November 9, 2018

What’s the Story in Social Media Marketing? Stories.

This summer, social media platforms debuted so many new features it was hard to keep up. (Miss out while you were on holiday? Catch up with our roundup.) As fall color explodes, the platforms continue to test and release new features, with Instagram leading the way. With all the changes, the story of the year continues to be Stories.

“By the end of next year, Stories are expected to outpace Feeds as our primary mechanism of content creation. Every marketer should be thinking of an effective, sustainable and human-first Stories strategy—especially on Instagram—before it’s too late.” -Chris Strub, CEO of I Am Here, LLC [source: Forbes]

While Snapchat started the ephemeral content craze, Instagram and Facebook quickly delivered their own options. So, what platform should you use? Go where your audience lives.

Have you already developed an active, engaged following on Instagram? Share compelling behind-the-scenes content on Instagram Stories, taking advantage of the features available. Does your audience reside on Facebook? Go live on the largest social platform in the world, sharing product launches and event sessions. Were you an early adopter of Snapchat, building your loyal following ever since? Share exclusive sales and can’t-miss moments from your company’s day-to-day life.

The takeaway? Don’t jump on every platform and overextend your resources. Are you a small business or solopreneur? Do your research, figure out where your audience lives and devote your resources to those platforms (or even a single one). Develop your approach to an individual platform (or two or three), and master sharing quality content that will compel your audience to act.

“With limited resources and time, it’s appropriate to let the under-performing projects go to make way for new opportunities. Too many marketers attempt to ‘do it all,’ at the expense of doing what works.” -Michael Stelzner, Founder of Social Media Examiner [source: Forbes]

Speaking of compelling content, video is hot—especially live video. But, it still needs to provide value to your audience. Based on our experience, pictures still outperform video in your Instagram feed, but Stories (and now IGTV) is a great place to share video. Show how your product is produced, live-stream your session or share your blog article distribution process.

Test various types of content with your audience to see what resonates best. While it’s important to stay on top of trends in the ever-evolving social media landscape, don’t abandon proven content types, posting times or your brand’s aesthetic to go all in on the latest shiny object. Try working in trends that you think will resonate with your audience, but don’t feel pressured to jump on every new feature or platform as it’s introduced.

Before you try a new feature, think about how it fits into your overall strategy. Testing is an important part of effective social media marketing, but a consistent voice and tone is central to your overall presence. If a new feature doesn’t fit with what you’re doing, don’t use it. If your audience isn’t interested in a platform, devote your resources elsewhere.

Establishing an active, engaged following on platforms where your audience lives is helpful beyond connecting with them. Customers, prospects and fans are more likely to share their experiences with your company on platforms they love.

“When you create a loyal engaged community and reward them by surprising and delighting them for their loyalty, then those people will always share your content and feel part of your brand’s journey!” -Samantha Kelly, Founder/CEO of the Women’s Inspire Network [source: Forbes]

Word of mouth marketing is powerful, because it comes from consumers, not your company. While your brand or company needs to share its story, it’s important for others to share your story. User generated content (UGC) helps you reach a wider audience and gives you content to share. For example, you can share your customer’s posts on Instagram to your Stories to spotlight them.

When you share a customer’s post, they receive a notification via Instagram Direct. It opens a direct conversation between your brand and your customer, which can lead to further engagement, a referral or even a purchase. Every time you interact or engage with someone in an authentic manner, it helps to strengthen their loyalty to your brand.

Despite all of the updates and changes, the story of the year in social media marketing is all about Stories. Whether your audience prefers Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat, they’re likely spending a lot of time creating and viewing Stories. So, take some time to think about how Stories fit into your social media marketing strategy, so you can meet your customers (and future customers) where they live.

Share Your Story

How is your business using Stories?
What platform does your audience prefer for Stories?
What’s your favorite Stories feature?

Sharing the story on Stories,
Jaime

July 5, 2016

How Do You Measure the Impact of ‘Dark Social?’

There’s much discussion these days about measuring the right key performance indicators, or KPIs. Are likes worth anything? Are shares social gold? Does engagement help if it doesn’t lead directly to business? These questions are important and worth discussing at your company (and on this blog). However, my question today is, how do you measure the impact of ‘dark social?’

Private Conversation by Matteo Parrini via CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Dark social is a term coined by Alexis C. Madrigal, a senior editor at The Atlantic, to refer to the social sharing of content that occurs outside of what can be measured by Web analytics programs. (Source: Technopedia)

People are beginning to value privacy in their online interactions. Facebook users are sharing less personal information, messaging apps have exploded and mobile messaging is projected to reach 80% of smartphone users by 2018.

“Some of the key drivers of mobile messaging’s growth identified include consumers’ growing interest in intimate forums for social sharing.” –eMarketer

Instead of commenting publicly on your company’s Facebook post, a community member may share it via Messenger with close friends. A fan who never engages with your tweets may be reminded to purchase from your company and even influence others to do the same. A reader of your blog may never interact online with your posts but bring them up regularly at nights out with friends.

How do you measure this dark or private activity? In his article, Three Reasons Dark Social May Be Coming Into the Light, Mark Schaefer discusses three emerging trends that may finally give marketers access to this previously untapped goldmine of data and purchasing activity.

“The interesting thing is all the communication that used to be private is now migrating into the hands of Facebook (who owns WhatsApp with 1 billion users and Messenger with 900 million users),” writers Schaefer.

While people are seeking more intimate forums to interact, these forums are being purchased by larger companies, who see the potential value in monetizing their services. As a publicly held company, Facebook has shown interest — and an aptitude — for monetizing services while still providing users value. Expect that trend to continue, which should make marketers and consumers happy.

As Schaefer suggests, “perhaps 2016 is the year dark social starts to become a thing of the past.”

Shine the Light on ‘Dark Social’

How does your company measure the impact of ‘dark social?’

What KPIs do your company track?

Does your company require a hard return on investment (ROI) from social media or do you consider a presence worthwhile regardless?

Working in the dark,
Jaime

Let’s chat (about dark social, your social media needs or otherwise):

March 1, 2016

How House of Cards is Winning the Marketing Game

I’m voting for Frank Underwood for President in 2016, and here’s why: House of Cards is winning the marketing game.

I'm in, Mr. President. #FU2016 ✔

Well done, @HouseofCards. 👌 #socialmedia #integratedmarketing pic.twitter.com/uD1T7ajq5y

— Jaime Shine ✏ (@jaimeshine) February 29, 2016

The trailblazing show has launched an integrated marketing campaign to support Frank Underwood’s run for President which is winning votes (and viewers) left and right. The campaign includes social media, direct mail, promotional products, printed pieces, a microsite and real-life appearances by President Underwood (played b Kevin Spacey).

For me, it all started with a tweet. I came across a video of the President asking me for his support by tweeting #Underwood2016. As a fan of the show (and its marketing), I obliged. Shortly thereafter, I received a response from House of Cards thanking me for my support and asking me to enter my information on a well-designed microsite, which I did.

Who are you supporting in 2016? CCC is all in for Frank Underwood. #FU2016

I forgot about our interaction until I received a package this week. Upon opening it, I discovered a handwritten note from the President along with a badge and decal. Not only did House of Cards send me a gift, but the promotional products were popular political items. Spot on!

Of course, I snapped a picture of my new swag and posted it to Twitter and CCC’s Facebook page. Pinterest and Instagram posts are forthcoming. Last night, I checked the show on Netflix just to make sure I hadn’t missed the season 4 premiere.

Another part of this well-executed campaign is personal appearances by Frank Underwood. On February 23, Underwood debuted his official presidential portrait at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in Washington, DC.

The unveiling of President Frank Underwood's official presidential portrait at the @NPG.https://t.co/GPItWKbyVi

— House of Cards (@HouseofCards) February 23, 2016

This wasn’t just a digital stunt. The portrait is now available for viewing at the NPG.

Of course, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect with the real presidential race heating up. The House of Cards social media team has been on tone while interacting with fans and the media.

A Presidential Review

In summary, the House of Cards marketing campaign nailed the timing, cross-channel integration and tone of the brand. Every detail has been painstakingly addressed, and fans the world over are gearing up to cast their vote for House of Cards season 4. The real presidential candidates — and marketers everywhere — could take a page from the House of Cards marketing team.

Rock the vote for #FU2016 (and on brand, relevant marketing). ✔️

p.s. House of Cards season 4 debuts March 4th. Will you be tuning in?

Jaime

Let’s chat (about House of Cards, your marketing needs or otherwise):

February 18, 2014

If You Build It, They Will Come… If You Invite Them

Center Field by Matt Shiffler Photography

“Center Field” by Matt Shiffler Photography // CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 — Image credit: `Center Field` by Matt Shiffler Photography // CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

“If you build it, he will come.”

The Voice, Field of Dreams

Field of Dreams. As a baseball fan, I liked this movie about Ray Kinsella, an Iowa farmer and avid baseball fan, taking an incredible risk by plowing his profitable corn field in order to build a baseball diamond. As an entrepreneur, it also appealed to my risk-taking side as Ray put his financial future at stake in order to follow his dreams. Unfortunately, building a blog and establishing a loyal readership is not quite like Ray’s magical field of dreams.

If you build it, they will come… if you invite them. Did you dream of grabbing a domain name and waking up to a devoted following the next day? Not quite. But if you invite people who enjoy your content and keep them coming back for more, you may end up with your own field of dreams.

If you want people to read your blog (especially at first), you have to invite them. Sure, a few people may stumble through the back door via search engines (especially if you keep your SEO in mind), but not enough to fill the stands. Here’s a few ideas to get the party started:

Get Social

Share your blog posts to your business Facebook page or create one for your blog. Alternate between link, picture and text posts to see what generates higher engagement, traffic and sharing.
Tweet your posts at different times and with different titles/messages to determine what pulls readers in or encourages them to share your content. Once you build up some interest, you could start a tweet chat around your blog’s topics.
Create a Pinterest board specifically for your blog or blog posts in general. Engage pinners with thought-provoking questions and enticing images. Don’t forget to fill out the board description, so visitors know what to expect.
Enhancing your posts with attention-grabbing photos? You should be. Try using Instagram to drive more traffic to your blog. (p.s. Always make sure to source photos responsibly and cite appropriately if they’re not your own.)
LinkedIn is the leading professional networking site, so share your posts there if the content’s appropriate. Weekday mornings tend to work best; the platform clears out on evenings and weekends like a commuter school (besides pre-scheduled content posting).
Be neighborly. Visit other blogs, like their posts (if you actually like them) and leave thoughtful comments. Most of the time, they’ll reciprocate. If you use WordPress, the Reader is a great way to find and stay up on your fellow bloggers.
Share other blog posts on your social networks. It’s a great way to build relationships and, in turn, bring some attention to your blog. Always tag people when sharing their content so they know you’ve shared it.

“People will come, Ray. They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they’re doing it. They’ll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. People will most definitely come.” –Terence Mann, Field of Dreams

Get Social… Offline

Mention your blog to friends, family and business associates (along with random strangers you meet and talk to at Starbucks). Word of mouth is such a powerful, and often forgotten, tool.
Create business cards (or add your URL to your current one) so people have a physical reminder to check out your blog later.
Attend events? Bring up your blog (when appropriate) at networking events, outings, conferences, tradeshows, etc. Business cards will come in handy in these environments.
Add your blog to any communications you deem appropriate: email signature, invoices, flyers, social media profiles, etc. You’ll be surprised how many people actually notice the information in these areas.
Throw a blog warming party! Either online or in person, have a fun event with door prizes, trivia, giveaways, goody bags, special guests, discussions about your blog topics, etc.

How do you promote your blog?

Enough from me, now I want to hear your ideas. How do you promote your blog? Any additions to my list? Any out-of-the-box methods that have worked for you? (I know someone’s dressed up in a chicken suit somewhere…)

While writing this, I kept trying to include ways to grow your readership. I guess that’s a post for another day. Any interest in that topic?

If you’re a fellow blogger, leave your URL in the comments. I’m always looking for interesting blogs to check out, and I’m sure you are too!

Cheers,
Jaime

You’re officially invited to connect…