Creative Concepts

Creative Concepts Shares A Teen’s Point Of View On The Use Of Twitter’s Hashtags

May 16th, 2012 by Jerelyn — 2 comments

Perhaps one of the most important parts of Twitter is the hashtag. It’s not necessarily the 140 characters available per tweet that gets a message out; it is the “adding of your voice to the general discussion” through the hashtag that makes the impact, according to this article by SocialMediaToday.

At the same time that hashtags are the means for entering a larger conversation, they also “narrow down your audience” which allows people who are truly interested in the same topics to exchange ideas. The beauty and pure genius of the hashtag lies in the way its complete simplicity allows for a transfer of ideas and thoughts. Through Twitter’s categorization of tweets with the same hashtags, true engagement around an idea or a product is solicited.

As a result, it is no wonder that businesses, non-profits and politicians constantly use Twitter as a means of spreading their word. By asking followers to tweet using a specific hashtag, companies, businesses, celebrities, and politicians create conversations based around their messaging. It’s a win win situation. Followers speak their mind and conversation and buzz is created around a central theme.

Now I don’t know if this is just my generation (remember I am a teen), or just the people I follow on Twitter, but most people I know do not use hashtags in the “normal sense” as explained by SocialMediaToday.com. My generation doesn’t try to get in on the conversations or add their voice to the mix. We don’t look at what is trending and tweet about it, or repeat other people’s hashtags. Instead, we tweet but then use our hashtags to add emphasis to our tweet (kind of like a pumped up adjective):

It’s still uncertain whether we do this to blatantly ignore the way Twitter works, or to show that a social media platform based around conversation in fact has no rules or the rules can be broken and new rules created. If that’s the case then… #ohwell #yolo #breakingtherules #oops

Image via BUILDITZ.com

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Creative Concepts Reviews 7 Hottest Business Trends in Social Media

May 9th, 2012 by Jenni — No Comments

As businesses extend their marketing strategies to include social media, the rate at which social technologies are changing makes it hard to stay informed and on top of the best channels to reach your audience.

Mari Smith and Guy Kawasaki recently hosted a webinar titled “7 Hottest Business Trends in Social Media.”

“Social Media continues to grow at a phenomenal rate and it is becoming more and more important each day to understand what the latest trends are to ensure that your business isn’t left behind.” – Mari Smith

The top trends include:

1) Big Brand Bypass – New platforms are allowing consumers to bypass big brands and buy, sell and exchange directly with each other. The internet has leveled the playing field for businesses of all sizes.

2) Humanize to Monetize – Brands need to show a human side to make a more personal connection with consumers. Brands with personality such as Zappos, SouthWest Airlines, Starbucks and Virgin are succeeding online. The size of your business no longer matters. People crave a human connection and receiving acts of kindness.

3) Cause-based Consumers – Consumers’ growing concern over the environment calls for companies to communicate charitable and green initiatives. Companies need to be transparent, share ethics and how policies are shaped and regulated to build trust and credibility.

4) Super Social Status – Badges, gamification, influence scores are all increasing in social media. Status ratings such as Klout are changing the way society regards influence. One example is restaurants using FourSquare and rewarding the mayor and those who check-in to make customers feel extra special.

5) Awesome vs. “Flawesome” – Consumers realize that companies aren’t perfect. Companies that admit they made a mistake and quickly take action to right the wrongs achieve a Flawesome status. Showing transparency and empathy will keep customers and fans satisfied. Handle negative comments and reviews, don’t delete them. 68% of consumers trust reviews more when there are good and bad scores. (Source: Revoo.com January 2012) FedEx and Comcast are great examples of brands embracing social customer service.

6) Mad for Mobile – Mobile device usage outnumbers computers 5-to-1 worldwide. How is your business adapting to mobile marketing? Websites, email, video and online marketing messages need to be optimized for mobile devices.

7) Privacy Paranoia – Privacy backlash with Facebook and Google show a growing concern about information misuse. State your privacy policy upfront – your terms, what you are going to do with the data – and that will help people feel safer and want to buy more of your products.

Image via Mashable

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Creative Concepts Highlights The Importance Of An Online Newsroom

May 2nd, 2012 by Jenni — No Comments

PR 101: The Importance of the Online Newsroom.

In this all-access digital world, companies of all sizes need to be sure they have an up-to-date online newsroom.

Just as corporate websites need to be current with product and company information, current, search-optimized online media newsrooms for journalists are also a must.

In a recent national survey by TEKGROUP International, 98% of journalists expect companies to have an online newsroom.

The most important item to have in the online newsroom? PR contact information. Journalists need quick access to PR contacts and the media team as these writers and Editors are always on a deadline. What type of information can your company provide? PR contact name, cell phone, Skype, Twitter handle and email address for starters. Any additional social network information like a blog address and Facebook page name is helpful for journalists to do additional research.

According to the survey, journalists expect organizations of all sizes to have the following:

an online newsroom available for media access
easy access to news releases in the online newsroom
PR or media team contacts’ information
offer a searchable news archive in the online newsroom so the media can gather detailed information right on your site

What kinds of materials should be in the online newsroom? A company fact sheet, Q&A sheet, executive biographies, subject matter experts, news releases, company blog, Twitter stream, high resolution images, video or audio files and more.

Email is the preferred method of news and pitch delivery. 95% of journalists prefer to receive news, information and story pitches from a company through e-mail. And in this mobile world, more than 60% of journalists value the ability to receive news on their mobile device.

Journalists also prefer to see a listing all of a company’s social networks on one page. A company should list their social networks on the website home page as well as the online newsroom. The link to the online newsroom also needs to be easy to find on the home page.

Have you searched your online newsroom in Google lately? Be sure it shows up when you search your company name + online newsroom. If it does not, update the title tag and page to be sure it is properly optimized for search.

Good luck and if you have a great example of an online newsroom, please share it with us!

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Image via Ragan.com

Creative Concepts Believes In Partnering With A Blogger To Promote Your Brand

April 25th, 2012 by Susan — No Comments

I’m going to Miami in a couple of weeks, for the Mom 2.0 Summit. I’ll be partnering with Creative Concepts’ client Ecover for a fantastic project: I’ll be offering style advice to conference attendees, and talking about ways to create a greener closet, including tips for laundry — and recommendations for Ecover’s fantastic line of ecological laundry products.

I can’t wait.

Sponsoring bloggers for conferences has become more and more popular in the last couple of years. In it’s most basic form, a sponsorship works like this: A company hires a blogger to be their representative at a conference. The blogger will have certain responsibilities during the conference — hosting a party or reception, say, or attending and promoting an event during the conference. In other words, the blogger becomes a short-term spokesperson for the brand, for the duration of the conference.

The advantages to the blogger are clear: typically, the sponsoring company pays for the blogger’s travel expenses, or pays the blogger a flat fee (which is often used to cover the cost of travel to the conference). Obviously, this is a good deal for the blogger, particularly since conferences can be expensive propositions and most bloggers are not making a million dollars a year off their web sites.

The benefit to the brand is less tangible — but no less valuable. The brand gets the opportunity to piggyback on the blogger’s popularity, if you will, and to talk directly to her readers and followers. In other words, they get a ready-made audience for their message, and a trusted voice to deliver that message.

For Ecover, our partnership is a streamlined way for the brand to reach new consumers. The bloggers attending Mom 2.0 are my people, if you will; I know them from other conferences, from their blogs and Twitter and Facebook, and — more importantly — they know me. They know my voice and my values and my ethos; they know that I don’t ever promote products I don’t sincerely like and feel good about. So when I say that hand washing with Ecover’s Laundry Wash will lengthen the life of their clothes, they know I am telling the truth — about the hand washing and about the detergent.

For brands looking to connect with bloggers, having a sponsored spokesblogger for a conference is a good first step. Think of it as going to a party with a friend who knows everyone. By the end of the night, you’ll know everyone, too — and better yet, they will know you.

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Creative Concepts Shares How Lululemon Gets Multi-Platform Content Strategy Right

April 18th, 2012 by Heather — No Comments

Whether browsing or shopping online, have you ever given much thought to your goals before you clicked on the social media buttons running along the sidebar, sandwiching the post or product description, or resting in the footer? What did you think you’d get out of connecting yourself to the company that way?

Maybe a better question is, what were your expectations of the brand on all those platforms? Did you think you’d get more enjoyment or learn more with two (or more) social connections than one?

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and a rising number of other social platform buttons are found everywhere, from business blogs to online retailers. As readers, we’ve developed a habit of clicking all those cute buttons whenever a company satisfies our needs. Clicking is quick, it’s easy, and hey, we’re on that site too.

Multi-Platform Content Strategy

But what we often experience is the same blog post, message update, or photo simply re-distributed across various the platforms. Like Groundhog Day. Not only is the unimaginative regurgitation boring and uninspired, but it also reflects poorly on the brands that employ this approach.

We can look at one consumer goods company doing a great job at brand-building through multi-platform content.

Lululemon Athletica

Lululemon is a “technical run and yoga clothing” manufacturer and retailer whose core values center in serving the local communities chosen for retail outlets. Their “whole body” philosophy is demonstrated through in-store events where they teach self-defense, goal-setting, yoga, and more to women interested in improving their body and mind through exercise.

Blog: The blog is a great mix of topics from all things running and yoga to products, events, goal-setting, nutrition, beauty and fashion. To the woman whose priorities include taking care of her mental and physical health, the Lululemon blog seems like the perfect place to find your center and the encouragement you need to be your best you ever.

Facebook: Like many, the company uses Facebook as a means to generate awareness about blog posts through status updates. It’s also a place where service and product issues are discussed, contests are promoted, and event photos.

Twitter: The Lululemon Twitter stream reads a lot like a transcript from friends on a multi-party line might. That’s to say, there’s lots of energy, encouragement, and dialogue about what the followers are doing to get their adrenaline and zen fix. Sure, there’s bits and pieces about products here and there – but not in an overt “salesy” way and usually in response to a follower comment or inquiry.

YouTube: It seems natural that video would be a media form Lululemon would employ as part of their multi-platform strategy, and they don’t disappoint. With playlists ranging from Product Education to Our People and on to Community, a viewer can interact with the brand, its employees, and featured products in ways that make them all more real.

Flickr: It’s hard to look at a photo of a yogi holding a complicated pose or a woman running her best race and not feel inspired. Lululemon uses the built-in organizational structure of Flickr (collections, sets, galleries, and tags) to share customer and corporate photos with the greater community of athletic-minded people. While the photos themselves aren’t pushing the message “Buy this top!” the net effect is one that the athlete, no matter his or her personal skill level, has found a trusted resource upon discovering Lululemon.

Tumblr: You might think Tumblr as another Flickr, simply another file upload of photos stored on some employee’s desktop. You’d be wrong. Lululemon’s Tumblr page is a bridge between Pinterest-like display boards and Flickr-like discovery. I’d liken it to themed room décor for your computer monitor, and Lululemon uses a combination of lifestyle photos, product shots, inspirational quotes, instructional videos, and street-level snaps related to the worlds of running and yoga.

It’s clear the Lululemon team has operationalized their brand to make it an intrinsic part of their marketing communications strategy. From the way they participate and engage with enthusiasts on social media platforms, I’d say the strategy is a success.

What can your brand learn from Lululemon?

Image courtesy Lululemon Athletica on Flickr.

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What Is The Value Of A Facebook “Like,” Creative Concepts Wants To Know!

April 11th, 2012 by Jenni Hilton Valorie Luther — 1 comment

Facebook Timeline for Pages

Facebook, as you most likely know, has changed the way people and brands tell their stories through “Timeline,” the new Facebook layout featuring a large cover photo, an actual timeline, and more. Facebook’s first priority has always been about community and connection, and with the new format in place, Facebook is hoping to keep the social network growing and expanding. “Facebook is all about the experience and we suspect these timeline changes are but one step of many to come that they hope will serve that goal.”

Facebook Pages have been an effective resource for small and big businesses alike. Barriers between corporate and the customer have been broken down by using Pages as a communication and customer service tool. Brands have also been able to engage and reward fans like never before with campaigns that involve sweepstakes, contests and more. Just as marketers thought they had figured out the key to building a successful Facebook Page based on metrics they understood like counting “Likes,” Facebook Timeline for Pages has rolled out and now businesses of all sizes have to work harder to capture new and current fans in their news feeds….a goal for Facebook which keeps the social network truly interactive because the new structure urges Page owners to engage their community but more work now for the brands using Facebook because the “Like” may no longer be the most relevant number that measures success.

What is the Value of a Facebook Like (or Fan?)

Brands have learned to look at the number of Facebook “Likes” as a metric for their social media marketing. Originally dubbed “Fans,” now “Likes” for a business have been a way to measure a company’s success in and out of the social network. ”Likes” have not only been an indication of how many followers a brand may have but have also grown to be a measurement tool used by distributors and stores when deciding on stocking their shelves with little known brands, by advertisers who have made note of Facebook “Likes” before placing their ads in hard copy publications, and by any kind of business associate who regards “Likes” as a point of reference as to where a brand stands among their competitors. Even investors are using the number of “Likes” as a way to decide on a startup’s potential. For example, a venture based company in the digital space we know of requires prospective companies to have “x” Likes before they consider investing. Some media companies have even attempted to place a numeric value on a “Like”:

“People who click the Facebook Like button are more engaged, active and connected than the average Facebook user. The average “liker” has 2.4x the amount of friends than that of a typical Facebook user. They are also more interested in exploring content they discover on Facebook — they click on 5.3x more links to external sites than the typical Facebook user.” – Facebook

“Invariably, whenever the question is asked, some mathematical savant – typically a self-professed digital alchemist – produces a proprietary algorithm that has somehow arrived at an answer along the lines of $1.07 (Source: WSJ) or $3.60 (source: Vitrue) or even $136.38 (source: Syncapse) (for the value of a “like”), and so begins the race to answer this now quasi-hallowed question of the new digital age.” – BrandBuilder

One thing that all of these sources can agree on is that there has been substantial value placed on a Facebook “Like,” so what do we do now that Facebook has changed the format where the “Like” is harder to attain and may not hold the same amount of value prior to Timeline?

While Facebook “Likes” are still present (but deemphasized) and fresh content and sharing are the priority (hence the new “# talking about this” number headlined next to “likes”), how will brands measure their success? Will marketers track how many people are talking about the page vs. “Likes?” Will stores and distributors, when deciding on working with new products, now be more interested in the engaged followers on a Page vs. the large number of people who never interact yet “Like” the brand on Facebook? How will companies change their approach with this new shift to Timeline? Will Facebook win with an ever growing interactive community or will marketers find a work-around that requires less effort with the content and community building while continuing to believe that a “Like” is all they need in growing their brand online? How are you approaching your Facebook Page now that Timeline is officially in place?

Co authored by Valorie Luther, Founder Creative Concepts, and Jenni Hilton, Creative Concepts PR and Social Media Strategist

Image via Danny Brown.

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Creative Concepts Shares The Value Of A Social Media Press Release

April 4th, 2012 by Jenni — 1 comment

PR 101: The Social Media Press Release.

In this blog, we have talked about building a media list, pitching the media and ideas for writing news releases.

As you write your press releases, have you considered creating a social media press release?

Traditional press releases have their purpose and are still important. (There are ways to integrate social media into your traditional releases as well.)

By creating a social media press release, your company has a chance to visually show journalists and prospects what your brand is all about.

The social media press release takes a press release and makes it dimensional. By adding images, videos and links to your news, you are helping build brand awareness. By offering easy ways to share your news socially, you are helping others tell your story for you.

Shift Communicates does a good job showing the elements that make up the social media press release boilerplate.

“As the consumer-generated media wave continues to crest, it will be incumbent on the PR industry to stay current, in order to remain a relevant source of story ideas for the media.” – Todd S. Defren, Shift Communications.

One company that helps you build and distribute your social media press release for free is PitchEngine. PitchEngine allows you to set up a one page “pitch” for your news in a social media press release format. You can track your pitch and see how many impressions that it receives. They offer paid subscriptions for building online newsrooms for your brand.

Publishing a social media press release won’t automatically get your release seen by the world, you will still have to pitch your media list and do the work. Find out from journalists how they prefer to receive your news and be sure to provide them with the format they specify.

If you have built up your social networks and share your news in a social media format, it will definitely be a valuable tool to add to your PR toolkit.

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Image via Grow Socially.

Creative Concepts Asks: Do You Unplug?

March 28th, 2012 by Susan — No Comments

This past weekend marked the second annual National Day of Unplugging, a 24-hour respite from technology of all sorts. I participated last year and this year, although I only partially unplugged; I steered clear of the Internet but watched college basketball on television with my son. I like to think I abided by the spirit of the project, if not the letter.

The National Day of Unplugging is sponsored by Sabbath Manifesto, which describes itself as “a creative project designed to slow down lives in an increasingly hectic world.” Based loosely on the tenets of the Jewish Sabbath, Sabbath Manifesto encourages weekly unpluggings, when participants give up their electronic devices and spend time with real people. Each Friday afternoon, as I am sitting in the carpool line at my sons’ school, I get a text message reminder from Sabbath Manifesto about unplugging at sundown, when the Jewish Sabbath begins. It’s a good way to go into the weekend.

I love the Internet; I love the way that it connects me to people who share my beliefs and ideas but do not live in my neighborhood. I love that I am able to make a living via my computer, without leaving my house or needing to make complicated arrangements for my children. I love that I can get news and reviews and information right now, quickly, with just a simple Google search.

At the same time, though, I am often overwhelmed by the Internet, by the immediacy of information and the 24/7 pace. It is difficult for me to take a day off of work because my work is so deeply tied to the Internet, and to the technologies that connect me to the World Wide Web. Stepping away from work means, for me, stepping away from the gadgets that enable that work — which means shutting off my cell phone and unplugging — literally — the computer.

Every time I do this, I am nervous about it. Monday morning, when I got back online after my unplugged weekend, my email was out of control — it took most of the day to catch up. At the same time, though, having 24 hours away from the news cycle was refreshing. It was good to spend time only with my family and real-life friends, to talk only about what matters in my very small everyday world. It was good to focus on the tangible parts of my life.

Social media is a powerful tool for connecting — with people, with brands, with issues. But the real power of social media is in convincing people to disconnect and step away and live in the moment — without tweeting or Facebooking or blogging the experience.

Want to know more about the Sabbath Manifesto? Read the 10 Principles of Unplugging, and think about how you — and your brand — can engage with them.

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Creative Concepts’ Tips For Squeezing More Juice From Your Presentation

March 21st, 2012 by Heather — No Comments

Brand, product, and marketing managers all recognize the value of public exposure. Whether gained through media mentions, social shares, blog traffic, or a truck canvassing neighborhoods, eyeballs and awareness gained by increased exposure can improve the chances that your brand or cause will capture new prospects to feed into the conversion funnel.

So why, when given the opportunity to stand on a literal or virtual stage on which to represent their brand, do so many of them fail to wring the opportunity dry?

Skilled public speakers are not only subject matter experts (probably much like yourselves), but they’re entertainers and storytellers who have learned how to generate positive impressions for their brand when given a stage at a live event or microphone at a virtual seminar. These venues – and every podcast, video interview, and Meetup in between – give brand marketing and corporate communications folks a chance to do some persuasive selling in a non-threatening, low-pressure way.

Once you have the venue and the ready audience, how can you maximize the return on the investment (and be sure, there’s costs wrapped up in resource preparation time, if not also hard costs like travel)?

Four ways to squeeze more juice from your next presentation:

Ask the event coordinator for details about how your panel/session/class is being advertised and promoted. Look for connections between those efforts and your company’s existing marketing. Can you get an ad inserted next to the one for the event? The proximity and size could make your name on the speaker roster stand out more. The take-away is that your panel/session/class falls into a “not to miss” category.
Find out if a hash tag is being used for the event. Prepare an additional one specifically for your session. Use the two in combination to cross-pollinate targeted Twitter search streams. Include the tags in the footer of your presentation materials or handouts.
Develop a custom landing page to point attendees to. The page content should be very tailored to mirror the expectations of a visitor prompted by the underlying purpose or philosophy of the event – so take care not to genericize the copy. Rather than simply including your standard URL on your bio slide or even earlier, on the speaker showcase web page, use a specially-prepared URL. It’ll help identify and quantify traffic tied specifically to your participation in the event. Better yet, use the page as a gateway for visitors to access special reports or short industry surveys (tied to an incentive) to capture useful contact information and fuel a future report.
Upon closing your session, ask the audience if they’ll drop their business cards into the fishbowl located near the door. If you’ve pledged follow-up information, swag, or special offers to attendees, this is both a chance to gather volunteered contact information as well as your next chance to solidify the trust you started earning when you delivered a presentation as advertised.

Next time you have a chance to present, don’t just cull together slides from some PowerPoints and show up on schedule. There are things you can do before, during, and after the presentation to build your brand and even generate new business if you just squeeze hard enough.

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