Today a number of websites are going black or blacking out their sites in protest of SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act). These bills, in theory aim to stop downloading of music, movies, and other rich media and would require your favorite social sites like Twitter, Youtube, Facebook, Google, and Wikipedia to police what their users share.
Considering that social media sites reach about 75% of the world’s internet users and thrive on sharing, they instantly become targets for infringement suits. For the every day user, it could fundamentally change the way you access information on the net.
Take a look through the SOPA and PIPA bills, and if you decide to join the cause you can learn more at BlackoutSOPA.org – let us know what you think about them in the comments.
The increasing use of location based services in mobile browsing has revolutionized not only the types of applications being developed, but the types of conversations marketers and consumers can have daily.
For those new to the process, we’re talking about apps like foursquare and Gowalla, where people openly share their whereabouts to create spontaneous meet-ups and share personalized reviews with friends.
With Facebook and Twitter you have to hope that a consumer looks on the page ahead of time to see a promotion or special. With LBS, you can offer a special the second they check-in to your store! Talk about perfect placement. This immediacy is why you need to be a smart marketer. It’s not just about being there, but using the space in a creative way.
This is growing in popularity by the day. Companies big and small are rolling out some wild LBS programs that go way beyond the check-in. Organizations like CNN have promoted healthy eating, Walgreens donated flu shots, Disney added a new game layer to their Florida Theme Parks, even Big Boi of Outkast got into the action with a scavenger hunt at SXSW on foursquare.
Beyond creating a new experience or deal at point of purchase, most of these sites offer marketing analytics and metrics for free! foursquare and Gowalla offer check-in statistics such as time of day, gender, and more. These analytics are great because they represent in-store foot traffic.
Use these metrics to identify your key customers and reward them! The easiest way is by rewarding the mayor and/or using your stats to find out who has checked in the most. But even that’s not where the fun ends…thanks to API’s and talented developers, a number of cool hacks have come out for many LBS like Venue Machine, which combines Klout and Foursquare to text you when an “influential” person checks into your venue.
Some interesting ways to use LBS.
Offer a challenge through a tip. Make it fun, branded, and use your surroundings. For instance, I once was pitching a mini-golf franchise. Their pirate-themed stockade would be perfect to use in a tip. “Capture ye soul’s image in the stockade and get ye’self a free round (of golf)!”
Create a branded page with tips for your customers. (Examples could be a “best of” list for a city organization showcasing favorite attractions, or a “fresh growers” list for a local market showcasing the farms where different products come from)
Use partnerships to build community in the real-world! Use the real estate for the tip box to help local non-profits or school organizations. (Example: Show this special and we’ll donate 10% of your meal to the Children’s Home Society)
Be active yourself! It’s standard practice to create a foursquare account associated with your venue. That account doesn’t have to stay unused…check in from the branded page at business events, trade shows, local festivals and fairs, anywhere where your business’ presence can be positively attributed to your brick and mortar store (I see the PGA Tour doing this).
These are just a few basic ways to get involved with LBS. As you can see really this is an exercise in creative thinking and branding, as you can use these simple and complex tools to your liking.
Meredith loves foursquare!
One final thing to note, even though sites like foursquare have registered 10 million users, a large number of people are instantly turned off by this idea.
While this is just a basic crash course into LBS, you can always get in touch with me @nickcicero or @onideas if you’re interested in discussing how we can create an analysis of your company’s location based marketing.
Recently, I attended a webinar hosted by Guy Kawasaki entitled “Semper Social : How to Enchant People With Social Media”. Guy outlined what he sees as the 10 pillars of social media enchantment and not surprisingly, most of them are ones we should strive for in our analog lives too. Below are 5 of my favorites.
Always be likable: Be approachable. Smile genuinely.
Always be trustworthy: Offer products and services people want, exceed expectations and follow through on what you say you’re going to do.
Always be DICEE: Offer products and services that are deep, intelligent, complete, empowering and elegant.
Always be answering: Respond to emails (phone calls, posts and comments) within 24-48 hours and consider that “nobodies” are the new “sombodies”. Democratization of media has empowered the little guy, so pretensions must be thrown out the door.
Always be monitoring: Identify the strategic impact of conversations about you or your brand and discover new ways to connect.
Clients have a variety of ways that they go about choosing an agency. It’s a task that shouldn’t be taken lightly or rushed through. There’s too much at stake. However, some companies make the process so rigid that it almost becomes lifeless. I’ve been on both sides of the dance. I’ve been the client interviewing agencies and I’ve been the agency being reviewed by potential clients. It seems to me that that makes me somewhat of an authority on the subject, or at least I think so. Since I have deemed myself an expert, I can share what I think works well and what doesn’t work.
First of all, it ALWAYS comes down to people. A client has to feel chemistry with and trust in the people in the agency. Obviously, the agency team members need to convey their capabilities and experience, their ability to strategist, and understand the business. But the agency can demonstrate all of these attributes, along with innovation, responsiveness and passion, but it really comes down to the question, “do I want to work with these people day in and day out?” The answer has to be yes. If it’s not, keep on looking. But, make sure that the people involved in “the pitch” are actually the ones that will be working on your business.
Another habit I see is what we, at On Ideas, call looking for the red truck. A client has a red truck (product) so it wants the agency to show that they have experience with a red truck. The agency might have great experience with a white truck or a red airplane. It’s the strategy involved in delivering the advertising, and the messaging and images used to create great advertising and results that should be reviewed. If an agency has a varied client roster, it may be more indicative of savvy business acumen and a prolific outpouring of creative juices than merely having a red truck ad.
Don’t get me started on choosing big name agencies. There are always clients that want to wear their agency name like a badge. However, if a client is looking for quality, smarts, and a good fit, then size doesn’t really matter. Having the right people working on the account is much more important that how many cubicles the agency has.
What may be a more important question than the size of the agency is the size of your account within the agency. Are all accounts treated equally or are some considered too small to get the attention of the top people? This should be a topic of frank discussion before choosing an agency.
I’ll readily admit that I’m not a fan of “Requests for Proposals’ (RFPs). Most RFP’s are bureaucratic exercises at best. They don’t allow for personalities to come through (remember the chemistry and trust?) and too often perpetuate the red truck syndrome. Even as a first step in the review process, RFP’s aren’t as effective as a visit to an agency’s website and Facebook page.
My advice to any client who is in the market for a new agency is to attack the process just like we would attack any project- write a brief. The brief should clearly outline the responsibilities that the agency will have, along with the professional and personal attributes that you are searching for. Other considerations, such as geography should also be taken into consideration. Some clients require frequent face to face encounters while others don’t. Set your geographical boundaries and begin looking. If you need a resource, the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA or 4A’s) is a great start. Or, you can pick up the phone and call me. I’m always happy to help.
Your customers are already spending a lot of their time on Facebook, but now they can spend their money there too. Facebook Commerce allows your Facebook fans to browse and possibly even buy products without leaving the social media realm. Some businesses are already seeing as much as half of their online sales coming from Facebook** – and the numbers show why the combination of social media and online commerce is so powerful.
90% of online consumers trust recommendations from people they know, while 70% trust opinions of unknown users. (Econsultancy, July 2009)*
83% of online shoppers said they are interested in sharing information about their purchases with people they know.
74% are influenced by the opinions of others when deciding to purchase a product. (Manage Smarter, September 2009)*
67% of shoppers spend more online after recommendations from online friends. (Internet Retailer, September 2009)*
61% of people rely on user reviews to influence a buying decision. (Razorfish, 2008)*
The Pros of Facebook Commerce
Your fans can be the first to know about new product launches, share product information with friends, spread the word about favorite items and direct traffic to product pages all without even stepping foot on your website.
It allows time-strapped consumers to click on a featured product and see highlighted features without going in-depth. And XML feeds allow product information to be updated instantly.
You can stay top of mind without using a more intrusive medium like TV, emails blasts or radio commercials.
Something to consider
Most third-party software doesn’t allow for transactions within the Facebook platform, but many businesses are using apps like Storefront Social or Payvment to link their Facebook stores to their sites for purchases. Your existing e-commerce software may even offer a Facebook storefront at no extra charge – so look into it before setting up alternate third-party software.
While most consumers still don’t view Facebook as a transaction center or marketplace, keep in mind that six years ago most consumers had never viewed Facebook – period. So have faith in the future, and consider making the leap into Facebook Commerce. It could pay off beyond your wildest expectations, kind of like Facebook itself.
Like Joni Mitchell once sang, I’ve looked at life from both sides now. After spending the majority of my career as a client, I came to the agency side five years ago, where I’ve learned a lot about how the agency-client relationship can work more productively.
Whether you’re a seasoned marketing client or just striking up your first relationship with an agency, I offer up these pointers to help you save time, get the most out of your agency and maybe even have more fun in the process.
1. Have a clear goal.
Have an on-going dialogue about expectations. Nothing pains agency people more than missing the mark. If expectations aren’t clear at the outset, the agency is doomed for failure and you’re doomed for disappointment. The dialogue should also provide performance feedback. Whether they admit it or not, agency people thrive on knowing what others (especially clients) think of their work.
2. Be informative.
Remember that while good agency people will learn as much as they can about your business, you will always be more knowledgeable about it than they are. The more thorough and relevant the briefing, the more compelling the work will be.
3. Let us work with you, not for you.
Treat your agency as a partner, not as a vendor. This means sharing sales goals and business objectives, introducing them to staff and including them in meetings. Bring them to the table early in strategy discussions.
4. The truth hurts.
Appreciate that objectivity is a beautiful thing. Your agency isn’t embroiled in the company or industry as much as you are so they can keep an open mind. In other words, if you want to know “does this sales promotion make my brand look fat?” the people at your agency may be the only ones who can tell you the truth.
5. You are not the creative.
Let the agency do its job. You may think you’re creative, but unless you’ve worked as a full-time copywriter or art director, the agency is in a much better position to create messaging. Please don’t try to combine parts of Concept #1 with Concept #2 or bring it home to your spouse for review. Trust your agency.
I’m sure I’ll spend some time in agency purgatory for committing many of these sins as a client, but I hope by sharing what I’ve learned here in the agency world, I can begin to redeem myself!
SEO, S-ShmEO Did you know some websites are now getting more traffic from Facebook than from Google? Right now, this new reality applies mainly to brands that skew young, but with middle-aged moms and grandmas being the fastest growing demos on Facebook, it won’t be long until this trend impacts the entire online universe. What we’re saying is, SEO isn’t dead (we’re still happy to do it for you) but it is fading, being replaced with a new normal called SMO, short for social media optimization.
How can you get on board with SMO? Well, for starters, be interesting! (We can help with that, too.) No matter what technology, apps or trends are of the moment, content is and always will be king. Anything you create should be useful, entertaining and share-worthy. And SMO really kills two birds with one stone, because major search engines count links and “shares” as if they were votes for your site, increasing your SEO.
So the days of cramming keywords into content so that pages get a higher search rank are over. With SMO, you appeal to your audience, not some automated intermediary. And if you can appeal to a given person, their friends and associates will probably find you appealing too. SMO is really about creating a positive feedback loop, where users are rewarded for both consuming and distributing content.
Almost everybody has a Facebook page these days. There is a movie scheduled for October and there are over 128,936,800 users. It is the new way kids and adults communicate and it’s not slowing down.
Branded Facebook pages offer up to a 260% increase for major organizations (even those that aren’t very interactive pages or companies). Being able to communicate with so many more people and have such increases is really only possible on the web.
Facebook is also breaking into the forefront of search (beating out Google in 2010 for search queries), working heavily on geo-social communications and again… there is a movie. So with all of this in mind, what does your corporate Facebook page look like? Does your page look like mine? If so, you or your company is not leveraging the sheer power of this Internet giant.
There are some very easy ways to make Facebook work for your brand, gather clients and potential clients as well as bring in more sales, leads, foot traffic, branding… whatever you are looking for – you have over 128,936,800 people to choose from.
Here are the Top 10 reasons to build your branded page on Facebook.
You can set priorities for people to act upon. For example, if you want more foot traffic, you can offer a specialized coupon for Facebook “likes” only.
Facebook offers very inexpensive advertising with a phenomenal targeting method (that’s what “likes” are for).
If you’re leading people to your page, you can represent it with your brand on a more fun and interactive level.
You can control the conversation by keeping a positive/personal voice on your profile.
Poll the audience and find out what they are interested in.
Gain popularity on search engines like Google, Bing or Yahoo! by leading people back to your website from your branded page (through SEO).
Re-target your potential customers on their Facebook wall after they have looked at a product or service on your website (yes, you can do that).
Build brand ambassadors who lead more people back to your page organically.
Run contests on your branded page and lead more people back to the profile.
Produce a method where your audience can file complaints and do away with your call center.
Easily update content and lead people directly, too…. Oops that’s 11.
Take a look at your Facebook Fan Page – is your Wall worth liking?
Your customers are already spending a lot of their time on Facebook, but now they can spend their money there too. Facebook Commerce allows your Facebook fans to browse and possibly even buy products without leaving the social media realm. Some businesses are already seeing as much as half of their online sales coming from Facebook** – and the numbers show why the combination of social media and online commerce is so powerful. 
Like Joni Mitchell once sang, I’ve looked at life from both sides now. After spending the majority of my career as a client, I came to the agency side five years ago, where I’ve learned a lot about how the agency-client relationship can work more productively.
