Enter to Win Pecha Kucha Tickets

I’m a big fan of Pecha Kucha Nights. This event offers presenters a chance to share their inspirations and accomplishments in 20 slides, 20 seconds each.

It brings people together for an inspiring experience. Vancouver Art Gallery after-party included. It’s a SOLD OUT show!

I’m all about social media and building relationships online. I also appreciate the value and pleasure of taking friendships offline. Interested in the science of all this? Check out this interesting podcast by University of Chicago Professor, John Cacioppo. He says our brains actually perform differently when we are face to face. This Pecha Kucha, I’m delighted to be taking two of my new Twitter friends! I hope you’ll take a online friend, too.

For your chance to win two tickets to #PKVan just leave a comment including:

• Someone who inspires you and why

Good luck! Hope to see you there.

Tweet

Vogue event information.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Doors 6pm. Starts 7pm.

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.

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:

10 Worst Home Page Mistakes

Your web site is the centerpiece of your brand. It’s often your first and only chance to make a good impression. Visitors decide in 5-8 seconds if they will stay or go. Here’s a few lessons from those that failed in keeping our attention.

1. No hooks to entice the visitor to dig deeper.
   People go to your web site because they hope you’ll solve a problem, provide an insight, or entertain them. Offer your customers a “hook” or “bait” relating to why they came to your site. This link should connect them to relevant content.
2. You don’t immediately speak to your customers’ wants and needs.
   Even a clever “hook” will fail if you don’t speak to their needs. Have you ever actually asked them? Understand the top three reasons why they go to your web site and make these easy to find.
3. You welcome your visitor.
   Your intentions are good but you may delay your visitors from learning about your company. You have 5-8 seconds. Explain what you do and how they will benefit from working with you instead. Some call this a value proposition.
4. No free resources.
   Free resources are a very pervasive marketing strategy. Do you offer your clients scores of juicy resources and value-packed content? People are always looking for free stuff. To give is to receive.
5. Title isn’t descriptive or Search Engine Optimized.
   “Index” in the title (top of browser) is like calling your company “Name”. Most people put their company name up top. Titles offer an easy free way to improve SEO. Include keywords that describe your business, a tagline, key services and your city. Nielsen/NetRatings claim 24.4 percent of searches include the city. Here’s the HTML code: <TITLE>Put your descriptive title here.</TITLE>
6. No tagline.
   A catch phrase (three to eight words) at the top of your site is an excellent way to communicate what you do and how your customer will benefit from working with you. Help your visitor answer “Where am I and what can I do here?” and you’re golden.
7. No Blog
   Blogs are excellent for SEO and building your reputation as an expert in your field. Blog 3-5 times a week? Pat yourself on the back. Rarely or don’t blog? Think again. The payback is opportunities and leads. No time? Outsource it or publish a few lines or even a picture. It doesn’t always have to be an in-depth article. New content keeps ’em comin’.
8. Mystery Navigation and Flash Introductions
   People will leave if they have to guess what to do next or if something is tricky click on. Just because things move, doesn’t make them good. It may seem impressive but it often delays, frustrates and confuses. Content must be relevant and delivered efficiently. Aim for predictable instead.
9. Your design isn’t distinctive.
   Stand out from the crowd and be different. Communicate your brand’s message. TIP: Avoid the temptation to offer many products or services. It dilutes your brand because it’s confusing. Aim to specialize instead.
10. Not telling people what your services are.
    Learn what your clients need to motivate them to make a commitment. Do you have a services page? You’re on the right track. If it’s loaded with answers to questions they often ask you, enjoy a gold star! A bulleted list is helpful but can leave people wanting more. Give them insight into the process of working with you. Include packages.

BONUS You speak in your words, not your clients.
Mirror your client’s style. Speak in their words and to their needs. Your messages will be understood and have an impact. Write to connect. Value their time and avoid unnecessary details.

Discover how we can partner to create a much better web site that generates scores of leads, builds customer relationships and creates massive profit. Contact us today.

Download PDF to forward or print.

Thanks to Purpleslog for the “Burning Money” image.

Facebook – The Movie

It’s coming! Facebook the movie. Scroll down for movie trailer.

“The Social Network – you don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies” is due to be released October 1st, 2010. The trailer is enticing. If you still think Facebook is a trendy phase that can be ignored, this might convince you otherwise. This film looks like an entertaining mirror of our time and I can’t wait to check it out.

“The Social Network is an upcoming 2010 drama film directed by David Fincher about the founding of the social networking website Facebook. The film features an ensemble cast which consists of Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Brenda Song, Rashida Jones, Max Minghella, Rooney Mara, Malese Jow, and Joseph Mazzello.

The film was written by Aaron Sorkin and adapted from Ben Mezrich’s 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal. The film is distributed by Columbia Pictures and is set for an October 1, 2010 release. None of the Facebook staff, including founder Mark Zuckerberg, will be involved with the project. One of the co-founders, Eduardo Saverin, was a consultant for Mezrich’s book.”*

* Wikipedia

“The Social Network” Movie Trailer

5 Keys to Great Facebook Fan Pages

Here’s a few remarkable stats on the world’s #1 social network, Facebook:

· Top 2009 Google search term was “Facebook” (Google Insights)
· 2nd most visited site next to Google at #1 (Alexa)
· 350 million users and increasing rapidly
· Fastest growing demographic age 30+
· 700,000+ local active business Fan Pages

Facebook Pages (aka Fan Pages) are much like a second, more interactive, website. They are SEO. I don’t want you to miss this so I’ll say it again. They are Search Engine Optimized and that means that your Page can be found through powerful search engines like Google… driving traffic and generating leads! You can send mass messages, promote events and share a wide range of engaging and educational content. It’s really more like an event than a site or brochure. It’s a great opportunity to share your company’s message and build relationships.

Check out how these Pages are doing it right:

Customized Landing Page

Victoria’s Secret Pink has a great landing page. By default, all Facebook landing pages are set to the “Wall”. You can easily change this by adjusting the settings under “Wall”. You could offer viewers a more attractive and engaging welcome. Pink’s landing page offers free stuff, promotes sales, entices with internal links (polls, photo gallery) and even offers cell phone wallpaper when you text your phone.

Build credibility. Share the workload.

Orange Salon. They take care of basics in their Information panel (hours of operation, phone, address) and share customer reviews on their “Wall” and in “Photos”. Fans are really engaged and grateful. A “Reviews” tab would also be good here, too. There’s nothing more powerful than a loyal fan. They posted what seems to be a customer submitted video. After a closer look, it’s made by the salon. In any case, it’s great to have video to help build personality and credibiliy. Even better if it’s a real fan video. For example, Coca Cola found a “real” Fan Page and made it official. They acknowledged them publically then supported them to do the work.

Fun with video.

Dunkin Donuts. A talking coffee bean may not be what comes to mind when considering what makes a great Page, but hey… social media is best when it’s fun! Dunkin Donuts added a custom tab called “Maurice”. You can make Maurice the bean say some funny things and send it to a friend or post it to someone’s wall (viral). You may want to consider an attractive custom tab page including a welcome video introducing your company. Post it on YouTube to take advantage of additional SEO benefits.

Trick our your page.

Alicia Keys. There’s a ton of apps out there and choosing the right small selection depends on your business. If music is your thing, enhance your Page with iLike, an app (tab) which allows you to post audio, video, bulletins, links, “sounds like” tags and tour dates, all on one page! Pizza Hut actually has an app so you can order a pizza without ever leaving the comfort of your Facebook site. Make interacting with your business easy.

Become a resource to you clients.

The Wilson Law Firm. What caught my eye with this Page was their effective use of “YouTube” and “Discussions” tabs. Postings such as “10 Biggest Mistakes People Make Following a DUI Arrest and How to Avoid Them” and “What to Look For in a Virginia DUI Lawyer” build credibility while offering help and giving people a reason to return and share. Many other law firms including Fenwick & West LLP also offer a “Documents” tab which is a great way to share pdf articles.

Discover how we can partner to create a much better web site that generates scores of leads, builds customer relationships and creates massive profit at this link: www.readygomedia.com (www.joanneprobyn.com until official ReadyGo Media launch).