For over ten years, I grew up side by side with Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. I remember the first time I picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, a fresh birthday present, and promptly got lost in the wizarding world. Every book holds a place of honor in my book case, much loved and well-worn since I haven’t put any of the books down since. And like so many other fans, I pretended that the owl carrying my acceptance letter from Hogwarts was merely a couple of years late.
It’s why sitting in a darkening movie theater with my best friends, awaiting the start of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”, was such a terribly sad moment. It was truly the end of an era. With the publication of the last book, Harry Potter fans were in denial, hoping that really JK Rowling was holding out on us, and there were more books on the way. But the last movie was a final goodbye to characters that had become friends, and places like Hogwarts that had become home. Unsurprisingly, I found myself tearing up multiple times throughout the movie. Also unsurprisingly, I don’t want to say goodbye to Harry Potter.
And so I find myself looking for Harry Potter blogs where the author reminisces about how great it is to be a fan, analyzes the books or weeps about how it’s all come to an end. I find myself watching countless YouTube videos about the ten year journey Harry Potter has made. It’s become addicting, I swear. I’ve even signed up for Pottermore, the mysterious Harry Potter website that JK Rowling created to reel in her fans a little more (like she needs to). I didn’t need to turn to social media when the books were being published, because they were more than enough. But now that the last book has been published and the last movie has been revealed, I find myself looking for Harry Potter anywhere on the Internet, blogs or YouTube, to keep that connection going. And so I’ve become a participant, because I’m in agreement with the billions of other fans…it would be heartbreak to really let go of Harry Potter.
Story of my life: Oh I’ll just go on Facebook for five minutes. An hour later: still there. I’m frequently distracted from my homework as I creep on my friends’ pictures and profiles, and sometimes connect with old friends and family I haven’t seen with a while. Not to mention the fact that I’m constantly lured back to Facebook by the group my AP Language and Composition class has created with our teacher for class discussion, changes in assignments and posting homework. It’s safe to say that, as a teenager, Facebook is the largest mode of communication. Practically everyone I know has a Facebook profile, and if they don’t, they’re out of the loop.
While I mostly use Facebook for social purposes, I’ll occasionally connect to a brand or like a page. Because I don’t like unnecessary clutter on my newsfeed, I really only connect to the brands that I know and love outside of Facebook. For example, Gossip Girl, and America’s Next Top Model are examples of two brands that I’ve connected to. I am a religious Gossip Girl watcher. No matter what is going on, even if I haven’t finished my homework, I will watch the show, and the fact that their Facebook page is so active makes it even better!!!! For the nights when I am busy, and can’t watch the show, GG posts a link where you can watch the episode for free! Constant updates and pictures prior to episodes make me excited to watch (not that I wasn’t already!). Honestly, I don’t actually visit the pages of any brands on Facebook. If an update shows up on my newsfeed, then I’ll look, but if it doesn’t, then there are probably zero chances that I’ll go look at what the brand is doing on their page. The brands that are relatively inactive on Facebook are ones that I will probably disconnect from later on, since the connection hasn’t been worth it.
But trust me, the brands that invest time in promoting themselves on Facebook (where probably a large majority of teenagers spend their time), win in the end. They’re the brands I’ll stick to and support even more, just like Gossip Girl!!
Sometimes it takes more than the written word to really get the consumer excited about your brand. In today’s culture of You Tube and reality TV, people are used to getting up close and personal with everyone from celebrities and socialites to the girl next door.
Video presents a unique opportunity for brands to showcase their products in a way that’s not possible through print or the in-store experience. At Creative Concepts, we partner with brands to help them create engaging and informative videos that tell a story and draw the viewer in.
Our client Ecover recently hosted an Earth Day event in a jaw-dropping New York City penthouse, teaching guests how to make sustainable choices inside their homes. Attendees were taken on a tour of the penthouse and given tips on how to make healthy living choices for each room. Celebrity interior designer Robin Wilson along with Ecover’s Kipling Wagner brought the event to life on video for all to see.
When Ouidad threw a curly party, our cameras were there to record the effusive guests who were ecstatic about their gorgeous new hair styles. Their enthusiasm was contagious–something that definitely would not have come through had it been only in writing.
Video has the ability to turn something static into something dynamic. It brings the brand into the context of real life and helps people interact with the brand. The recipe for a successful video? Feature people who are passionate about the brand, add an expert who can teach the public something interesting about the brand, keep it exciting and easy to watch. Then put it on You Tube and get ready for the hits!
The phrase “you’re doing it wrong” has long been the cause of many social media arguments. When one of the basic principles of social marketing is to “just be yourself,” how can you be wrong at being yourself?
While the merits of that question can be debated endlessly, we here at Creative Concepts do know one thing for sure: whatever “wrong” happens to be, it sure feels good to know we’re doing something right!
Sometimes, validation comes from metrics. Social media can be unpredictable, so when the numbers prove that our theories (and campaigns) are bearing fruit for our clients, we feel good because they feel good.
Other times, validation comes directly from the clients themselves. We’ve been working with some of our clients for more than 5 years, which means our methods are working for them. And every time we sign a new client, or expand our responsibilities with an existing client, we know that we’re all moving confidently forward in a positive — and profitable — direction.
And then there’s the validation from our peers. For example, when we read Mashable’s recent list of 10 Tips for Posting on Your Brand’s Facebook Page, we digitally high-fived ourselves because we already do each of these things for our clients. (See for yourself on their Facebookpages.)
Client love, new work and metric boosts are what keep us active and engaged, but there’s still nothing like reading a major advice column and realizing we’re already ahead of the curve. (And we haven’t even had our coffee yet!)
Wondering what else we know? Follow us onFacebook andTwitter!
Here’s a dirty little secret: you don’t need a degree, a portfolio or any experience to make a living at social media.
All you really need is a website. (And, if you’re really fancy, a blog.)
Because the barrier to entry for this emerging field is still so low, the social media industry has been plagued by hundreds of self-appointed “gurus,” “experts” and “ninjas” who’ve never actually worked for a client, but they’re eager to convince you that their “expertise” will improve your business and make you a smashing success online — even if their expertise only consists of reading the blogs written by the people who actually do it for a living.
Fortunately, we at Creative Concepts are happy to give you a few tips to help tell the legitimate service providers apart from the social media charlatans.
5 Questions to Ask Your Potential Social Media Agency
Q1: “How long have you been managing social media for your clients?”
Granted, longevity is only one indicator of success. But the longer an agency has been in business, the more likely it is that their collective experience can improve your bottom line.
(Our answer? Since 2005. Yup; even before Twitter.)
Q2: “Have you created any campaigns I might have seen?”
Again, a caveat: some social media successes occur far below the public radar, especially in terms of B2B or niche markets. But if your potential agency has been working with brand-name clients (and can furnish portfolio proof thereof), it’s a good indicator that other decision-makers have considered them to be a smart hire.
Q3: “What do you consider some of your greatest social media successes?”
This is really a two-pronged question: it allows the agency to list any wins it’s collected (even if they’re not “mainstream”), and it gives them an opportunity to explain how they judge their own successes or failures — via sales, traffic, engagement, awareness or any other metrics they might favor. That way, you can see how your expected needs and their areas of expertise overlap. (HINT: If they can’t point to a positive impact on client sales, you should be skeptical.)
(Our answer? Now that our clients list Facebook as one of their top 10 sales drivers, our clients’ YouTube videos have received industry awards, and both we and our clients have been invited to speak about social media at industry conferences, we think we’ve had quite a few successes — and counting!)
If you think writing novels (or blog posts) is hard, try tweeting for a living.
In most forms of communication, the audience invites you to spin your story and enchant them over time. Even a 30 second TV commercial gives you half a minute to make your pitch.
But on Twitter, you only have milliseconds to capture someone’s attention as they scroll through a nonstop litany of links, promotions, inside jokes and regurgitated news stories, desperately in search of something interesting. If you’re not immediately captivating on Twitter, your boring tweets will be buried under an avalanche of similarly blah messaging in the blink of an eye.
So how do you manage to stay interesting on Twitter, day after day?
Here are 11 tips that we at Creative Concepts have developed internally on behalf of our clients to help them stay competitive in Twitter’s attention market:
Every tweet is a headline. For centuries, newspaper editors have been writing great headlines to draw attention to dense blocks of text that might otherwise go overlooked. Imagine that every tweet you send is going on the front page of The New York Times, and that you’re single-handedly responsible for increasing the paper’s circulation. (No pressure, right?)
Be useful. “Interesting” is always a matter of perspective, but “useful” actually provides a service. You may not be dazzled by the prose of a tweet, but if you want (or need) to know what it’s pitching, you’re far more likely to click.
Be direct. Addressing someone with the @ symbol in front of their Twitter handle ensures that they’ll see what you have to say. (Now, just don’t be spammy…)
Be brief. The shorter your tweet is, the easier it is for others to add their own commentary as they retweet you — and people love adding their own two cents to your discussion.
Solve a problem. We search Twitter to find out what kinds of problems our clients’ customers (and potential customers) may be having, and then we help our clients offer their customers solutions via links to products, blog posts, or just good old-fashioned advice.
Remove doubt. People like to know what works. By sharing the positive reviews and accolades that others have tweeted about your products and services, you’re letting potential customers know that your existing customers would recommend you — because they just did.
Say thank-you. When you see kudos about your brand, thank that person directly. They’ll appreciate knowing that their kind words helped make someone else’s day.
Become an information resource. What are the hot topics in your brand’s industry right now? What is everyone talking about? What is no one talking about? By sharing information about those topics great and small, your brand becomes your customers’ curator for a larger conversation about the field or the industry itself.
Be funny. Humor travels fast on Twitter, and while everyone’s sense of humor is different, a brand that can laugh at itself is a brand that others are more likely to take seriously.
Be positive. Twitter is occasionally a traffic jam of complaints and customer service debacles. Be the upside that cuts through the clutter and you’ll stand out simply for taking the high road.
Be yourself. What you say is important, but so is how you say it. No one stops to read a brochure, but they’ll linger to overhear a private conversation. Deliver your messages honestly and authentically — and in your own voice — and you’re less likely to be confused for an easily-ignored marketing robot.
Want to stay ahead of the attention curve? Follow us onFacebook andTwitter!
Nothing makes a brand (or that brand’s agency) happier than seeing how much their customers love their products and services. And when that love is shared in public via social media, so much the better — especially because that love is so often eclipsed by the increasingly public habit of complaining about bad customer service.
By now, we’re all used to seeing our friends rant about their latest perceived “retail fail” on Twitter and Facebook. And the proactive approach that companies like Zappos and Comcast have taken to address these complaints publicly has created an expectation among casual customers that every complaint is valid and deserving of a swift response.
In our opinion, this is entirely understandable. Social media is all about now, and when someone’s upset, they’re justified in expecting a quick remedy from companies who claim to care. In fact, we at Creative Concepts advocate proactive customer service among all of our social media clients, and we strive to help them create and employ practices that will turn those potential negatives into ultimate positives once a customer’s concerns have been alleviated.
But that very practice is what makes seeing unabashed (and unprompted) exhibitions of brand love from our client’s customers that much more rewarding.
Last week, a customer at the Ouidad salon enjoyed her hair care experience so much, she live-tweeted her experience throughout the day, including passing along tips from her stylist. Needless to say, this made Ouidad’s day — and ours, since we were watching right alongside! ( In fact, it reminded us of a similarly enjoyable moment we observed last year, when a New York blogger shared her Ouidad hair model experience via Twitter and blog format.)
And here’s a helpful Twitter tip: if you really love a brand, make sure your tweets about them DON’T start with the @ symbol. Why? Because of the way Twitter categorizes conversations:
Tweets that begin with @Ouidad, for example, will only be seen by three kinds of people: Ouidad, the sender of the tweetm and anyone who’s following both the sender and Ouidad. (That’s probably a small cross-section of people who might see the tweet.)
Tweets that include @Ouidad but which start with any character other than the @ symbol will still be seen by Ouidad, but they’ll also be seen by everybody who follows the sender.
Therefore, if you REALLY want someone to know about your awesome brand experience, make sure your tweets aren’t addressed solely to the brand. That will give your praise the widest possible audience, and put an even bigger smile on the face of the employees who’ll be elated to see just how much you really love what they do.
Torrential downpours, power outages, floods. That’s what’s in the forecast for most of the east coast today, as businesses and municipalities scramble to brace against mother nature. But inclement weather is more than just an inconvenience. The delays they generate can also result in lost productivity and revenue. When you can’t work (or can’t get to work), you can’t do work.
This highlights one of the undervalued upsides of social media: it’s asynchronous.
Social media happens on two fronts: the real-time conversations you’re having with your customers, commenters and colleagues, and the conversations you’ve seeded , which then flower without requiring your own direct attention.
For example, social media scheduling services like CoTweet and HootSuite allow you to schedule tweets, Facebook posts, LinkedIn updates and other public messages days, weeks or months in advance. If you have a major project, press release or event worth promoting, you can spend one day scheduling a campaign’s worth of promotions, and then adjust the plan as needed based on performance and feedback, rather than making arbitrary changes on the fly.
If your blog is on a schedule, it’s smart to write ahead. Bloggers don’t always have time to create new posts on the days they’re due, but if you write additional evergreen posts on your less-busy days, you can save them as drafts now and publish them on those hectic days when you have nothing new in the bullpen. (Just make sure you double-check those “standby” entries before you post them, to ensure that your point of view — or the facts — haven’t changed since you first wrote it.)
And if you never have time to get ahead, have someone else do it for you. Ask guest bloggers to write additional content for your site, which you can stockpile for rainy days. Or hire a firm to create your content — like us at Creative Concepts.
Delays, accidents and catastrophes happen. One bad day shouldn’t derail your business — or your profits. By anticipating those “unknown unknowns” today, you can take steps to prepare yourself for any curveballs that nature, your personal life or your crashed computer will throw at you next.
Ouidad, backstage with the curly models of NYC Fashion Week 2011
When your brand is well-known in your field, you have a story worth telling. But how do you find new audiences to share that story with?
You find something everyone has in common.
For example, it’s no secret that the fashion world has invested heavily in the social media market. Tools like Twitter and Facebook, which are built to fuel conversations, are a perfect match for an industry that thrives on opinion. And while not every brand is necessarily fashion-forward, a forward-thinking brand can always find ways to bridge that gap.
During this year’s Fashion Week in New York City, two of our Creative Concepts clients learned just how exhilarating the fashion world can be.
Ouidad (the best friend a curly girl could ever have) was live-tweeting backstage from several Fashion Week shows and shoots, sharing photos and channeling buzz as the fashion magic was happening. Why? Because, as a hair care expert who’s focused on empowerment and education, Ouidad knows that surrounding yourself with beauty is a key building block in your lifelong quest to feel fabulous!
Another of our clients, the eco-cleaning innovators Ecover, were thrilled to support Study, a sustainable fashion brand from Tara St. James that proves the fashion world sees “green” as more than just a color. And since Ecover and Study are each using social media to communicate their passion for a cleaner, greener world, Ecover’s sponsorship provided the perfect opportunity to give each brand a common talking point which they could share with their own audiences.
So, how can your brand find new ways to share its expertise and passion with a new audience that might be a step or two removed from your existing fanbase?
First, find common ground — or a common enemy. Then, reach out. Be valuable. Be interesting. Be supportive. Be worth knowing.
(And if you can do it while looking amazing in Armani or Burberry, there’s nothing wrong with that either!)
But now, according to the results of the annual Edelman Trust Barometer, trust in “people like us” is plummeting while trust in experts is on the rise. Steve Rubel has a well-reasoned theory about why that might be happening, and he predicts a cyclical boom in the prominence of thought leaders and subject matter experts.
If people are once again in search of facts, figures and fountains of wisdom, what does that mean for your business?
Are You In the Business of Trust?
You don’t have to make a living in finance, health or politics to be a member of the trust economy. Companies of all sizes, and in all industries, live and die as customers’ perceptions of business ethics and reliability shift.
In short, if your company…
builds its brand image around claims of effectiveness
is in competition for customer loyalty
engages in philanthropy
relies on donations
solves a problem
… then you’re in the trust business. And once you’ve established trust among your customers, that trust is always worth promoting — and defending.
When a 2010 UK report baselessly accused our client Ecover of “greenwashing,” the burden of proof was shifted to Ecover. After all, the report had been issued by an “expert” in the ecological field and published in The Guardian. The problem was, the report was wrong, and Ecover wouldn’t let that kind of misrepresentation stand.
Ecover knew that their customers trusted them as experts in a crowded and competitive market, and they defended their reputation with 30 years’ worth of documented expertise.
Could your company do the same?
Do you have documented proof that verifies your claims and statements?
Do you make it easy for people to find the information they need?
Are your subject matter experts engaging the public?
Are your ethics and values visibly on display?
In this hyper-connected world, trust will continue to rise and fall as the public reacts to varying levels of white noise in their lives. But, in the end, everyone relies on information to make daily decisions they can feel good about.
Are you providing your customers with the information they need?
