Social Media and Big News

At the beginning of this past week, our country experienced a horrific terrorist attack. The bombings had a significant impact on our country, but looking back on it we can learn a lot of things. The bombings in Boston gave us our first look at how social media can impact live events. News of the Boston bombings spread like wildfire over social media, but the biggest impact was seen in the hours following the event. Hundreds and thousands of people began posting their pictures and videos from the event on social platforms. There was a huge influx of all things Boston Bombings. Many people began trying to find where the bombs were and who put them there. Platforms like Reddit had threads completely dedicated to crowdsourcing an investigation to find the bombers. This was both good and bad in the eyes of the Police. It produced a lot of evidence that could be used to help put the day together, but it also caused people to begin suspecting people who were in the video. Police have stated they released the pictures of the suspects because of all of the false accusations and conclusions.

Social media and crowdsourcing can be a huge help in many situations, but it may not be perfect for every situation. In times like this, we must rely upon those who have the training and background to do their jobs. The amount of pictures and posts about the event were a huge help in creating an evidence trail, but speculation needed to stop. Without the popularity of social media, there may not have been as many pictures and videos that ended up as evidence. It also would have made it difficult for people to get the word out to their friends and neighbors about the bombings as well as the manhunt. Social media became a quick and effective way for the police and authorities to spread the word to as many people as possible. It will be interesting to see how this situation may be used as a case study in handling traumatic events on social media in regards to crowdsourcing, news dissemination, and event management.

Brand Character

     In today's world, we are bombarded by hundreds of brands and advertisements every minute. This can become very obnoxious, and I believe we as consumers have become numb to the constant presence around us. I know I have stopped noticing the brands around me unless I am directly interacting with them. I know some people may disagree with this and suggest that even if you don't directly notice them, they will still have an impact on you subconsciously. While this may be true, I believe brands should be creating a character and image for the consumers to identify with and engage. The main issue is that this simple solution is not easy to accomplish. A brand must spend time developing this character and presence and ensure that it is reinforced through every engagement they have with the customer from social to service to advertising. How can you possibly try to accomplish this?

     To do this, I want to hit on two main areas message and social media. I know there are many other aspects to a Brand Character/Image, but I want to focus on these two areas first. for the message, you must start early and dedicate yourself to ensuring the survival of the brand. You must first have a picture of what your brand is. Not a physical picture, but a mental picture of what you want the brand to be to your customers. How would this character interact with customers: tone, language, detail, and point of view. Once you have this aspect cleared up, you must write it down to ensure that the image is kept throughout all types of communication and channels. 

     This message is the context with how you will communicate with customers, but the next area I want to focus on is the channel of Social Media. I believe the easiest way to spread and enforce your Brand Character is through Social Media. This gives the consumer an inside view of your brand. The consumer can engage with the brand beyond just the main interaction or exchange of services. When I think of channels within Social Media that help brands truly express themselves, I think of Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. These channels may not be for every brand, but if they are used correctly, they can be a huge benefit to the company. Twitter allows the brand to express their tone and personality directly to customers who want to engage with them. As long as the brand's personality is focused on contributing to the conversation in a way that is not obnoxious

and provides benefits to the followers, they will see huge success. Starbucks has been doing a great job of this, and it shows in the number of followers and tweets that express the brand. Instagram is another great way for companies to express their personality. This channel provides a way for brands to give consumers and insight into how the brand sees the world and what the brand enjoys. Red Bull has done a great job using Instagram to allow  customers to feel the energy and excitement of the brand. Finally, we will look at Pinterest. This channel

can be used in many different ways. It can promote different ideas and interests that the company has. It can curate content that customers would be interested in or engage other users in the pins and boards they are making. A great company on Pinterest is These platforms are not meant to be used to push customers to buy product, but more of a channel to show your brand character. Definitely use it to occasionally give calls to action, but the main point of each channel should not be about sales. It should be about curating a brand image that lasts and is executed throughout channels where customers are. 

Coke and Facebook

     On Facebook, there are millions of companies and brands vying for your attention and like. This is the way many companies try and connect with their fans to keep them up-to-date with what is happening with the brand. Companies create and focus on different elements in their Facebook pages. One of the most successful companies on Facebook has been Coca Cola. They are one of the largest companies on Facebook, and they consistently have large engagement from their fans. 

     The Coca Cola Facebook page was originally started by two fans Dusty Sorg and Michael Jedrzejewski. The original fan page grew very quickly under the administration of these two super fans until it exceeded one million fans. At this point, Facebook informed Coca Cola of the site because of rules violations, and instead of scrapping the page Coke took it over. Coke decided that the fans should drive their page, and have committed themselves to not regulating the comments. The page has grown to 62 million fans who are encouraged to share how Coke has impacted their lives. Stories and pictures are strongly encouraged through the site, because they realize the importance of customer input. 

     This is such an interesting story to hear, because it truly shows how focused Coca Cola is on their customers. Coke realized that by enabling the existing fan page to continue with the help of corporate, they could gain better traction from the fans. Since the time Coke took over the page, they have continued to keep the original creators on as contract workers for the site. Coke has dedicated themselves to sharing happiness, and a lot the content that is created comes from the fans. These stories are one of the apps that Coke has on their Facebook page. As long as companies focus on the input of their fans on social media they will be successful  Coke has done a great job of joining in on the conversation and curating content that is engaging for their fans. 

March Madness

       As we all know, Social Media is huge amongst teens and young adults. This age demographic is also a huge audience of March Madness. We have also seen how important social media has become to sporting events. People love the ability to engage with and add to the conversations that are going on about current events. What better time to engage with an event than the premier college basketball event in the country, the March Madness.

      The hashtag MarchMadness can be seen throughout the broadcasts of all games. You can find it scrolling on the on court screens, above the billboards, and in many other locations. They are trying to make it as easy as possible to add to the conversation. This even is known for being one of the most social events in our day. People fill millions of brackets and put them in pools with friends, families, employees, and even random groups. People follow the brackets like nothing else we have seen. The brackets have given people a reason to watch and pay attention. This has therefore translated into a huge social media presence.

     People are now able to follow games on Twitter, because of the vast number of people tweeting about them and creating trends. Everyone has opinions, and therefore with sporting events everyone wants to talk about what is going on. As the games go on and we get closer to the Final Four, it will be interesting to see what the impact will be for the main sponsors. Will the sponsors like Coke and AT&T begin to increase their twitter presence knowing that a majority of the audience will be engaging with the event on both television and social media. Will they adapt or stick to the mainstream television ads to drive customer engagement. Be on the lookout to see how these sponsors use this huge social event to interact with their audience.

     One great example that has already seen great feedback is Coke Zero's "It's Not Your Fault". It uses a possible every day occurrence in offices around the US and puts a spin on it. I believe it brings the product into the middle of the social event that is taking place. Take a look and tell me what you think:

Social Media and You

     People use social media for many different things. It can be used to update people on your life, find out about other people's lives, or even find places or things you may like. Social Media is an outlet for people to connect with others and express themselves as much as they want. The things we post and tweet about give others an insight into our lives and our minds. Because of this, people can use these channels to be funny, persuasive, informative, or just frank. These different purposes are examples of what many people struggle with. How do I use my social media? Will people actually like what I post? How can I contribute to the conversations and not just add chatter?

    These are the questions many people and businesses are running into as they begin developing their social media strategies. I believe there is a thin line that can be balanced by both companies and individuals when looking at their social media channels. To have a successful channel, businesses and people must know when to add to a conversation and not just create chatter in the space. Businesses must create a character and personality to their social media channels that can be relatable for people to want to engage with. This is why it is easier for personal social media channels to create engagement. People know what they are going to get, whereas a company must create the character.

    M&M's is a great example of a created character. Their marketing strategies use their M&M characters to engage with the customers. Ms. Green is their current spokesperson on twitter, and she is a sassy and to the point personality. This allows the company to use this persona to engage the audience. Having this distinct personality makes people want to engage, because they know what to expect and can interact with what seems more personable. They use jokes, ads, videos, discount information, and recipes to engage with the audience. They balance the jokes and sassy sayings with informative information like recipes and videos, so the business can be grown. This balance is key to keeping their social media presence alive and engaging.

   The same principles that companies use should be used by individuals. Don't just add chatter to the space, try and be unique and engaging. Add to the conversations going on and create materials that those around you may like. See your social media as an outlet to let others know what interests you or creates questions. What is funny to you, or what makes you tick are both great things for people to use in their pages. Be you and express to the world things that are engaging to you!

Optimizing Social Influencers

   
     There are many different ways companies can use social media in their product campaigns  and we have seen many different examples over the last couple years. We have seen companies making viral videos like GoDaddy.com, blasting messages on all social media channels like, or companies that use social media without giving valuable content. These are all possible ways to utilize social media, but they are not successful. They do nothing to suit the needs of the customer. As social media becomes more and more integrated in the average marketing campaign, we will see how different companies use this new channel.

Ford Fiesta

     Ford has recently started a social media campaign for the 2014 Fiesta. In this campaign, Ford is recruiting 100 "social influencers" from an application process to help create advertisements and content as a marketing campaign for the car. These influencers will be given a Ford Fiesta for 6 months to film videos and ads which will then be posted online in various social media platforms as well as in mainstream television ads. This is a new way for Ford to try and gain traction in the social sphere.

     It will be very interesting to see how this campaign is received by the public. Some people may see it as invasive recruiting people to post advertisements that they are being compensated for. Other people may see it as a smart introduction to social media similar to endorsements that have been very common in the past years. I believe this is a very natural progression of marketing in social media. It has huge benefits for both the company and consumers, because great content will be created based on what customers want. The company also gets positive feedback from their ads focusing on consumers pain points. The downside to having people hired to post in social media is that they may not show all the facts. Ford may only permit certain content to be published which may make the ads seem less transparent to consumers. As the campaign gets started up, it will be interesting to see how consumers and the industry react.

Coke Chase

     At the Super Bowl this year, Coke decided to ditch the polar bears and try something new. They decided to incorporate and try to elicit viewer participation in their commercial. The ad spot pictured a group of cowboys, showgirls, and a group of tough guys (Badlanders) racing in an arid dessert for a Coke off on the horizon. The commercial which aired during the first half of the Super Bowl ended with a prompt for viewers to visit cokechase.com to vote on who would win the race to get a Coke.

    

     During the time after this ad aired, the website for coke chase was flooded and did not work for many people that tried to vote. This made many people question Coke's preparation for the ad and full thought. Even though it did not work for some, many people were able to vote. This ad was the only ad during the biggest event for advertisers to use crowdsourcing to determine what their later ad would be. This was a great idea for Coke to try and engage the viewers, but many people including myself felt that this ad fell flat. As a Coke fan, I am very fond of the Polar Bear ads that have seemed to strike a chord with millions of people across the globe. Although this ad was able to drive active engagement through the coke chase website, the ad seemed to be a little off target from previous advertising campaigns that Coke has done. 

     I believe that crowdsourcing will become more and more popular as social media become intertwined with advertising. This ad was a great example of how it can be done, and how a company can make the viewer feel they have more power in certain situations. As for furthering the brand and making something memorable, I do not believe Coke was able to fully accomplish this. 

    On a side note since the Super Bowl, Coke has added many more videos to their Coke Chase YouTube page allowing viewers who enjoyed the ad to see additional content. This is a great way to satisfy those who did enjoy the spot and keep the viewers interested in what Coke is doing. 

Social Media Content

     Social Media has quickly become a very integral part of every day life for many people and businesses. It is a way for people to quickly and easily communicate with each other. It helps people connect with old friends or even people who may be interested in similar hobbies. This growing area of life is something that many people have seen a huge benefit in, and they have found themselves drawing closer to it. Having the ability to communicate with hundreds or even thousands of people instantaneously is something that makes this media very lucrative to businesses and trend setters alike. It is a new channel for people to express themselves or even research information. What can become overbearing though is when people start feeling ads or information being pushed onto them. We as consumers enjoy much more being a part of the action.

     Whether you use Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Vine, Instagram, or Google +, there are thousands of people or businesses to learn from. All of these channels have created a new way for consumers to consume and engage with content. When this content is being created and disseminated on a social network, consumer would rather see something relevant to their lives. We want to find out something new or figure out how a product can help better our lives. We don't want to hear some sales pitch or keep seeing random posts. A way for companies to better use these new channels is to align their products' benefits with the desires of their customers. In searching for and doing this, they will produce more gripping material.

     A great example is Hershey's Kisses. This company obviously sells chocolate. Based on television ads, we know that there are many different ways to sell chocolate. It can be a time to relax, it can be a part of a meal, it can be a quick break in one's day. There are so many different opportunities for Hershey's to engage their market. Hershey's has taken people's desire to use chocolate in meals and as a way to relax, and capitalized on it. Through their twitter account they are able to provide many different recipes that they have created and even retweeted many recipes that have been submitted by followers. This content brings in consumers and gives them content they desire. Many times, that content is created by the consumers themselves. Hershey's has provided an outlet for them to create the content for them, and they can enhance and boost the experience when necessary. This is how a company can engage with customers and create content that consumers enjoy and want to interact with. This drives their ability to engage with consumers creating brand love.

Vine: The New Trend

     Late last month, Twitter launched a new video application called Vine. This mobile video platform allows users to shoot a video clip up to 6 seconds long. This clip can be one continuous shot or several separate segments. The application than loops the video into a continuous repeating 6-second clip. Vine has allowed Twitter to make its first venture into the video-sharing arena. What differentiates Vine from other video clip sharing applications is its 6-second limit, ability to shoot segmented clips, and the Twitter feed like flow to the video site. The size of the videos allows users to capture a decent amount of information but short enough to suit the attention spans of users. The segmented clip-shooting feature opens up many more possibilities for users to generate content of different types. The Vine site aggregates all of the videos into one feed similar to the Twitter feed which allows users to see many different videos easily.

     Although there are a lot of alternatives to this application, the fact that Twitter acquired this application early on really gives it the ability to become a new player in social media. There are many different options for users whether creating stories, documenting events, shooting in time-lapse, or even film how to videos. This can even be adapted for businesses to use highlighting their products and services in real video for the consumer.

     As this application begins to spread, it will be interesting to see how the application is adapted and used by different groups of people. It has already soared to the number 4 slot on iTunes purchased apps, and it has only been out a short time. This truly social and mobile application is taking the same path that Instagram took utilizing the smart phone camera to allow anyone with the smart phone to participate with ease. Go ahead and check out the Vine and look at all of the different possibilities. 

Building a Relationship with Social Media

Social Media can be used for many different tasks. Many people use it stay in contact with friends and families, but social media is being used more and more to connect with different companies and brands around the world. This has impacted the way many companies interact with their customers through social media. Social media opens up a new channel for these interactions that can go beyond just one-way communication. Companies now have the opportunity to not only listen to their consumers, but they are able to engage with them in real time. This is a great opportunity for companies, but they must engage correctly to obtain the biggest impact.

Many companies have been using social media to push their products in front of customers. They believe if they can get their products in front of people they will eventually buy it. Contrary to what companies thought, this tactic was not what we as consumers wanted. We did not want to be pestered with more advertisements pushing products in our faces. Social media allows us to engage with products we are interested in, and we do not want to have these products pushed onto us. Consumers are looking to engage with the brands and build a relationship with them. Consumers who are connected with a brand or company due to a strong relationship will become loyal customers that will keep coming back and spreading positive word of mouth.

Very few companies that use social media are truly using this tool to get the most out of their customers. This tool enables companies to engage and cater to the individual needs of their customers almost instantaneously in the channel where their customers are already spending time.

Here are two examples of companies that are doing a great job engaging their customers by building relationships with them.

L.L. Bean

L.L. Bean is fully engaging in the social channel through Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. They currently have Twitter accounts for different aspects of their business: outlets, stores, and PR to name a few. These accounts target different needs of the consumer. Through each account, it contributes different content that its followers would like. They provide how to videos, blog posts, giveaways, and responding to customer complaints or questions. These aspects allow the customer to engage with the brand and discover more about the company. It also enables the company to provide relevant content to its consumers.

One major success L.L. Bean has had with their social media campaigns came early this year when Steve Gadecki submitted a letter to L.L. Bean about his 15 years worth of adventures with his L.L. Bean bookbag. L.L. Bean responded to his letter and has asked Steve to be a part of its new campaign Discover Something. Part of this campaign is a program that brings in 18 fans that have been engaged with L.L. Bean to be product testers. This program shows the company’s commitment to its customers, and their desire to build a relationship with them. L.L. Bean is going beyond the strictly promotion based strategy toward an engaging relationship focused strategy. L.L. Bean meets its clients across many different channels where they know their customers will be and provides content that is relevant to a wide variety of their customers through these channels. If more companies could start to focus on the relationship component like this company has, they would be able to see more success in customer engagement.

San Francisco Giants

The Giants franchise is dependant upon the satisfaction and consumption of its fans. Baseball fans love the ability to engage with their favorite team and players in any and every way possible. The Giants have done a great job of providing several platforms for their fans to engage with each other, the franchise, and the players. AT&T Park has quickly become one of the most photographed places on Instagram. It ranked 5^th on the global list of photographed places. The Giants have taken notice of this and want to engage the customers even more by encouraging them to not only follow them on twitter and Facebook, but also to check-in to get deals on everything from food to apparel.

The Giants are on a wide range of social media channels including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pintrest, Google+, and Tumblr. All of these platforms have allowed the Giants to engage their fans in a variety of fashions listening to their concerns and praises and using that to better the fan experience. The Giants have created a medium for their fans to communicate with each other and the brand itself. These mediums also allow the fans to follow or pin the areas about the Giants, which they enjoy, the most. By facilitating these interactions and giving away new and interesting content, the Giants are building up their relationship with the fans. These aspects have helped this franchise create one of the most loyal customer bases in the nation, and they will only see this grow as they develop and expand on the interactions with their fans.  

These two companies have done a great job engaging their customers and building relationships with them. These interactions create content that customers want, as well as build trust between the company or brand and the customer. We want to learn more and more about these companies and interact with them in new and improved ways. This is the way companies need to build both their customer base and loyalty.