Archive for the ‘Social Media’ Category

September2

The Fanatical Value of Social Media

By: Ashleigh

One of the more frustrating components of social media is the massive amount of spammers lurking online. Case in point: you type something that deals with health products, and instantly ten new spammers are following you, trying to pitch their colon cleansing product.

Fortunately, not everyone is a spammer. There are those who are doing the social media thing correctly by following topics of interest and contributing through worthwhile conversations.

For example, earlier this morning I was discussing a new television show on SPIKE called ‘Deadliest Warrior.’ My husband and I stumbled onto the program and were instantly fixated. It was ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ night, but my husband actually skipped it (this from a guy who cancels all social engagements on ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ night) in favor of this new show on SPIKE. This is the equivalent of a kid walking out of Willy Wonka’s candy shoppe.

Anyhow, I was raving about the show, which features two warriors with extremely different fighting styles and from different historical eras. Today’s experts of these fighting styles (Spartan, Apache, Gladiator, etc.) go head to head with a series of experiments to determine how powerful is each weapon, and the amount of corresponding battle damage inflicted. A medical expert is even on staff to review puncture wounds and determine the severity of each laceration (no humans are harmed).

The show culminates with a computer program algorithm based on experiments to determine who has the highest percentage of wins out of 1,000. The concept of using modern science to determine the victory is beyond cool.

Skip to the afternoon. I am on my Twitter account, and notice the show’s computer science genius, Max Geiger, has replied to my Tweets raving about the show. This, of course, made my day because I had no idea the show’s research team was on Twitter, and I certainly did not expect them to respond as I was having a conversation with people in my hometown.

THAT is the value of social media.

The ability to search keywords and respond to fans, and foes. These connections are priceless, and they happen every day through social media. These are the interactions that can win you fanatical support.

As a marketer, patience is a virtue which sometimes I fail to possess. Social media takes time. It’s an investment which often has you wondering whether any progress is being made. You will have those “eureka” moments though when social media makes you giddy, doing exactly what it’s meant to do from a marketing standpoint.

It’s these times that I am excited social media has become a major landscape for today’s marketing activities.

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July13

My Best Friend's Mom is on Facebook

By: Ashleigh

It’s probably not uncommon to find your best friend’s mom on Facebook. My mother has yet to join, although she has become rather tech-savvy with a new iPhone. This after she just learned to send a text message a few months ago. She’s made quite a graduated leap into the world of “there’s an App for that!”

Social media has become a staple for our society. From iPhones and Blackberrys to Verizon’s new Netbook, we have a need to be connected at all times. It’s a bit perplexing how we might function without our mobile devices.

Case in point. My car blew a tire this past weekend driving 80 mph east on Interstate Highway 10 to Houston. Yours truly assisted my husband with changing the flat tire to a less-than-inflated donut. What would we have done if there had been no spare? The scenario might play out with us attempting to walk 20 miles to the nearest gas station, only to pass out from severe heat exhaustion.

Thankfully, I hopped on Twitter to alert everyone of my status, then we used our handy Garmin to locate the nearest tire repair shop. All this thanks to technology!

Although you may find it strange to see your friend’s mom on Twitter or Facebook, it’s a convenient way to stay up to date with friends and family. Instant notifications of scholastic achievements, births and gatherings make life a little simpler in our increasingly busy lives.

There is one downside. I fear the high school reunion industry may not be so happy with a sudden decline in attendance. Who needs a reunion when we’ve never parted?

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July6

Social Media: Staying Power or Not?

By: Ashleigh

Every industry has its own fads and catch-phrases. Some of these pass as quickly as they arrive, yet others show strength in their ability to adequately address and solve problems. The true testament to the viability of any trend is not only longevity, but truth to that industry’s core principles.

Marketing’s goal is to ensure customer satisfaction. All efforts should be aimed at acquiring and retaining valued customers. Through mutually beneficial relationships, conversations are a two-way process of feedback. Any new marketing endeavors should aim to improve upon this principle of satisfaction.

The Internet has created a new landscape for marketers to build upon a product or service’s value chain. We’ve seen various industries struggle with the changing environment; first the dot com boom and subsequent bust, followed by the music industry struggling to solve the illegal downloading conundrum.

The True One-to-One Digital Medium
Social Media Marketing has now emerged as the new marketing phenomena, with new social websites launching daily (and some disappearing). The concept of communicating directly with potential customers clearly attracts marketers. What more of a perfect source of feedback than directly from the customer’s mouth?

It’s no secret sites such as Facebook hold a vast amount of information for marketers, but one of the major critiques of these sites is their inability to generate revenue. Additionally, from a marketing standpoint, investing time within social media sites can become time sink. If managed poorly or inefficiently, valuable time can easily be spent doing the equivalent of spinning in circles.

Define your Campaign Objectives and Goals
Social media is going to work out its own kinks for the next year or so. It will be intriguing to see which sites survive, and how those sites evolve to continue to offer value to both marketers and consumers.

Until then, careful analysis of your goals and target audience will help to determine which social media sites are best for your individual needs. Too often marketers create account on as many sites as possible; definitely the wrong approach.

Just like any marketing campaign, your goals and targets must be identified. Lack of vision and clear objectives have caused the social media frustration, and the tendancy to abandon accounts such as Twitter.

Although the medium may be new, stick with the Marketing principles 101 when outlining your social media campaign.

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February3

Are You Leveraging Social Media Opportunities?

By: Ashleigh

Effective marketing and advertising has moved away from mass media and embraced targeted marketing. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are the future of advertising, providing a chance to impact potential customers one-on-one.

Not all social media sites are created equal. Certain sites may prove more effective for your marketing purposes, and a carefully tailored social media campaign can raise your online visibility and drive traffic to your products or services.

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