For quite some time, Facebook took criticism from corporate brands for not allowing creators of a company Facebook page to transfer ownership of the page. The creator of a Facebook page could never be removed, which caused plenty of frustration. If an agency created a page for a brand, the agency would always be an admin on the account. If a company employee created the page, he or she would always be on the account. Imagine if your employee took a new job with a competitor and remained an irremovable admin on your Facebook page?
This month, Facebook has quietly allowed any page admin to remove the page creator. It solves a lot of problems for agencies that build pages for clients, but here is a word of caution. The page creator can be removed by any admin without approval. Be extra careful when you select people to be an admin on your company Facebook page, because any admin could potentially hijack the page by removing all other admins.
This change is a long time coming. It would be better if the page creator had to approve the removal, but at least there is now a solution to an old problem of Facebook page admin management.
Apple’s ads are right – there’s an app for that (and everything else). I am completely obsessed with my iPhone and after wading through the weird, creepy and just plain dumb apps (Have you seen anyone rapidly running their fingers down their iPhone in public? That would be Finger Sprint!), I found a few that are worthwhile. If you’re a fellow iPhone addict, check out these helpful, interesting or just fun apps.
Newsy: This free news app truly is for the tech generation that doesn’t like to read but would rather watch short videos made up of the top news stories. Newsy takes reports from multiple sources and combines them for quick and convenient video updates that can be shared via Facebook and Twitter. It promises to be a news analyzer, not aggregator. But is it unbiased? The users who rated it claim so.
Camera Genius: The iPhone camera is where the phone really lacks. But no worries because the Camera Genius app is a cheap $1.99 and allows you to turn your iPhone camera into the only one you’ll need to carry around. Cool features include burst mode (take rapid succession shots), zoom (Why isn’t this already a feature?) and anti-shake stabilization (eliminates blurry pictures).
Urbanspoon: You might have heard about this website or already use it yourself. Now, the Urbanspoon app allows you to find the perfect place to eat when on the go. This app is set up like a slot machine allowing you to choose your current location, preferred cuisine and price (rated on a scale from $ to $$$$). When these choices line up, just shake your iPhone for the nearest restaurant of your choice. This app led me to the BEST pizza I have ever tasted in NYC. And again, this one is free!
Travel Box: There are a ton of “tool box” apps but this one is particularly great because it provides those most helpful while traveling. For $.99 it allows you to track your flight, calculate measurement units and currency, reference the world clock and quickly and easily split tips between multiple travelers. No promises your iPhone will last you from home to destination, though. They aren’t known for their battery life.
20Q Mind Reader FREE: OK, this one is just for fun! Did you play Twenty Questions when you were a kid? This is the digital version where the smug app tries to guess what you’re thinking – and it usually does. But maybe that’s just me?
With all the hype surrounding Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, the value of LinkedIn is often overlooked. Beyond just the job search, it is the one social network where business professionals are visible and active. This means it is a great place to build and maintain business relationships, organize your professional network and leverage potential opportunities. Check out this video for a clear explanation of LinkedIn and how it can work for you:
Our agency Vice President of Digital and Social Media Chris Shigas recently held a client seminar to offer tips for using social media in a professional setting. I picked up several tips that I’ve already started using on my own profile and wanted to share some here. If you’re struggling to make LinkedIn work for you, following are some steps you should take to build your presence and network:
Create your profile. Aim for 100% profile completion, which means you need to upload a photo and share your professional background including education, past positions and descriptions. Because it is so visible, you don’t want to embellish or falsify any information. Here is an example of how one social media guru Guy Kawasaki gave his profile a makeover.
Optimize for search engines. LinkedIn is a great tool for Search Engine Optimization for both your name and your company because it has a very high Google page rank. Don’t opt for the “My Company” link – select “other” and type in your website or company name for optimal SEO.
Build your network. Upload your personal and professional contacts to the site and routinely check for new colleagues and classmates. You never know how wide your network reaches until you start to explore it. Find ways to share your custom LinkedIn URL on business cards, other social networking profiles and email signatures. When you meet new people, enter their business card information and connect with them on LinkedIn.
Understand the relationships between people you already know and people you want to know. LinkedIn enables you to see at a glance how people you don’t know, but would like to, are connected to people who are closer to you. You can reach out to these intended contacts by way of those you already know (through second and third degree connections). You can obtain an introduction through the social network, through email or a phone call with the goal of setting a meeting with the prospect.
Engage with your contacts. You can share significant news in your business (like a new hire announcement or case win) through a profile update to spark new opportunities. You can also participate in groups you’re interested in and answer and ask questions to help build your credibility. Recommend colleagues you respect and look for opportunities to take the conversation offline.
This weekend I made one of the toughest decisions of my life. I had to ship my laptop to the factory for repairs. Before I even departed with my laptop, I was already going through withdrawal symptoms thinking about how I was going to make it through two weeks of no chatting on Facebook, video conferencing on Skype, and tweeting via TweetDeck. You never really know how reliant you become on technology until you are forced to go without it. I will admit that in previous years my addiction was not as bad, but as social media sites grew larger and became more integrated into our everyday lives, so has my reliance on them. From applications to mobile uploads, we have instantly evolved into a tell-all society where nothing is off limits unless you decide to make your tweets private or create a limited profile on Facebook.
Not only has technology and social media affected us personally, but it has also affected us where we work. Every company is now rushing to figure out how they can make this addiction benefit their clients and brands. More than 60 percent of Fortune 1,000 companies with a website will connect to or host some form of online community to build customer relationships, according to Gartner Inc., a Connecticut-based information technology research company. The flip side is that more than 50 percent will fail, Gartner says, ultimately eroding customer and company values.
Many companies jumped into the social media pool without first learning how to swim and sank straight to the bottom. It reminds me of an old saying I’m sure many of our parents said to us at one point in our lives, “If everyone else jumps off of a bridge, are you going to jump off, too?” Creating a social media account, posting a picture and a status update does not make you a social media expert.
Companies misunderstand the uses of social media, which cannot be lumped into one general category. You have to define what it is you’re trying to accomplish and make sure it is communicated clearly to your colleagues and clients in order to understand the big picture.
Here is how Jay Baer of Convince and Convert breaks down “5 Ways to Use Social Media” for those who tend to lump social media into one category. It is important for companies to know what works best for their client/brand and how to develop a plan that can be executed effectively. Every need doesn’t have to involve a social media strategy and every strategy doesn’t work for multiple clients or brands.
“5 Ways to Use Social Media” by Jay Baer of Convince & Convert
If you’re focused primarily on prospective customers and building awareness there are two options:
1. Social PR & Influencer Outreach Using social connectivity to introduce your company or products to influencers. In some cases, these are members of the media. In other cases, they are the new influencers, bloggers and taste-makers. In either event, your job in this circumstance is to create conversation.
2. Social Campaigns & Apps (social media marketing) In this approach, you’re using contests, promotions, offers, and self-contained applications and widgets to promote your company or product. Couponing on Facebook, “make us a haiku and win” contests, and most branded iPhone apps fall into this category.
If you seek to straddle the line and reach both prospective (via search) and current customers, here’s your program:
3. Content Marketing & Thought Leadership Most often used in a B2B scenario, you create and distribute free information snacks so you can sell paid meals down the road. Most blogging, video content, Slideshare presentations, Squidoo lenses and content marketing of that type fits into this category.
If you’re considering “social media” as a way to build loyalty among your existing customers, moving them from a relationship rooted in transactions to a symbiotic relationship anchored in advocacy, there are dual alternatives:
4. Brand Communities Take your best customers – the 1 percent that really give a damn about you – and activate them. Bring them together, give them assignments, ask them for input, and turn them into a volunteer marketing army. Certainly, brand communities like My Starbucks Idea and Fiskateers are successful in this arena – and we’ll soon see many more companies using their Facebook fan pages in this fashion.
5. Social CRM The new telephone. “Social media” will change customer service more acutely than it will change marketing. Social CRM (customer relationship management) is the emerging discipline of providing personalized helpful, meaningful service and support using social channels like Twitter (and increasingly, Facebook).
A lot of people joke about the things people feel compelled to disclose on social networking sites for good reason. For example, here’s a sampling of status updates filling my Facebook feed now: “Baby just sat up and spit up;” “Going for a walk;” “I <3 and miss Boyfriend;” and “Working.” Even though they’re my friends, these updates don’t interest even me. Baby spitting up? Gross. Going for a walk? OK. You <3 and miss your boyfriend? Tell Boyfriend, not me. You’re working? Well, it looks like you’re just playing on Facebook.
I’ve been guilty of a “#GoodMorning” or a “Just landed” Tweet that aren’t slightly interesting for most people. But I think we can do better. Twitter and Facebook are sites that allow us to connect to people we don’t see everyday. That’s what we should be doing – connecting. I think we should put content out there that creates a dialogue rather than just posts and tweets that push information one way.
I found this useful a time or two. For example, I’m planning my wedding and when I wanted to hear others’ opinions about hiring a professional to do my hair and makeup, I went to Facebook where I have the largest online network of friends. And it worked! I got feedback from several of my recently married friends that helped make my decision. Here’s another example. When one of my friends used the word ‘cattywampus’ in a recent conversation, I took to my Facebook page to (hopefully) find I wasn’t the only one with a limited vocabulary that didn’t involve this word I swore was made up. My Facebook post created the longest string of interaction on one topic I’ve ever had on my page. Apparently my friend isn’t the only one with an unusual vocabulary.
I don’t think the diary updates (that are mixed in with a lot of useful information!) are going anywhere. But let’s at least share our lives online in a more interesting, social way.
Everyone is talking about Apple’s iPad. Reviewers have labeled it as a “magical tablet,” an “iPhone on steroids” and even a “laptop replacement.” But, the verdict is still out on whether this device will change the way we view and use technology in the future.
For me, a book addict and recently declared believer of ereaders in general, I originally wanted the iPad because it’s everything I’m looking for in technologically enhanced reading. However, unlike its ereader competitors, the iPad offers a complete digital experience.
With a large full-color screen, Internet capabilities perfect for Web surfing – not like the often-only-good-for-finding-a-phone-number problematic formatting of a Blackberry, and apps to support Microsoft Office documents, the iPad is nearly everything I want for true on-the-go computing.
The iPad would not fully replace my laptop for business trips or any occasion requiring heavy work in Microsoft documents. And I also don’t see it immediately replacing the need for having emails sent straight to my cell phone (although I hope one day it will!).
Still, I see the iPad as a personal shift in how I hope to function in the future – you know, once I get my hands on one. It’s a great alternative to a cumbersome laptop and an asset that combines things that I need and want in a single, highly productive, compact gadget.
Beyond the inevitable cultural shift following the onset of ereaders, the most important reason I see the iPad transforming our culture is Apple’s ability to offer this versatile and portable device at a price that is actually feasible for many Americans.
Combined with Apple’s proven coolness factor (i.e. the fan fervor for iPods and iPhones), consumers will buy it and competitors are already creating alternatives so every consumer will soon be able to get an affordable tablet with exactly the features they want.
So, I’ll be getting an iPad in the near future. Will you?
Every year, the Wrangler Western brand challenges French/West/Vaughan to come up with an innovative program to leverage the brand’s title sponsorship of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (Wrangler NFR). This year, recognizing the need to grow the Wrangler brand’s presence online, FWV proposed a strategic digital marketing campaign to build momentum leading up to the Wrangler NFR, increase online brand exposure surrounding the event, and convincingly demonstrate the potential of social media. The “Wrangler Race to the Rodeo” promotion was born, launching Wrangler Western into the social media scene. FWV identified key objectives for the brand in social media, including:
create an environment to engage and interact with fans
grant exclusive, behind the scenes access to brand endorsees, events and news
position Wrangler as the authority on rodeo and the western lifestyle online
The social networking site Facebook was the ideal outlet for this campaign. FWV created a Wrangler Western fan page that acted as the launch pad for an enticing consumer sweepstakes, and an online hub of activity surrounding the event. FWV concepted the “Wrangler Race to the Rodeo” sweepstakes to be executed Nov. 14, 2009 through Dec. 6, 2009, offering one grand prize winner a trip for two to the final performance of the 2009 Wrangler NFR in Las Vegas.
By strategically designing a sweepstakes focused on known consumer interests and access to a sought-after event, FWV increased the Wrangler Western Facebook fan base from nearly non-existent at 84 fans to 26,103 fans in less than one month at the rate of 1 fan every 90 seconds. The online promotion was a huge success!
Now the promotion is behind us and the rodeo excitement is cooled, FWV is faced with a new challenge: keep fans engaged and interacting. To continue the momentum, strategic, compelling communication takes the form of status updates including videos, photos and endorsee commentary tied into brand messaging. For example, one status update leveraged the brand’s relationship with George Strait and received more than 400 interactions from fans in the form of comments and likes with more than 58,000 impressions.
Months after the initial “Wrangler Race to the Rodeo” sweepstakes propelled the Wrangler Western brand into social media, the Facebook page continues to grow acquiring new – and very active – fans every day. Fan Wrangler Western on Facebook to see what FWV is doing to keep consumers engaged.
According to the article “Social Media Predictions for 2010” on Inventorspot.com, by Rob Callari, one of the social media predictions for 2010 is an increase in location-based social networks (LBS). Services like Foursquare, Gowalla, Brightkite and Google Latitude are becoming an increasingly hotter trend with Foursquare potentially becoming the breakout service of the year. Beware: Twitter and Facebook have also added location-based features that could surpass Foursquare.
In a recent CNN column by Peter Cashmore from Mashable, he believes that "location is not about any singular service; rather, it's a new layer of the Web. Soon, our whereabouts may optionally be appended to every Tweet, blog comment, photo or video we post."
Callari claims in his report, “Pinpointing Popularity: Social Networking Gets Physical,” that the potential of LBS lies in the hands of the major players who have been developing the technology for the last couple of years.
The outlining variable in whether or not location becomes a feature service for social networks like Twitter and Facebook is all contingent on how companies like Foursquare and Gowalla will be able to turn this once free service into a profit. Callari believes that based on the numbers being forecasted around the world, LBS could be very profitable with Foursquare taking the lead. They’ve been striking deals with developers, new apps, restaurants, bars and gyms.
Callari predicts is that Foursquare and perhaps Gowalla will monetize their networks to a lucrative position faster than Twitter in 2010.
With existing social networks vying to be leaders in the industry, LBS could be an opportunity for power houses like Facebook and Twitter to continue their domination.
The best-kept secret in the world of horses is undoubtedly Parelli Natural Horsemanship, created in 1981 by Pat Parelli based on his keen observation of horse behavior, psychology and communication. The Parelli method is the #1 natural horsemanship program in the world and teaches expertise and success based on the way horses relate and communicate in their natural world. FWV is thrilled to work with the company as its agency of record for traditional PR, social media marketing and creative and advertising services.
When FWV began working on the account at the end of September, Parelli lacked a cohesive and official voice in the online area. Unofficial fan sites were increasingly popular, leaving the company out of the conversation and unable to share exciting news that happens daily about the company. FWV established and immediate goal: develop an official voice for Parelli and start contributing to the discussion taking place in social media outlets.
Today, FWV monitors online discussion of both Parelli and industry competitors using Radian6, a cutting-edge social media tool, allowing us to identify trends as they happen, track negative conversations that FWV can prepare our client for and tap into insights regarding competitors’ online efforts.
FWV worked with Parelli to develop a world-wide “social media inner circle” – made up of 12 members in five different countries – including students, Parelli Professionals, staff and Savvy Club members to contribute videos, pictures and descriptions of what they were doing in their area of the world. FWV also trained Linda and Pat Parelli, as well as Parelli management team members and Master Program students who are all now involved daily.
With FWV leading the initiative, in just a few months Parelli experienced the following results:
Heightened engagement as each post averages approximately 30 comments
Pat Parelli’s individual fan page has gained more than 1,500 fans
Communicating quick messages from Parelli folks around the world, the brand now has over 1,680 followers on Twitter
An established blog readership featuring insights from Linda Parelli
Next up, FWV will leverage these online outlets to generate sales of two new products Parelli will be launching at the end of November. From trivia contests on Twitter to special coupon codes for Facebook Fans, FWV is excited about the possibilities as we continue to grow Parelli’s social media presence.
This month, Facebook has quietly allowed any page admin to remove the page creator. It solves a lot of problems for agencies that build pages for clients, but here is a word of caution. The page creator can be removed by any admin without approval. Be extra careful when you select people to be an admin on your company Facebook page, because any admin could potentially hijack the page by removing all other admins.
Everyone is talking about 
