Strategic Guru, Inc. » Social Media

Old Spice Knows Engagement Isn’t Just About Diamonds

Chelsea Junget — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:56:05 +0000

Cut, Color, Clarity,Carat; the four Cs by which all diamonds are graded. But what do diamonds have to do with marketing? A different set of Cs can be used to examine an organization’s social media efforts. Social media is evaluated by some by it’s ROE , or Return on Engagement. So how engaging, really, are most social media campaigns?

The brilliantly executed campaign for Old Spice is a great case study on how the four Cs of social media work:

Clever: The Old Spice man (OSM) stars in quirky commercials proclaiming he’s “the man your man could smell like”. Through crisp writing and rapid fire visuals, the brand strikes a note with a younger, hipper audience. It’s clear: this sure ain’t your grandpa’s deodorant.

Cheek, Tongue-In: Serious they ain’t. Old Spice isn’t afraid to make fun of the typical cliches found in male product advertising – motorcycles, lumber jacking and handiness with power tools. Among competitors, there’s a lot of talk about speed, precision and high performance. Old Spice goes for humor, speaking to the smarty-pants, savvy internet generation reared on witty web clips to deliver messaging that cuts through clutter.

Consistent: The campaign stretches across the web, television, Twitter (@oldspice), Facebook and YouTube. All channels working together reinforce the message.

Connected: The most inventive part of the campaign is the live video Q + A delivered by OSM. Working live, creative and marketing agency W+K cut videos on the fly talking back to questions submitted by Twitter users. Answering questions from the philosophical to the silly, Old Spice has mastered the art of engagement with their prospects. He even helped someone get engaged, literally!

Seen a better example of a full-engaged social media campaign? Tell us in the comments.

Foursquare for B2B

Chelsea Junget — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:03:19 +0000

Foursquare, one of the newest new social networks on the block, uses one of marketing’s hottest trends: geo-marketing. Smartphone users install the free software (or use the Foursquare website) to “check-in” at places they frequent to collect badges, earn points and receive special offers. Some of the appeal to users is the ablity to become “Mayor” of an establishment by checking in via Foursquare the most times. Businesses who register with Foursquare can track when users check-in, offer specials to Foursquare users, and reward the Mayor.

Like Twitter, most B2B marketers are thinking, “Great tool but how do I use it?” Like other social media tools, consumer adoption of Foursquare is rapidly growing. B2B marketers shouldn’t ignore the trend.

Location-based marketing can be important even in a business-to-business setting:

Tradeshows

Many businesses have already discovered how useful Twitter hash tags are at tradeshows. Foursquare could be even more powerful. As a tradeshow attendee, you have a limited amount of time to visit exhibitors at their booths. Foursquare can show you what other users recommend—in real time—so you can get to all the must-see exhibits.

For companies exhibiting at tradeshows, Foursquare check-ins tell you who’s actually at the event. You can drive more traffic to your booth by sending messages to Foursquare users nearby. And by posting a compelling offer for the Mayor on Foursquare, visitors will check in more often.

Search Engine Optimization

Making sure your keywords are targeted to your location can really help your business’ rank in search engine results. By now, every business should have a customized listing on Google Maps—which pulls additional data and reviews from CityData and Judy’s Book. Newcomer Bing’s map view pulls data from Foursquare. You can even include what your Foursquare customers are saying about you on your own website.

White Labeling

Because Foursquare has an open API, outside developers can create their own applications. A company could use Foursquare for their sales force to track sales calls and automate rewards for sales leaders. Workers out in the field could easily view data left by other employees and leave their own feedback right from their phones.

We’d love to hear how you’re using Foursquare!

The Lowdown on Google Buzz

Chelsea Junget — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:16:55 +0000

Stumbled across a great post a few weeks back on Google Buzz’s applications for B2B over on the OPEN Forum. Since the debut of Google Buzz just about a month ago, we marketers have been scratching our heads on its best use for B2B purposes. Integrated right into Gmail, Google Buzz is a hybrid of Twitter, Facebook and the location-based social network, Foursquare. As it stands now, you must be a Gmail user to access Buzz, it’s not yet available as a stand-alone or through Google apps but Google’s mentioned it should be more widely available shortly. So, if you are not a Gmail user, why should you care? Based on the explosive growth of Twitter and Facebook, Google Buzz could offer marketers, for better or for worse, another social channel on which to engage prospects. Where does Buzz’s potential lie?

“Check ins” encourage your customers to notify their Buzz followers when they visit your brick-and-mortar location. Location-based services can drive free word-of-mouth marketing for your business.
Buzz can help you understand what’s being said about your business. It allows you post a message to a group of followers that ask to receive updates. Messages can be longer than Twitter’s standard 140 characters and replies to messages are grouped under the original message. Unlike Twitter’s free-for-all style of communication, exchanges are easier to track in Buzz.
Buzz can be used to share blog posts, deals, or interesting links related to your business. However, be polite. Remember, it’s considered rude to incessantly self-promote in social media. Bring value to the conversation.

Until Buzz is available to any user, it’s not the place to invest a significant amount of time but Google fine-tunes its product quickly based on user feedback and likely wants their piece of the Facebook/Twitter pie.

What’s your take on Buzz?

Dip a Toe in the Social Media Waters

Chelsea Junget — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:05:10 +0000

Flickr, boasting 36 million members, is a photo hosting and sharing site that allows users to create groups, tag a staggering 3.5 billion photos and video and share content across the world. It can be a great place to start dipping a toe in the waters of social media – as well as increasing your organization’s online real estate – Flickr will often come up in the top 10 of a Google search for a product name!

Here are a few examples of what other small and large businesses are doing on Flickr. Tom Bihn, a small laptop and travel bag manufacturer based in Seattle, has a rabid following. Customers upload photos of their bags to a pool. Bags are both showcased in far off-lands and unpacked to show how much gear they can haul. By encouraging brand evangelists to connect with one another and share solutions, Tom Bihn’s customers help share the brand story.

Active on Flickr since 2006, GM leverages their presence to showcase concept cars from the lab, share shots of industry events and maintain individual sets (groups) for their brands. GM encourages contacts to share photos of products on their “Photo of the Day” feature on the FYI blog by tagging them “gmfyi”, engaging owners and fans to share their GM experience.

Graco, the child-products company, not only uses Flickr to share product shots, but also to offer a slice-of-life from corporate headquarters. Because the key element of social media that makes it so powerful is authenticity, Graco shares photos from their family-friendly corporate Halloween and summer events, reinforcing the child and parent-centered brand image.

Don’t Kill Direct Mail in the Name of Social Media

Chelsea Junget — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:32:57 +0000

A couple of mentions around the marketing world by NextDayFlyers blog and MarketingPilgrim regarding the effectiveness of direct mail have got us thinking about the integration of print and social media campaigns. Some companies have reviewed the cost savings offered by digital communications compared to cost to print, mail and design mailers, letters and postcards and have begun shifting marketing dollars for those projects. E-mail, Twitter, Facebook and other channels can be cost-effective ways to build an online presence and connect with customers and prospects. But, let’s face it, social media ROI can be difficult to measure. For some businesses, an online-only strategy might be a shortsighted approach.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Are your prospects and customers online? It’s easy to assume that everyone is “plugged in” these days. Despite the meteoric rise in popularity of Twitter and Facebook, some people are not using them regularly and some not at all. Understand your audience and how they want to interact. Social media isn’t the best fit for all companies.
Consumers are digitally saturated. The quantity of e-mails, tweets, blog posts and news articles the average consumer must sort through can be overwhelming. Relying only on communicating through these channels is taking a risk that your messages are glossed over or worse, sent directly to the trash file.
Coordinate messages across mediums. Direct mail and social media can work in concert––extend your online messaging to coordinate with mail. Use direct mail to drive traffic to your Facebook fan page or Twitter account.
No matter the method, the goal is to inspire action! The point made in the NextDayFlyers blog is well-taken. Using direct mail to solicit feedback is a great idea. Many companies are getting noticed for using Twitter for customer service purposes (notably among several is @comcastcares and @jetblue), but why not direct mail?

A marketing strategy should coordinate several channels. Here at SG, we blog, tweet, email and connect with prospects via snail mail. Oh, and in person, too! What is your company doing to create an integrated strategy?

Social Media and the Military – A Success Story

Chelsea Junget — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:32:53 +0000

Companies large and small are dipping their toes into the waters of social media. Some blog, Tweet and manage corporate Facebook pages. Others have cannonballed into social media by creating their own social networking communities. Branches of the U.S. military have embraced social media, particularly the Army and Navy. Social networking site NAVYformoms.com counts over 28,000 registered members.

Developed on Ning , a platform which allows groups or individuals start and manage social networks on any topic, NAVYForMoms.com offers everything from blogs, videos, discussion forums, and allows users to upload photos. Most content on the site is member-driven, contributed by users and managed by reps for the Navy.

Building community is at the core of a solid social media strategy and the Navy has created a place for moms and other loved ones to interact with one another, share stories, and express concerns or fears regarding military service. It is also a strategic marketing tool for the Navy. By empowering families to connect and create support networks, the Navy has truly embraced the power of social media.

Educating A New Generation

Chelsea Junget — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:37:25 +0000

“Things have changed since I was in school.” Sounds like something your parents said to you growing up, huh? That statement still holds true. Kids are a part of a whole new learning generation; interaction is mostly via instant message, text message, Twitter and Facebook and the internet is the first place they turn for research. The shift in marketing is taking place as we speak, but are Marketing and Public Relations instructors and professors educating their students about the phenomenon that is social media?

Back in the day, marketing majors were required to learn the 4 P’s (Product, Price, Promotion, Place) and that is still relevant, but along with the 4 P’s they need to have a basic understand of HTML, design software, e-mail marketing campaigns, search engine optimization, and knowledge of social media Twitter, Facebook, YouTube,etc). However, are recent grads receiving said education?

We’ve all read that many companies are struggling to understand social media and how it can be used in their industry. With this occurring, companies are looking to hire recent grads with degrees in Marketing and Public Relations to fill the social media gap. But, are colleges and universities integrating the new trends in marketing into their curriculum – such courses as Internet Marketing, Digital Media and New-Media Marketing? Another challenge: are college professors and faculty on top of the changing trends in the marketing world? If not, they need to be. How can you teach it, if you don’t fully understand it yourself? As the old adage states, “lead by example.”

Here’s a question for all our Marketing & PR majors out there –Are NC State, Duke and UNC teaching courses on new-media and internet marketing? Or are you educating the professors on social media?

Twitter Lists 101 – What are they and why should you care?

Chelsea Junget — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:18:56 +0000

Twitter launched the “Lists” feature a few weeks ago; here’s a quick and easy over view of the feature. Twitter Lists is a great way to organize your followers or find new ones on Twitter. It is very similar to creating groups in e-mail; it allows you to group Tweeps by family, location, industry, or whatever category you prefer.

Creating a list is easy. When logged into your Twitter account, the “Lists” feature appears below the search box, click on it to create a new list. You can make lists public or private. If public, you can recommend the list for other Tweeps to follow; they can either follow the list or people on it and it can be seen by anyone. If private, you and only you can see this list – perfect for keeping an eye on what competitors are doing. Next, hit “Create List” and you can begin to add users. The maximum number of users is currently 500 and the max number of lists is 20.

Following lists is another great tool to keep track of the happenings on Twitter. These lists won’t show up in your main stream, but can be easily seen by clicking on the “lists” link on the right side of your Twitter homepage. Some great sites that maintain categorized “suggested” lists to follow are:

Listorious – a 3rd party directory that categorizes the most “awesome” lists on Twitter. The site is user-friendly and allows users to browse or search for lists by category.
TweetMeme Lists – find the most tweeted about Twitter Lists.

Check out lists following us and that we follow here and more on how organizations are using Twitter lists.

Happy Listing!

A Few Quick Tips to Overcome the Social Media Hurdle

Chelsea Junget — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:10:46 +0000

Many companies are using social media to build their brand and gain recognition in the marketplace, and others want to start integrating social media into their marketing mix but aren’t sure where to start.

Here are a few thoughts on launching a campaign:

Embrace failure and learn from the mistakes – Look at Skittles – they launched a Twitter campaign by turning their homepage into a Twitter feed. When that failed Skittles tried another approach, but didn’t take into consideration what happened the first time! They didn’t learn from their first mistake and what happened – Strike 2! Their ego-centric approach didn’t work the 1st time, why would it work the 2nd time? Learn from the mistakes made and correct them on the 2nd approach to achieve the goal you sought out in the first place.
Engage with your audience – listen to their ideas and thoughts; don’t make the social media effort all about YOU.
There is no “I” in team – collaborate with team members to get their feedback and insight on the initiative.
When launching a social media campaign have a clear, focused goal in mind and follow the necessary steps to achieve it. Is it driving visits to the website? Is it signing up for a webinar? Consider your goal and how you will measure the results of your effort. But recall, sometimes social media ROI can be fuzzy.
Create something of value for your audience. Give them a reason to care.
Know your audience before implementing a campaign and be prepared for the worst before it occurs.
Be up front and honest with your intentions – it establishes trust and credibility.
Plan for success, prepare for failure!

How To Optimize your Facebook Presence

Chelsea Junget — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:25:00 +0000

Many brands have created Facebook fan pages to jump on the bandwagon, but don’t know how to optimize their page to leverage the power of social networking. Facebook fan pages offer the user many of the same options as a personal profile such as posting status updates, info and photo tabs, and application boxes. However, to be effective the user should understand the importance of placement and interaction.

Here are a few ways to optimize your fan page:

Create a vanity URL – We’ve spoken about this in a previous blog post and can’t stress it enough. Having a vanity URL makes it easier for users to find you on Facebook and increases your shareability.
Optimizing your share preview – A new feature to personal profiles as well as fan pages is the opportunity to share links. This feature allows users to select thumbnail images to be displayed when shared and allows the placement of the Facebook logo or link to your own site to drive traffic to your fan page.
Perfect Profile Picture – Having the perfect profile picture is key in attracting new fans – it’s the first thing they see when surfing for your brand. When cropping the picture make sure it’s 200px wide with a 12px border around important information since Facebook automatically crops images.

Facebook fan pages are growing in popularity, so be sure to follow these tips to ensure your brand doesn’t get lost in the shuffle and help your fans find you. An added bonus – It’s free and easy!

And become a fan of Strategic Guru while you are at it!