to navigate, but I'm not quitting Facebook or Twitter yet. At least I know how to behave and what to expect on those platforms. And best of all, everyone is in their proper place.

Google +, One More Network to Manage?

Finally, Google has created a social network that people seem to like, or at least tech reporters seem to like. The rest of the world gets to have their say later this month.Why Google + may work:

It's clean, lean and seems to provide an easy solution for one of Facebook's downfalls - I don't want my mom/boss/potential future employer to see this post. Sure Facebook has created lists and groups as a work around to this problem, but after you reach the 200-plus friend mark, it almost seems easier to wipe the slate clean and start with a new social network placing friends where they belong from the get go.

It offers a quality video chat function. Facebook is set to announce one soon, but it puts them in a me-too bucket, a place Facebook seems to be often these days (see Foursquare/Places, Groupon/Deals).

Between the Circles and Sparks function, Google + seems to combine the best of both worlds - friends (Facebook) + interests (Twitter).

It already has brands itching to get on board. Among many other media outlets which have created profiles, Ford is one of the first brands to create a page. Google promises small business pages are in the works.

And finally, it's too important to not work.  With Bing in bed with Facebook, Google has to find its answer to social search. It tried Twitter, but recently ended that relationship for Google +.

We'll see what happens and if people are going to make the switch. In the mean time check out the demo: http://www.google.com/+/demo/

Tailoring Facebook - For Cool Kids Only

Involver, a social marketing platform, has partnered with Klout to create a Facebook app that unlocks special content based on someone’s Klout score. Basically, if a brand uses this app on its Facebook page it can detect if you have a high Klout score and serve you up special content based on the level of your influence. What’s a Klout score you ask? It’s a number that represents how influential you are on a social network – how many friends/fans, how often do people engage with your content.Audi is the first brand to test this out, but no doubt other brands will follow, offering up rewards (coupons, special branded content, rewards) to those who matter most. Is this dangerous? Perhaps a little. I may be a hardcore fan of your product but I may not have a ton of followers on Twitter. On the other hand, if you’re trying to get the word out on a new product rewarding those with social influence could a great strategy.

Until Klout, and some of the other listening platforms, companies had to really dig to identify influencers. Now companies will know who “matters” more within seconds. I predict this will either tick off the loyalist (those who don’t spend a ton of time online but still love your brand/product) and/or make everyone work a little harder on producing good content and treating their followers well in order to pump up their Klout score so they can reap benefits.

Klout is a cool tool, but I also think you still need to pay attention to who is loyal to you and reward those folks as well.  If we were to go all ”high school” on this topic – there should be a nice balance between the cool kids and your best friends. They’re both important in their own ways.

If Facebook Became MySpace

Stats came out from Inside Facebook saying Facebook usage has decreased in North America as has new users flocking to the site. Facebook is huge, mammoth even, but not invincible. And while I think it is far from dead, these stats did get me thinking - how would my life change if Facebook became MySpace? After all, I never really engaged on MySpace so this would be my first serious social network break up.1. Birthdays would become more lonely. I admit it - I love getting swarmed by birthday messages from people I haven't talked to all year or make that five years. I loved to be loved on my bday. Would miss that. I also would have a heck of a time remembering other people's birthdays. Those event notifications have saved my hide many a time.

2. I may have to actually go to my high school reunion. I went to the 10 year, but saw no need to go to the next one as I follow most people on Facebook, or at least have friends who follow people so I can sneak a peak at their pictures if I'm curious.

3. I'd have to spend at least a week downloading my photo collection. Would I return to Snapfish? Naw. Flickr? Perhaps.

4. I'd need to dust off my address book. I've gotten lazy about asking phone numbers and email addresses.

5. Would need to spend large chunks of time finding the next "Facebook" and then convincing my friends to join.

Getting Good Agency Advice: Apps, Web and Social

Kudos to Mashable for pointing out a flaw in Tiffany's latest promotion. The promotion asked consumers to log on to an app and/or microsite to input their most romantic moments on a user-generated map.

The idea is cool, and a great fit for Tiffany's, but as Mashable pointed out, a bit clunky when you have to remember the microsite url, or download the app. Could the same promotion not be handled using existing social media platforms - Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr? Sure it could.

Tiffany's isn't the only brand that has fallen into this trap, it is a reoccurring  problem because: 1. Brands still want total control from a creative perspective and perhaps, you could argue analytics, and 2. (This is the most important here) agencies don't make nearly as much money when they don't have to build something new.

It always irks me to see an agency pushing a branded mobile app when in most cases it makes more sense to advertise or co-brand within an existing app that has steady traffic. Do it the other way around and you better be prepared to spend money not only on development costs for building your app but also on advertising to drive people to your app. The app store is rather crowded these days. Personally, I'd rather spend money advertising my brand not my app.

Another frequent agency pitch I don't agree with is trying to get clients to invest in a Facebook app or custom tab. Most people will come to your page once to like it and then they're done. If they want to interact with a post they'll do so from the newstream which means you can fancy up your page all you like, but few people will see it. Investing that same money in a Facebook ad buy, or clever content for your posts - video, copy-writing help, etc, would probably do more good. Once in awhile you'll see a branded app break through, but for the most part people are spending their app time on Mafia Wars, Farmville, etc. You know, apps that are designed by the guys that actually make a business out of building and maintaining apps, as opposed to the folks that build an app as an add-on to a marketing plan.

Finally, when it comes to web, everyone is different. If you have e-commerce, well sure your site is pretty important, but if that's not the case, have a web presence but host your promotional activity where people are spending their time. Unless you are a news site or weather.com, people do not wake up and go to (insertyoururl.com). They are, however, waking up and checking Facebook, Twitter, etc. Be there and have your promotion live there so people don't have to leave.

We're all busy. If you can appreciate that and serve up your branded content where people are spending their time, my guess is you'll have better luck and more interaction. Just a hunch and a good reminder to think of your customers' needs first.

Social Media: Dealing with Non-Believers

While pitching new business I've realized that people have very different perceptions when it comes to social. I'm sure people had these same questions when PR first came into play and perhaps even advertising. The age-old "do we have to do that? I think we can make do with what we've always done" will always be some people's attitudes.But social media is at a place and time where it is now at least being talked about, thought about, shunned by some and embraced by others. Here are three different attitudes toward social and my suggestions for approaching them whether it is new business or upper management.

There are the believers. They've seen how social media can build loyalty, handle customer service issues and transform relationships. They understand that social media is most powerful when it works hand in hand with traditional efforts. They don't feel threatened, they embrace it and dive into the data.

Advice: For these folks, make sure they set realistic, measurable goals tied to business sales that can make other non-believers in the company understand. It's important that the entire organization gets behind social media and integrates it into advertising, research, etc.

There are those who are still on the fence. You can hear them saying: "Okay, so this is more than a fad, but I'm not sure it really does anything for my bottom line. Seems like a bunch of people wasting time online."

Advice: Show them what people are saying about their brands online. Explain how the word of mouth newsfeed works. Too often we assume people know and understand the impact of a brand/business mention on social.

And there are the anti-social. I'm not saying they are hermits, I'm just saying you won't find them using a hashtag anytime in the near future.

Advice: Do what you can to get them on social media. Without getting your hands dirty, social is a hard thing to wrap your head around no matter how many presentations you sit through. There is a a-ha moment that happens somewhere between a poke on Facebook and claiming a deal on Foursquare.

Any other advice you'd like to share?

Community Management for Small Businesses

Many stats show that small businesses are embracing social media and plan to devote even more focus in 2011, but what these studies don't dive into is how businesses are going to staff these efforts. Right now I've seen two basic methods - do it yourself in-house, or use agency support.Here are four things to think about as you contemplate expanding your presence.

1. Do you have the skills to manage a community on your staff? The technical stuff can be learned, but the communication and creative stuff will most likely need to come naturally. Some folks are good at math, others are good at talking. At the end of the day social media is about interacting with people online. If writing, responding and listening aren't your strong points you may want to think about outside help.

2. Do you have the time? When you print an ad you can walk away and be done with it, same with direct mail. Social media is different, it requires you to respond, to monitor and to listen. Sure it is more work, but when you are building loyalty and working with your customers to make your business the best it can be, the payoff can be pretty sweet.

3. Do you have the desire? Social media is not for everyone. If you are one of those people who have said, "Why would I ever join Twitter? I don't care what someone ate for breakfast." You may want to hand social over to someone else. It's one thing to not "get it," it's another thing to "not want to get it." Somewhat similar to how I feel about football or baseball...er and hockey.

4. Do you have the funds? Sure setting a page up is free, but then what? To make social work hard for you, you need to keep the content fresh and the conversation engaging (that means spending time listening as well as talking). If you don't have the time, skills or desire to handle in-house, then ask yourself if you have the funds to use an agency. Also think about supporting social with ad buys on Facebook or special promotions.

If you believe social media is a powerful marketing tool and want to increase your presence, go for it. Just make sure you have the right resources in place before you take the plunge, and don't kid yourself that it won't take time and energy. As any business owner knows, anything worth doing  takes a little effort.

Facebook Engagement Rates - Top 10 Pages

Inside Facebook recently published a list of the most liked pages, and since these pages are successful in terms of gaining likes, I wanted to see if they were also successful in terms of engaging their fan base.To do this I averaged the total interactions (likes and comments) off the pages' last ten wall posts and divided it by the total number of fans of the page to get an engagement rate. I also used Inside Facebook's stats to reach the average number of new daily likes each page was pulling in. Having run some fairly large Facebook pages I'm a firm believer that the more fans you have the more new daily likes you receive. A large page is easier to grow, because there tends to be more newsfeed activity from fans.

So here are the results:

In terms of gaining new daily likes, Facebook itself was raking in the most people, although their engagement rate was not the highest. I actually found it odd they were drawing in so many new people. No proof, but I'm wondering if new users think they are supposed to "friend" Facebook when they join?

When it came to engagement Justin Bieber had the highest rate at .22%. One reason for this - Justin seemed to write his own posts at times, which is very different than some of the other artsits' pages which were more promotional. Shakira's page was mostly about her new album but the one post that did look like it was actually from the star drew in 200K+ interactions.

At the end of the day, fans seemed to want more of the same - value (free stuff, chances to win), the inside scoop/behind the scenes and authentic interactions from brands/people they would otherwise never have the chance to meet.

How does your page measure up to these engagement rates

Social ROI - Defending the Channel

After years of defending the power of PR I now have moved on to defending the power of social media. Like any new marketing medium social has to constantly prove its worth, an odd position because I believe social can be measured far more easily than any other marketing medium. (Yes, I believe social is easier to measure than PR, I'll admit it).

For example:

TV - I can buy an ad or secure a segment on the morning news show but I have no idea how many people are truly watching it. Maybe the TV is on but they're busy making popcorn. Unless you are hocking 'buy one get one free' products and have a redemption code, it's pretty difficult to track actual viewership.

Print - Again, my ad is in there or my story is in there, but I'm not sure they read it.

Direct Mail - Did that postcard actually make it from the mailbox to the home or was it tossed along the way?

Online - I can't tell you how many times I've opened another window to avoid having to watch the pre-roll ad. I let it roll and then I'll come back to the content I actually want to see.

Social - If someone likes it, retweets or comments, I know they saw it. A like is living proof that a potential customer engaged and that engagement was most likely shared to their friends via a newsfeed. I'm not saying all 130 friends actually saw the message in their newsfeed, because that we don't know unless they in turn take an action, but I do like my chances.

Still some will argue, does social drive sales? Well does your print campaign? How about your TV commercial? If the answer is yes, then your advertising was probably pretty well produced with convincing content. Make sure your social channels also have compelling content. I'm not saying you make every status a "buy me" update, I'm saying you learn how to speak social and make the soft sell in a conversational, interesting way.

At the end of the day, social sets you up well to reach customers with an easy to track, easy to engage, easy to listen-in platform. It also allows you to reach consumers more frequently than any other channel, unless your ad budget is ginormous. But that's just half the battle. If you aren't posting interesting content, if you aren't listening and rewarding, well then no, your ROI won't be very good.

If you're ready to point the finger, my advice would be don't be so quick to blame the channel, but rather take a hard look at how you are using it.

New Facebook Changes - More of the Same?

Facebook announced new changes for its Groups function today as well as the new "Send" button. The media ate it up and wrote their obligatory Facebook stories quoting this as a "major" makeover (USA Today). Don't get me wrong I'm glad to see improvements but some of these changes either already existed or were old functions that Facebook got rid of only to bring them back.Take Groups for example. While adding the questions function to the Group is new, giving admin control over who can enter a group is actually an old function that they didn't carry over to the "new" Groups layout. I'm happy to see them bring it back as it offers more privacy and more control over the Group.

Other new changes include allowing Group members to create a photo album (again new for Groups but has existed for Pages forever), and sharing a link from a third party site via the Send button, more on that. You could always post a link to the group wall and the members would get it, but this step makes it a bit easier.

The Send button is another new feature Facebook has added to take some share from email. While the Send function does allow you to send a link to one friend versus posting the link to your wall, this function was always available via the general share button. It was in small font, but you always had the option to "send as a message" versus "post to your wall." I would think there would be slight hesitation from some news organizations, brands, etc, to facilitate a one-on-one message and give up the exposure of a wall post, which is what the other share function promoted more heavily. Regardless the Wall Street Journal now allows you to Send as well as Like and Email and Tweet and don't forget Print.

It's good to see Facebook tweaking and improving their services, but a major makeover...naw. If anything the more interesting headline would be - Facebook takes one more step toward making email extinct.

PR Pros and Media Using Social Over Email

I'll never forget my first manager at Burson-Marsteller. As a junior PR person, she would take me in her office and make me role-play various media pitches via a fake telephone conversation. There was something humiliating about it, not to mention it didn't work. Still I had to make my way down a long phone list, bugging reporters when they were probably busy writing.So one day, unbeknown to my manager, I ditched the phone for email pitches and wouldn't you know it, the responses started coming in. I was reaching reporters in a way that they wanted to be reached, on their time. Fast forward ten years and as a PR professional, frustrated with Vocus' database tool, I decided to use social to research contacts as well as reach out to contacts.

Much like email in 2000, I found that social was a better tool for getting the job done. Here's why:

* Social often gives a fuller picture of the journalist. On LinkedIn you can see what jobs they've had in the past and where their interests may be. On Twitter you can read their mini bio, often much more reflective of their personality than anything you'd find on the newspaper website. You can also see what topics they've been tweeting about - what's been pressing on their mind.

* Social also gives you permission to jump into a conversation in a natural way. You can comment on things via Facebook or Twitter that may have nothing to do with your clients, but is more about relationship building.

From a journalist's perspective social can be a really useful tool as well.

* Social is great for finding sources. I recently tweeted about my undying devotion to the Flip camera, and a journalist from the Associated Press found it, set up an interview and the next day my quote was in 100+ papers across the world. Pretty cool. Social allowed the reporter to cut out the middle man in terms of finding a source. As PR professionals, a.k.a professional middlemen, that's something to think about.

* Social is good for identifying what people are buzzing about. It makes sense that a journalist would want to write about a topic that's important to his/her readers. Again, Twitter is great as it lists Trending Topics. You can also see which topics are popular by looking at social share buttons on a blog or other sites. If a topic has been retweeted or shared on Facebook quite a few times, the public has essentially raised their hands and said they are interested.

As communication tools change so do the way communication professionals interact with one another, and that's a good thing. I'm pleased to say my days of role-playing and mile long phone lists are long gone. Of course they've now been replaced by @'s, hashtags and likes....I wonder what will be next.

$50 Facebook Ad Experiment - Small Businesses

I've worked with global brands who have spent six figures on Facebook advertising and seen great results, but what about a small budget for a small business? Here's what happened when I invested $50 on a Facebook ad for my company Go Social, a Louisville, Ky based communications agency.The Set Up: Creating the Ad

Some will disagree but I find the Facebook Ad system fairly easy and intuitive to use. There are multiple ways to get to the ad system - I went to my company page and clicked the Create an Ad link on the right hand side.

When you get to the Ad page the first step is to create the actual ad. Facebook will ask you to choose the page or insert a url that you want the ad to drive to  (this is super important to get right because that's where people who click on your ad end up).

Choose Sponsored Story or Facebook Ad. Sponsored Stories pulls in fan activity from the newsfeeds and serves it up in an ad. If you have a small fan base and your goal is to get new fans or awareness I would keep it simple and go Facebook Ad, which are the standard ads you see on the sides of your page.

In terms of where you should send the people, I would choose Wall or Default (which is most likely your Wall). Really not sure why you would spend money on an ad to drive people to your photos tab or discussions page. I would guess most advertisers want more fans, in which case the Wall is probably your best bet.

I would put your logo or an image of your product as the picture. Remember the space is small so the more simple the picture the better. I went with my logo because it is bright and colorful, and I was hoping it would attract attention.

Facebook will put your page name as the Title. In a larger ad buy you can alter this and get more creative with the Title, guess that's one of the perks. For the body text you need to keep it simple as you only have 135 characters.

Tip: Tell people what's in it for them. My end goal was to get people to like the page so I could continue the conversation with 2 - 3 posts showing up in their newsfeeds a week. I could have said, hey hire me as your social media agency, but that's a bit obnoxious and unless someone was specifically in that moment looking for an agency, they probably wouldn't like the ad.  Instead I said let me help you keep up to date with social media trends.

The next step is Targeting. I narrowed my audience finally settling on the following: live within 50 miles of Louisville, Ky., 30 years or older, college graduate, English-speaking and not already a fan of Go Social on Facebook. Again, if your goal is getting new fans, make sure you aren't serving up ads to people who are already fans as it's a waste of money.

I played around with other attributes targeting people's interests - like social media and small business owner - but it narrowed the field too much.  I've worked on other ad buys which were too targeted and Facebook was unable to deliver enough impressions for the budget.

Lesson: Be smart about your targeting, pick the things that really matter. In my case, I wanted to make sure that I was reaching people in Louisville that were in a position where they may influence marketing departments or own a small business themselves. I wasn't interested in reaching people right out of college.

Budget/Distribution

Having worked on previous campaigns I've found you get more bang for your buck if you run your ad over a short time period. The idea is to take advantage of the social newsfeed aspect - more people seeing "so and so" liked Go Social in their newsfeed, the more likely they are to recall it and possibly like the page themselves. I ran my ad from 7 am on Thursday to 7 am on Saturday. Facebook will spread the money out over that period based on a bidding system. Every time someone clicks on your ad, you get charged. Remember though, you set the ultimate limit in terms of total money spent, so no big surprise bill at the end.

The Results

Long story short I received 164K impressions from my ad. Sounds impressive but I was less excited about impressions and more interested in the actual likes. If your goal is awareness then 164K impressions for $50 is pretty good. My goal was to get more likes so I could continue the conversation on a regular basis and stay top of mind over a longer period of time.

I had 45 people click my ad and out of that number 15 people actually liked my page. As a result of those 15 people liking my page I got an additional 3 people who liked the page because they saw it in their friends' newsfeeds. So 18 fans for $50 which means I paid about $2.77 for each new fan.  Not bad. Prior to the ad buy I was averaging 8 new fans a month, so you could say $50 bought me two months worth of fans.

I researched advertising in a local paper and rates for a fairly small ad that would run in the back of the paper, surrounded by other ads, ran around $150.  While that price did buy me a month's worth of exposure, I still find great value in getting into someone's newsfeed, especially knowing the average Facebook user has 130 friends.

Was it worth it? We'll see if any new business results, but for $50 I felt I got a good deal of exposure and 18 people who (fingers crossed) will help me spread the word to their friends.

Co-creating with customers. Give it a whirl.

There has been a lot of talk about revolts lately from serious political movements like Libya and Egypt to important, but less life threatening revolts like the Union struggle and even the NFL...which is important I suppose if you are a huge Colts fan like my husband.I would argue that consumers have been on a revolt of their own for the last few years using social media as a tool, but unlike the Middle East unrest, it has been easy for corporations to turn their heads and pretend it isn't going on.

Here is what I believe consumers are fighting:

- One sided marketing messages that are being forced down their throats at in opportune times (ie - uninteresting ads in the middle of your favorite TV show)

- Hearing recommendations or benefits of a product/service  from the same company who is selling it. (of course you'll say good things)

- Not having a voice. (will this company ever respond?)

Along comes social media and suddenly consumers can connect and share opinions, recommendations and experiences easier than ever before. They also have unprecedented access to companies and organizations without having to call into a 1-800 number or being lost in a sea of  "contact us" emails.

Despite the fact this has been going on for a few years now most companies are still spending a large amount of money on traditional advertising. While there's no doubt that TV or magazines reach a ton of people, producing ads the same way you've always done it doesn't really cut it.

So who is doing it well?

Kraft's experiment with Mac & Cheese and Twitter was a nice attempt at co-creating with consumers to produce a spot (the company took a tweet about Mac & Cheese and formed a commercial around it).  While I'm sure there are some tweaks and learnings it was the most interesting mac and cheese commercial I've seen in a while and they still got the fancy glossy food shot at the end.

Old Spice's response to consumers via short videos was engaging and fresh, not to mention extremely buzz worthy.

Jimmy John's is putting customer quotes on its outdoor boards.

Miracle Whip is enlisting everyday joes to proclaim their love or hatred for the product via short spots on YouTube.

Nationwide is inserting consumers or at least Pam..er.. NationPam into its commercial (kind of awkward, but props for trying).

Companies that are taking that first step forward are letting the consumer have a say from the get go. Like in any revolt or conflict there are bound to be negotiations, new ways of looking at things and chances to  give and take. Think about ways you can let your customers or members help co-create. It's a new era and I have a feeling that those who play nicely will be nicely rewarded.

ESPN Magazine Fumbles with QR Code Issue

ESPN Magazine isn't the first pub to push QR codes but its April 4, 2011 issue, provided some good learnings to share on what you should and shouldn't do.First let's get the biggest mishap out of the way -  ESPN used Microsoft Tags on all its editorial content and even included instructions for readers on how to download (a nice touch). Here's the bad part...they   forgot to tell their advertisers they were going the Microsoft Tag route.

While Microsoft Tags are great in the sense they provide analytics to the company using them, they aren't universal -you have to download a specific Microsoft Tag app and a lot of other popular scanning apps don't read Microsoft Tags. So while readers went through the steps to download an app for the editorial content, this app was not able to access all the advertisers' QR codes which did not use Microsoft Tags.

I could hear the ad guys selling in the idea to their customers and completely failing to mention that the tag reader instructions were going to be for Microsoft Tags only. The experience would have been much smoother if  I could have used the same app on all pages. I don't blame the ad guys entirely, but it does show that there really wasn't an understanding of how the technology works.

Putting tag types aside there were some winners and opportunities to improve when it came to QR Code use.

Winners:

- Mountain Dew: Mountain Dew's ad led to a mobile optimized site and there was a clear call to action to vote for a new flavor. In other words, I knew exactly why I was scanning and the user experience was easy and attractive. #winning

- Discovery's Deadliest Catch: Clear call to action - "scan for exclusive videos" - great mobile optimized site with a ton to do and explore.

- ESPN: There was also a clear call to action on why I should scan and the information was useful. I wished they would mixed up the video content or at least changed the interview setting...it was a wee bit bland. But props to ESPN for also tying in a sweeps to the scans to get you to scan each and every code. More you scanned the better your chance was of taking home the XBox.

- NO2 Red (Muscle Enhancement): I've never seen this product before but they did a great job of driving trial with readers by leading them to a mobile optimized website where they offered up a coupon and more info. They also offered a text option within the ad for those who didn't have a smart phone.

Room to Improve:

- Lexus CT: No clear call to action on why I should scan, and when I did it lead me to downloadable music clips from new bands. Kind of odd because their whole message was one of being green. There was a disconnect for me.

-Hankook Tires: Timing is everything. When I scanned to enter to win a Ford Explorer I received a message that the sweeps hadn't started. I suppose they didn't take into account subscribers get the publication prior to April 4. Another communication gap between client and ad team.

Ads I Wish Had a QR Code but Didn't

- Belvedere and Absolut: A recipe would have been nice.

- GEICO Caveman Guy: A funny video or access to the GEICO app where they have games and downloads would have been good, especially because it is already built

-Old Spice: Who doesn't want to see more of the Old Spice man? The brand had an interesting behind the scenes video of the making of their commercial that would have been cool to tie in.

- History Channel's Swamp People: This show fascinates me and I would have loved video clips of some gator wrestling. A miss especially when you saw what Discovery Channel did.

- Mobile Companies - I don't really know if I wanted to see content from HTC and AT&T but I did feel they should have been leading the QR charge, being mobile and all.

That's my take. Anyone else have scanning fun with the issue?

Social is built for movements

When the American Red Cross was able to raise $200K+ via Facebook Causes in a matter of days for Japan, I was impressed but honestly not totally surprised. When the pool of people you are talking to is that big and the platform you are talking on is innately social, your ability to get a group of people to take an action is fairly likely. (Not to mention Japan relief efforts being a very worthy cause).Much in the same way that we take cell phones for granted and even the mobile web, I think the ability to connect millions of people in an instant has become the norm. I also think that's a good thing. From political uprisings to connecting people in natural disasters social has become a tool we can't live without.

And the power of this connection is built for making movements - whether that be a movement to provide disaster relief or something much lighter like getting Oreo into the Guinness Book of World Records for the most likes on a FB post.

The key to starting  a movement on social is to ask people to take small, easy actions, because on social even a baby step can lead to fairly big pay-offs. Obama asked his followers to donate $25 and raised millions. The Red Cross took the same approach with Japan. They were also smart enough to realize the value of world of mouth - if you didn't want to donate you could still participate by acting as a "promoter" and getting the word out by donating your status update.

Brand movements should also ask little from their participants, knowing they'll reap much more in return. A single like of a post can result in someone's 200 plus friends seeing your brand.

Some may complain that social has infringed on privacy or caused us to rely on "fake" online connections versus making real friends, but I think social is uniting us in a way that is extremely powerful.  I'm excited to sit back and watch what other good deeds we accomplish as one big social community.

Gottfried and Chrysler Twitter Mishap

I feel for the social media agency rep who was fired by Chrysler this month for writing disparaging remarks about Detroit. That rep not only lost his job but his error was smeared across the traditional news.  Gilbert Gottfried also caught heat this month when he made jokes about Japan. While wrong, he is a comedian and comedians tend to push the line on current events and topics we don't talk about. It's kind of what they do. So when Aflac axed him, his Twitter jokes had cost him a pretty penny I'm sure. (I had no idea he was their spokesperson in the first place).So what can you do to make sure you don't end up with a Tweet mishap? Here are a few tips:

1. Put your client/work Twitter handle on a separate app then your personal Twitter account. With so many Twitter apps out there, you have plenty of options and you can make sure you don't have the wrong account selected before you tweet. It's actually quite easy to do, especially on mobile.

2. Know who is handling your account. I've heard too many people say: "We'll just give this duty to an intern." Would you let an intern produce your TV ad?  How about design your point of sale? Twitter, or any social media for that matter, can reach large amounts of people quickly, and traditional media seems to love to highlight social mishaps which translates into more bad press.

3. Check out your spokesperson before you sign them up. Twitter allows us a sneak peek into celebrities lives more than ever. Follow them for a bit and see what types of things they post before you engage with them in an offline deal. If you don't like what they say before you sign the contract you probably won't like it after.

Final words of advice - be kind. We're all human and I guarantee we're all going to have a social blunder somewhere along the way. You know just like how we all have our email nightmare stories - replying to all, copying the wrong person, etc.  When it happens take the necessary steps but try to be gentle.

Any other tips?

Social Gives Sheen a Stage

Call him crazy, call him a fad, but Charlie Sheen has been able to leverage social media to stick it to the man. Social has done two things for Charlie - 1. It has provided him a platform to tell his story after the traditional news segment has ended, and 2. It has  created new news for Charlie so he can continue to get airtime (ie) his record Twitter follower success - 1 million followers in 24 hours.Ten years ago it is quite possible that Charlie Sheen would have had his story played out over a few days and we would have moved on to another celebrity tragedy, but in today's world where social media gives a platform for anyone to have a voice, Charlie is stretching his rant and raves out as long as possible. Who knows...Sheen's Corner on UStream may end up getting just as many views as Two and a Half Men one day. Perhaps it already has.

The Sheen ordeal is an important reminder that Social Media is a powerful tool which allows you to tell your story in your own words to an enormous number of people.   As marketers, you may never have a chance to grab the spotlight in the exact same way Sheen is doing so now, but there are lessons to be learned.

1. Content is king. Be interesting, slightly unpredictable, creative and fun. #tigerblood

2. Seize the moment. If there's a time when large amounts of people are talking or thinking about your brand, jump in on it and have a voice. It is better to lead the conversation then let others talk about you behind your back.

3. When traditional media puts up a wall - you can't get a reporter to call back, or you've tapped out all your appearances, interview ops -look to social to create new news or to start your own "news" channel.

4. Try to get traditional and social media to work together to really amplify your message.  (ie) CNN promotes your Twitter handle, and you promote your CNN apperance on Twitter.

Who knows how this will end for Charlie.  Good or bad, thanks to social media and the lack of a PR person, he's going out guns blazing, and something tells me people kind of respect him for it.

Why Social is so Important to Your Marketing Mix

Most people know social is important even if they aren't active users. They've heard the names Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn enough to know this little thing called social seems more than a fad.But what they don't always think about is why social is so powerful in the marketing mix. If you think about the frequency and length of time to which consumers permit brands to speak to them social blows any other marketing channel out of the water.

Think about it, if you sent an email three times a week to your consumers, you surely would get a lot of unsubscribes. If you secure a great article or TV spot using PR you'd get a quick pop of interest, but it would soon be replaced by the next day's headlines.  Social, done right, allows you to speak with a consumer multiple times a week for long periods of time.

When it comes to investment social isn't totally free but the cost of creating compelling content will still pale in comparison to producing a TV spot. You also have a better chance at reaching people via social - less competition. TV is so fragmented that even with a large investment you are competing with hundreds of channels. People spend more time on Facebook than any other site and more than 80% of their time is spent on the newsfeed page. What does that mean? If you can get people to follow you, the chances of them seeing your message is quite high.

If done right, social has the power to allow you to talk more often, for longer periods of time than any other part of your marketing mix. It also allows you to have a two-way conversation and gives you the ability to listen in. Not bad. Not bad at all.