Marketing
Why Twitter?
Happy 5th Anniversary Twitter!
Twitter’s top users and why they love it.
Interviews include Richard Branson, Dana White, Serena Williams, Snoop Dog, Hillary Clinton and more.
BC Hydro Invent the Future | CASE STUDY Social Media
BC Hydro’s
Invent The Future Contest
Situation:
BC Hydro sought to increase public awareness of energy conservation through Invent The Future, a sustainability ideas contest for youth age 16 to 24. Goals included changing behavior through peer influence, driving contest entries and votes, and promoting off and online sharing.
Action:
- Created and executed on social media, community outreach and content strategies
- Activated channels including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
- Consultation on website design, video and mobile
- Targeted influencers and leveraged analytics to expand reach and maximize engagement
- Provided weekly analytics reports, ongoing strategic advice and a completion summary
Results:
- Viral video 31,900 views
- Nearly 150 entries from all over BC
- Practically tripled our goal for votes! 29,000 votes exceeding contest goals by 288%
- More than doubled Facebook Likes! 237% Facebook Likes (43% per month average “10-13% considered very good” Mashable)
- Motivated over 6,500 conservation pledges beating targets by 34%
- Generated over 35,000 website visits exceeding goals by 27%
- Created new strategies resulting in nearly doubling Facebook traffic!
- 180% Facebook traffic increase
- Facebook is now the number one traffic source!
- Earned tons of free media! 503 blog mentions and 57 discussions. Far exceeded goal of 5 blog entries!
- Website traffic exploded!
- 154% increase of overall traffic
- 130% increase of referred traffic
All achieved within the constraints of a 13% budget reduction!
Likely over a million dollars of free media coverage!
Based on year-over-year metrics. Partner agency: FD (PR)
Little Known LinkedIn Tip – Add Video
Did you know you can easily add video to your LinkedIn Profile?
You get one chance to make a first impression. Here’s one of the easiest ways you can dazzle your visitor in an entertaining informative effective way. Great for portfolios, introductory videos, event announcements and more.
This is what it looks like when posted. It’s tucked in neatly under your Summary.
How to embed video to your LinkedIn Profile:
(To get started, you’ll need a video on YouTube and a Gmail account.)
Add Google Presentation App:
1. Go to your Profile (Edit Profile).
2. Scroll down to Applications.
3. Choose Google Presentation.
4. You will be asked to sign in (enter Gmail username / password).
Create a Presentation:
1. Go to your LinkedIn Google Presentation page and click “create your presentation”. A new page will open.
2. Select from the top menu bar “Insert” and choose “Video”.
3. Search YouTube videos to find yours. Select and OK. Your video will be inserted (once placed, increase the size by dragging the corners to fill the rectangle).
Add a Link to your Website
1. Click Link on the Toolbar.
2. Key in the website address.
3. Move link to a good location on the page (tweak later before publishing, if you wish).
4. Click on the link to test it.
Publish Your Presentation
1. At the top right, click on Share, and Publish / Embed in the drop down menu.
2. You will get a chance to preview and establish settings on the next page.
3. Choose small for LinkedIn.
4. At top left, name Presentation.
Link Your Presentation to LinkedIn
1. Go back to the LinkedIn App page (Google Presentation tab on your browser windows).
2. Refresh this page. Your video name will now appear at right.
3. Post to Profile! You’e done 🙂
You may notice there are two “play” buttons. It is the lower button that should be pressed.
We hope a simpler way to embed YouTube videos will be implemented by LinkedIn.
Until that time, this is a good option.
How to Get More Attention
Don’t be boring.
Easy to say… harder to do. It takes an innovative idea backed by passion, determination and a willingness to take risk. Here’s a company that did just that.
Join me for a look at this groundbreaking advertising event dating back to the glory days of advertising… 1955.
Ad-man Bruce Baker, representing Quaker Oats, had a genius idea that tapped into hopes and dreams of over 21 million children. They offered them chance to own a piece of real land in the Yukon, “The Big Inch.” One legally subdivided square inch of land from the “Klondike Big Inch Land Co.” Land deeds were inserted into cereal boxes as a giveaway. Children across America had a unique chance to feel the pride of being a land owner, the hope of adventure, and the dream of striking it rich in the Gold Rush. The memory of this event lasted well into many adult lives, some even traveling to the Yukon to see their land later. Here’s the Deed of Land:
Download the actual ad seen in the Seattle Times.
Quaker passed up an opportunity to invest in their brand long term. Those that did travel to the Klondike were disappointed to find their land was sold (legally, as written on the back of the deed). Although the campaign did offer real dreams for children, it left some adults feeling played. It wouldn’t have cost much to keep the land and could have won the loyalty of those once true fans.
How can BIG IDEAS work for a small business? A conservative large business? Consider the following when assessing your marketing activities:
Are you tapping into the dreams of your target audience? Or are you just communicating “this is my product/service.” What do you know about your clients? What are those untapped dreams that you could align with your brand? Have you asked your clients? If exciting isn’t on brand, you can never go wrong with highly relevant. Who would have thought children would like to own land?!
Are you playing it safe? One sure way to get lost in the millions of messages we see each day is to be the same as everyone else. How is your company or product different? Is there a new exciting way to generate awareness? Engage your audience? What would it look like if you lighten up and make contact with your company more entertaining? When I think of companies who are struggling with their marketing efforts, they are usually trying to be “professional.” It’s a generic untargeted approach that sadly works against the best of intentions. Professional AND innovative can be achieved… it just takes a little more effort and a willingness to try.
And my favorite question, how can you integrate your on and offline marketing? Is there existing free content online that you could use… that you’re “leaving on the table?”
Learn more. Watch the documentary “Cereal Thriller”
Open Discussion:
Was it a reasonable expectation to hold the land? Or, was it enough to instill a dream? What are your thoughts?
Have you seen a successful groundbreaking campaign or idea in your industry?
Joanne
Viral Video Case Study ~ Old Spice
At the time of the case study below, Old Spice had over 1.4 billion impressions. Here’s the most viewed brand on YouTube (and it might surprize you): Old Spice and it’s campaign “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.”
Ask anyone what they thought of Old Spice before this video, and 9 out of 10 would say “My Dad wears that cologne. No, thanks!” How does a brand reinvent themselves… overnight? Old Spice did.
Here’s how agency Wieden + Kennedy tackled this problem. They targeted a niche of young men currently using their girlfriends body wash (and no cologne at all) and their girlfriends. Two markets. The results? A humorous viral campaign leveraging attractive celebrity Isaiah Mustafa.
Not only were the writing and the target clever, but it truly embraced social media by creating response videos (186 videos within 2.5 days) that directly addressed fans comments. People loved it! Fans themselves created their own mock videos which added to even more explosive coverage. After only 3 days: 20 million views. After one week; 40 million. They owned 75% of the online conversation in body wash. That’s ROI. And as if that wasn’t enough, they increased sales 27% in the first year. Their sales are continuing to grow, and grow, and grow…
If you’re still interested in learning more, check out the case study below.
CASE STUDY:
Is Social Media a Fad?
Whether you are a social media evangelist (like me) or are still wondering what social media is and why it matters, you’ll enjoy this presentation “Social Media Revolution.” It’s entertaining, informative and amazing; and packed with stats that suggest it’s here to stay.
See what’s happening in the world of social media and business…right here, right now!
