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The Visualization of Social Media

April 23, 2013 in Social Media with 0 Comments

One of the things that I love about social media is the constant evolution of social media applications to please the end user. The latest direction the evolution is heading toward is a highly visual experience. The rise in popularity of applications such as Pinterest and Instagram has led to the creation of new highly visual social media platforms such as Pheed. Pheed is a new platform for web and mobile devices where people can share all forms of digital content including photos, videos, audio, and text. Popular social networking services are keeping up with the trend by changing their applications to have a much more visual presentation. Twitter has introduced a new app called Vine that allows users to create and post short video clips to be posted on their Twitter feed.  Facebook has once again completely changed their newsfeed in order to be cleaner and focus more on visuals compared to previous newsfeeds. MySpace is even back with a brand new look that uses a lot of imagery and animation.

From a business perspective this change in social media means businesses need to put much more emphasis on the visuals they use. The visually-focused social media crowd will become more engaged with your company the more visually appealing your advertising is. Nike is a company who has already caught on to the trend of visualization – head over to Nike’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube, and you will scroll through pages of beautiful imagery and video clips with Nike branding. They have embraced visualization so much they have even created a website where users can upload their Instagram photos and Nike will design a shoe to match elements from the photo. From a creative perspective this is a very exciting time, now more than ever people are showing their appreciation for captivating visuals so creative and artistic people now have a larger audience than ever before.

Facebook News Feed

New Facebook News Feed

Instagram

Instagram

myspace

myspace

pheed

pheed

 

Pinterest

Pinterest

Social Media Explained.

January 3, 2013 in Social Media, Web with 0 Comments

It is clearly an understatement to say that social media is a hot topic. Social Media has been scrutinized, debated, misunderstood, used for good… and evil. It has been used by large multi-national companies to small one-person shops. And you know it has hit the mass social conscience when your parents and grandparents are using it.

Until recently, I assumed that the majority of people understood the differences between the various social media services. It is one thing to know about what services are out there, it is another altogether to know how to use them effectively.

A little while back my father, who is in the process of retiring, asked me about social media for his new consulting business. Like most people, he is on the usual suspects like Facebook and LinkedIn already, but was interested in knowing if there was anything else he could use to promote his business and tell his brand story.

I began to explain to Dad that there were a lot of social media services out there and that each one has a specific use depending on his desired response. However with each subsequent sentence I noticed an increasingly blank and confused look on my Dad’s face. Here I thought that I was giving advice and knowledge worthy of a TED Talk and I had lost Dad no more that 3 sentences in.

It was at that moment that I realized all the knowledge and experience I have makes no difference if I can’t explain social media in its simplest form to people who are not familiar with it. I was far too caught up in all the granular details, when all Dad wanted (or needed, to be more accurate) was a simple and understandable explanation.

The funny thing is… as well as I understand social media I struggled for a way to break it down to something understandable for him. It was at that point I told him that I will get back to him and went on a research mission searching for a way to describe and explain social media quickly and effectively. An elevator speech of social media if you will.

I came across a wonderful post on geek.com called “Social Media Explained with Donuts.” This was the clearest break-down of social media services and the differences between them that I could find. It goes something like this:

  • Twitter – I am eating donuts
  • Facebook – I like donuts
  • Foursquare – This is where I am eating donuts
  • Instagram – Here is a vintage photo of my donuts
  • YouTube – Watch me eating my donuts
  • LinkedIn – My skills include eating donuts
  • Pinterest – Here is a donut recipe
  • LastFM – I am now listening to donuts
  • Tumblr – Here is a story about  donuts
  • Ask.com – Can I get pregnant eating a donut?

The examples above are just a few of the more popular social media services out there but this is a great example of how to explain social media effectively and quickly. Needless to say this was a far more superior way of describing social media to my Dad.

This is now how I begin all conversations with people, including clients who are in the beginning stages of using social media.

Thank you Dad for another valuable lesson learned!

Just in time for Halloween…

October 31, 2012 in Experimental Stuff, Social Media, Strategy, Web, WJ Fun Stuff with 0 Comments

In honour of the day, we present some of the scariest marketing mistakes companies are making.

With the spookiest of days upon us, it seems like the perfect time to talk about the scary mistakes that so many companies – both small start-ups as well as large corporations – are making when it comes to their marketing strategies. Of course at William Joseph, we’ve never made any of these mistakes (tsk, tsk) but we see them happening all the time (not with our clients of course) and wanted to share them with you in an effort to ward off the evil spirits that contribute to them:  a lack of understanding, imagination and sometimes just plain cheapness. So like garlic to a vampire, arm yourself with these marketing horror stories and use the knowledge to save yourself from impending danger.

Marketing Horror Story #1 – Playing it too safe

Too many companies say they want to get noticed or do something ‘edgy’ but when it comes right down to it, they get scared off by ‘what people will think’. While it’s certainly true that not all brands can get away with edgy advertisements that push societal norms, most can in fact take a few risks with their advertising as long as the core message remains on brand and is authentic. It’s also important to note that ‘edgy’ advertising doesn’t need to be crude, rude or nude but just creative, clever and original.

Marketing Horror Story #2 – Snubbing social networks

It’s true that social networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are fairly new marketing channels whose longevity hasn’t yet been truly tested, but don’t kid yourself into thinking they’re a fad or just for young people. The Internet has allowed us countless ways to communicate in the most genuine form as marketers – directly with the very people who use our products and buy our services. It allows us to have discussions with, and not just at, our customers. So if your company is not using social media to communicate, or you’re not taking advantage of running a social media ad campaign, you’re missing out on an invaluable way to reach customers on the most basic level – as a ‘friend’.

Marketing Horror Story #3 – Hiring an agency based solely on price

We know, we know…. Hiring an advertising agency can be a daunting and expensive task. Every agency will tell you that they’re creative and cool, and many will provide a quote that seems too good to be true. And it probably is, for two reasons. One, they’ve purposely low-balled the quote to win the business and will then end up tacking on ‘add-ons’ as the project proceeds so you end up paying just as much, or more, by the time the project is over. The second reason the quote is so low? Because that agency sucks (and I don’t mean the Vampire type of suck) and you’ll end up with marketing materials that are evidence of that. At WJ, we’ve heard it so many times: “I choose X agency over you because they were cheaper” but the result of that cheap work was that the client was left with materials that they were so disappointed in that they ended up coming back to us at shortly after. Having wasted money and time developing the crappy stuff, they then rely on us to fix it and it ends up costing them even more money in the long term. So do yourself and your budget a favour and choose your agency based on the strategy they recommend, their design portfolio and their fit with you as a client. Not on price.

Marketing Horror Story #4 – Not taking advantage of happy customers

Anyone who owns a business will tell you that it’s 10 times easier (and cheaper) to get business from return customers than it is to find brand new ones. And that’s true…but what’s even smarter is turning those happy customers into advocates for your business. Let’s say you’ve done a great job for them and they tell you that – so why not ask them to tell others? Ask them if they’d be willing to make a Facebook status update promoting the great service they just got from you – you never know how many of their FB friends are going to see their post and seek you out. But don’t stop there. Ask to write a Case Study on the work you did for them and post it on your website or social media page, include a testimonial from them on your site, or offer them a referral discount if they send new customers your way. If someone is happy with your business/service, make sure everyone knows it!

Marketing Horror Story #5 – Death by consensus

One of the most troubling things a marketing agency can hear is “We really liked it but then we showed it to Judy down the hall and she just isn’t sure.” Don’t get me wrong…I’m sure Judy is a lovely lady who is very good at her job, but I’m going guess that Judy’s job isn’t in marketing. Way too often, the agency and the client will spend weeks, if not months, developing a campaign or marketing concept that has strategic rationale and a creative execution developed to solve the client’s problems or needs. Everyone loves it…until… someone shows it to someone who shows it to someone and that someone “isn’t sure” if they like it, and then all of the sudden the client gets cold feet without evaluating the merit of the criticism. So the next time this happens, ask yourself: Is this person part of our target audience? Do they understand the background or context surrounding the idea? And, does their opinion even matter? If the answer is no, then you know what you need to do – trust the work of your agency and don’t kill the idea.

Deals, Deals, Deals

October 17, 2012 in Experimental Stuff, Social Media, Strategy, Web with 0 Comments

So, I was tasked with writing a submission for WJ’s Blog.  I had never written a blog before, where to start?  I went to check my email as a great mindless distraction and was inundated with the flash of new unread emails in my inbox. No, I was not that popular that day but I do subscribe to a ridiculous number of deal sites. Groupon, Livingsocial, Teambuy, Sweetjack, Yipit, Gilt…you name it, I’m a member! Anybody who knows me can attest to my love of deals. A deal will convert any moment of weak hesitation to one of urgency.  I must buy that deal before it is no longer available or sold out! It’s quite ridiculous if you consider the number of deals bought over the last couple of years and the number of deals forgotten or expired. I know I can still use the purchase value of the deal after the offer has expired but who really does that? Like the weird cat lady down the street, I hoard deals for a rainy day; hide them in the deep recesses of my inbox until they are forgotten.

The prevalence of these deal sites is relatively new. A few years ago, I saw one of the founders of a deal sites appear on Dragon’s Den. Two young guys with a vision pitched the idea to the Dragons who immediately saw the value in their idea. Within a few short months, new deal sites began popping up everywhere. Copycat sites began appearing and soon after, disappearing after hawking their deals to businesses and customers alike. I began to wonder how effective deals were in promoting a business? As a customer, I was a sucker for the deals but as a marketer, I was much more cynical. The prevalence of deals quickly became overwhelming with multiple sites offering the same deal from the same supplier or retailer. Big sites such as Groupon and Livingsocial were buying out their small competitors and essentially, buying their membership base.

Deals are released daily, some even hourly.  Hundreds of subscribers purchase the deal and these small business owners are suddenly flooded with customers. This is a pivotal moment for a business owner. The moment where the first impression may be the only impression. Deal buyers are often fickle, following the deals to another new restaurant or retailer. They are demanding, seeking out true value, service, and quality all with a scrutinizing eye. Studies have shown that restaurants are frequently rated 10% lower after the release of a deal than before. The new deal seekers change the way the business operates. Business owners are sometimes unprepared for the sudden influx of business, leaving their new customers with the wrong impression of what the “normal” service or product quality is at the business. Regular customers are unable to secure reservations or are neglected by regular staff, left waiting for their food or for customer service. To top it off, the deals are at times a losing proposition for the business. With some deal sites taking up to 50% of the already discounted rate, deals are putting some businesses out of business. Would these people come back again after buying a deal? Some studies note just 35% of deal users spent beyond the deal’s face value, and only 20% returned to purchase again at full price. Did these deals attract the right kind of customer? Did they produce a sustainable lift in business over time? One had to ask, “Do deals help or hurt a business?”

This all sounds like a bad news story for businesses participating in the deals. So why participate in a deal? Sites such as Groupon have an enormous database of members that will be introduced to your product or business. These members have already signed up to receive the offers; they are already a captive audience. Timing of the launch of the deal is critical. Like any seasonal period, you have to get your team prepared for the sudden onslaught of business. You’re not pedaling the latest iPhone or cabbage patch dolls of yester year, but it can sure feel that way to you. Deals need to have a limited time availability and must dictate the start time to ensure you have all your eggs in a row before the deals come rolling in. This is the time to make an impression and convert a trial customer to a loyal customer. The structure and quantity of deals available is important too. Limited availability not only drives up the sense of urgency and impression of exclusivity, but it also helps to control the number of deals that will be redeemed. You’ve already gained the exposure through Groupon’s database, now you just need to win over that customer.

For this customer, I’ve tried to put aside my online shopping habit and am more critical when buying a deal. I always check to see if I can get a reservation into the restaurant or can book an appointment before buying the deal and only buy when I know I can use the deal in the near future. Or at least that’s what I tell myself!

Busy Spring & Summer at WJ

August 13, 2012 in Creative, Social Media, Strategy, The Daily Town Crier, Uncategorized with 1 Comment

We’ve had a tremendous spring and summer at William Joseph! If you haven’t checked out our website or portfolio lately, please do – we’re constantly updating it with new work and new announcements.  Visit us at williamjoseph.com.

Over the past few months we’ve welcomed some new clients to our agency, including Desjardins Financial Services, McLean & Partners Private Wealth Management, Tourism Saskatoon, Spectrum HR Law, Pacific Western Corporate Group, Soundwave Hearing Care and WAM Development Group.  Each have brought us unique and interesting projects that we cannot wait to bring to market.

As of this week, we’re pleased to announce two new staff members to our team, Sheri Lunde, our new Account Manager for Calgary, and Terrin Kaminsky, our new Graphic Designer.  Sadly we’re also saying goodbye to a long term employee, Liz Balletto, who is moving out East to be closer to family and friends.  We will miss her tremendously.

We’ve also opened a new location in Edmonton at the beginning of July and are looking for an Account Manager and New Business Developer.  You can find our job posting on LinkedIn if this sounds like an interesting job opportunity.

It hasn’t been all new business though- we recently finished Sunridge Mall’s fall campaign.  This campaign took on a new direction for the mall’s visual advertising treatment and we are so pleased with the results.  Look for it in market in the coming weeks in outdoor and on the radio.

We’ve also been busy with Tourism Saskatoon, producing television and radio spots, among other projects to promote their sports and conventions departments. Our television spot for the fall takes a humourous look at the rivalry between Regina and Saskatoon and all the “excuses” that folks from Regina find to visit Saskatoon…Don’t worry, your secret is safe with us.

Jump.ca came to us for more radio spots to support their fall campaign.  These guys are so great to work with and we always have fun working up the creative.

Junior Achievement of Saskatchewan is getting the finishing touches put on their recruitment campaign materials.  Their project to promote volunteerism with JA amongst business leaders in Saskatchewan won them our Brand Aid grant.

Saskatchewan Foster Families Association launched their new website this week and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results.  Visit them at www.sffa.sk.ca.

Big Rock Brewery has embarked on a new email marketing effort that we’ve been working on, among some other very top secret projects.  Just wait until the fall!

It’s been quite a summer and we’re gearing up for fall.  Look for a return to our regular programming on the blog come September.  Until then, enjoy the rest of the summer!

-the WJ team

 

Day two of our captivity…

April 25, 2012 in Creative, Social Media, Strategy, The Daily Town Crier, WJ Fun Stuff with 0 Comments

Today at the office was a very busy and eventful day! We started off with a ‘Smartshare’ meeting where we got the chance to learn some great creativity techniques that help to get your creative juices flowing. We went through a number of exercises, which were a lot of fun and good for a laugh when I realized that there were others that shared in my sense of humor! In the end after a couple of exercises, I learnt that I am actually creative! Who knew?!!

Afterwards we got a chance to sit in on a meeting with a potential new client and the CEO Ryan Townend. I have to say this was the highlight of my day getting a chance to see Ryan work his charismatic charm! And the only thought I had afterwards was, that if more businesses had the chance to listen to Ryan, they would understand the importance of a good marketing campaign and how beneficial it is for a company’s bottom line. It was really a great experience getting a chance to see how everyone at William Joseph is so incredibly dedicated to helping their clients succeed.

I also had the opportunity to experience a food truck here in Calgary for the first time, and I have to say the food was incredible, which was surprising to me since I was expecting it to be a lot like food you would find at the fair every year.

After one more meeting in the afternoon and some other tasks around the office, it has been an amazing learning experience, one that is above and beyond any classroom experience I have ever had. One thing I have really taken from today, is the fast pace work environment/industry that all the staff encounters on a daily basis, and all I can say is WOW! Their ability to work on multiple projects, all with different deadlines, and budgets is enough to make my head spin! Yet they handle the stress of it all as if it were the most common thing in the world and I respect the heck out of that!! – Intern1 aka Lacy

10 Rules I live by in creating a following on YouTube or any social media

February 21, 2012 in Social Media, Web with 1 Comment

The rules below are from my own experience and although the lens I look through is limited, I believe many can benefit by adapting these to fit their own purpose.

A few years ago, I finally got the nerve to buy my first motorcycle. I had ridden dirt bikes as a kid but the fire breathing monster I bought bore little resemblance to anything of my childhood. After a year of riding, I found myself increasingly frustrated when trying to describe what it felt like to “split the mustard n’ mayo” with my bike. So I decided to buy a few cameras and try my hand at shooting my own motorcycle videos.

Admittedly, at the beginning I had no idea what I was doing. Being a film nerd and making a film were entirely different endeavors. But I persevered through the learning curve. I wanted to share my feelings about riding. The best place to do so was YouTube. Facebook might be the buzz word of the day, but here, the sheer volume of content would be both a challenge and an advantage for me. I was utterly amazed to discover that YouTube users as a whole, upload 35 hours of video every minute of every day! If I were to find a captive audience, I would find it there. Considering the unimaginable amount of footage I would be competing against could easily drown me out – I would have to learn from the mistakes of others who had gone before me. The biggest mistake I saw was what happens when people were seen as inauthentic. I decided to make a list of rules I would live by when navigating the fickle waters of social media. So far, they have served me very well, and have garnered me a very loyal following.

1. Create by my own compass.
I wanted to make content for myself and no one else. I saw how the motivation to spend countless hours in front of a computer faded once one started feeling like they were fulfilling other people’s requests rather than their own. No matter much I appreciate each and every subscription, its about the work – not the subs.

2. Answer every comment and thank every subscription.
Being seen as responsive and active in the community is crucial. People are immensely appreciative when you do simple things like answer their questions and thank them for subbing. Also, it has the added benefit of creating free advertising for yourself when other people see your comment on that person’s page.

3. Watch, comment, and subscribe to others in the community.
It can get difficult to constantly keep up to date with other producers of similar content, but it creates authenticity for your online persona and secures you a place as a leader in the group. With so many people creating content, I made the choice to subscribe to only those I thought had truly stellar work. This way my list was kept to something manageable. Also, when I added someone new, they knew I was sincere.

4. Avoid showing any personal information.
Luckily, the particular YouTube community I joined was perfectly comfortable with online personas. So it did not affect my authenticity. Primarily I wanted to remain anonymous for security reasons. The last thing I wanted was to have someone showing up at my house in the middle of the night. I hide my license plate as well in my videos for this reason.

5. Treat every single person the same way you’d treat them in real life – even trolls.
Feeling anonymous can be a double-edged sword. People sometimes forget they are addressing real people, therefore it can be easy to be rude or harsher than you would be in person. It’s also difficult to anticipate people’s reactions to your work, let alone your comments. So to be safe, I try to imagine my grandmother watching and/or reading everything I produce and/or write. If she would be offended, I try another tactic. It’s important to note, she wouldn’t have to be interested in the subject, just not offended by how it was approached.

6. Treat my YouTube persona like a brand.
Just like a company or product, I tried to give myself, my channel, and my videos a look and feel that was consistent, but not repetitive. This was especially challenging for me in the beginning since I was still learning how to create content and my goals didn’t always match my abilities. Just by going back to the first couple of flicks, it’s easy to see how my brand evolved along with my skills.

7. Put my faith in the word of mouth.
Being that most of my job is about pushing out a message to others, I wanted to allow for the organic process of social media to take root and grow without my interference. I continue to do this today by letting each video I create stand on it’s own merit. If it fails to connect with the audience, the number of views will show it. One should note, that doing it this way means you need patience, but it is absolutely worth it in the end.

8. Constantly push myself to build on what I have learned.
As much as this was a way to share my passions, it was also an exercise in learning a new skill that I hoped one day I could capitalize on with my work in the Design industry. The more I learned here, the better off I would be down the road.

9. Have fun and not try to take myself too seriously.
This one seems to be obvious, but surprisingly, many people forget about it. Keeping it fun means I would keep doing it.

10. Never censor my detractors.
Part of being authentic is letting people hate you. You can’t please everyone and it is useless to ever try. Whether you are a company or a just a one-man-army like myself, it is notoriously tempting to keep the good stuff and erase the bad to keep your image pure and sparkling. But it’s so important to keep the whole mess. When people made disparaging remarks about my work, I thanked them for their input, defended my choices if applicable, and kept their comment as part of the public record of that video. My hopes are that when other people read them and my responses, they appreciate my confidence in allowing both sides of the conversation. Unlike push media, social media at it’s root, is a conversation. Limiting it in any way is defeating its purpose. Don’t forget, trolls need love too.

If you’re curious about how I put this list into practice, you can find me on YouTube, under “ROKKIT44″. Be sure to stop in and say hi.

Facebook Shifting Focus to Creative Agencies

June 3, 2011 in Social Media, Strategy with 0 Comments

Facebook is planning on releasing a new platform for agencies that will create a community on Facebook. This new product will enable agencies to upload creative best practices, case studies, ideas, and various things they’ve done with brands. Facebook users will be able to “like” the various creative pieces and once the creative piece gets a certain amount of likes, it will get shared in Facebook’s spotlight section. This new platform will allow agencies to share creative all over the world. Will this new platform change how we do business? I have a feeling that it might bring agencies business because it would give them an opportunity to expand their reach. By gaining visibility into what agencies in other countries are doing, it seems as if it will inspire creativity through sharing. It will be interesting to see how this new Facebook Studio will effect agencies across the globe.

Video: Marketing at Facebook Studio Live

URL: http://www.facebook-studio.com

Digital Throwdown: Online Shopping vs. The Mall

May 4, 2011 in Social Media, Strategy, Web with 0 Comments

While I wouldn’t consider myself a seasoned mall rat, I would say that I do love a good monthly jaunt to the mall – despite several protests from my wallet.

I am very familiar with the frustrations of navigating through a sea of stores in a mall, particularly after discovering that the store that I need is at the furthest possible location from where I stand. I also never seem to be able to find the directories in the mall, or when I do, the footsteps seem to take me back all the way to where I came from when I started looking for the thing. Would it be more efficient to cut out the mall altogether, and turn to an online shopping? Or, is there a digital solution to my dilemma? As I would normally do when faced with a problem, I turn to my iPhone… can I Google it? Is there an App for that?

Luckily, there is. As malls continue to combat the increasing online shopping trend across the country, mobile applications have become a popular tool to make the mall experience more convenient, more accessible, and more fun. Malls such as Toronto’s Eaton’s Centre have launched mobile applications for iPhone and Blackberry devices, allowing users to easily navigate through their malls, find the most efficient routes, and ultimately have a more enjoyable shopping experience. More importantly, they also provide up-to-date store promotions so that, if you’re like me and love a good deal, you can be sure that you make the most of your shopping expedition.

As a marketer, I can’t deny that I love mobile applications. I love them even more when they’re used effectively to market products or enhance the guest experience. While the use of mobile applications in the retail environment is still in its early stages, the potential is significant.

Imagine being able to go to the mall, search for the product you need, and have it reply with a list of mall retailers that carry the product, the price, and whether or not it is in stock. Sounds a bit like online shopping, doesn’t it? These kind of capabilities are very likely as “mall mobile apps” evolve. Retailers in the United States have also started using mobile applications for in-mall loyalty programs and incentive programs in order to enhance the mall experience.

Nevertheless, the question for retailers is whether or not these applications are worth it. In my opinion – the answer is yes. At the end of the day, will a mobile application drive me into the mall? Probably not with the current features that are available. Will it stop me from making an online purchase? The answer is a solid no. But, will it make my experience at the mall more enjoyable and encourage me to come back next time? Definitely.

As the Wall Street Journal’s Kris Hudson explores, mobile applications are just one of the ways malls are fighting the online shopping trend. If you’re going to fight digital, you might as well fight it with digital.

To read more on this topic, and information on mall mobile applications:

Market Watch’s Kris Hudson: Malls Test Apps to Aid Shoppers  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704336504576258740640080926.html

Toronto Eaton’s Centre Mall Mobile Application: http://www.mobilefringe.com/retail-shopping-center-mobile-platform/

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