Category: Blog
Why Isn't Your Business Investing In Social Media?
From my own personal observation and experience, I have noticed that there are many people and business within Windsor-Essex that just aren’t ready to explore the endless opportunities that social media has to offer them. I’m debating whether they fear the unknown, hold preconceived notions or just haven’t discovered the worthwhile benefits yet. The top reasons people/businesses repel social media are:
• “It’s too time consuming”
• “I have no use for it” or “it’s not for me”
• “I don’t know how to use it”
• “It doesn’t benefit me (no ROI)”
• “I don’t know what it is”
I have come to realize that many still don’t understand what social media is or the extent of its abilities; it much deeper than most people are aware of. It goes far beyond simply having a Facebook account to ‘creep’ friends or viewing Youtube videos of a giggling baby; social media is a tool that can unleash endless personal and business opportunities. Non-users need to stop being so resistant to the unknown and instead, open up their minds to this valuable and easily accessible resource.
Businesses especially, put themselves at a severe disadvantage when they do not use social media because they aren’t accessing the resources and tools that other businesses are taking advantage of. The top reasons that businesses are currently using social media are:
• To keep up with industry trends
• To monitor what is being said about their business
• To improve customer experience
• For recruitment research
• To gain competitive intelligence
• For marketing and promotional purposes
What business wouldn’t want to tap into these valuable resources? Many in fact! Roughly 65% of Canadian businesses are currently not using any form of social media. The main reason why businesses are not taking advantage of social media is a lack of education. Education is the key to helping non-users, non-believers and avoiders discover the extensive and beneficial functions that social media has to offer them. As we can see above, the top reasons why people do not take part in social media are mainly the result of a misconception or lack of knowledge.
If more people and businesses in our community were educated about what social media is, how to effectively use it and what its benefits are, we would all be able to mutually benefit from the abundance of new and diverse material and activity available. We, as users, need to recruit and educate others to discover the wonderful world of social media. Its sharing, educating and networking abilities, to name a few, should not be kept secret…let’s work together to spread the word in Windsor-Essex!
The Future of Social Media: Top 5 Predictions for Social Media in 2012
Social Media played a prominent role in 2011 – not only proving its worth from a business and marketing prospective, but also emerging as a driving force in worldwide social and political movements. Social Media promises exciting new changes and even more success in 2012!
5. Social Goes Mobile
Nearly 50% of consumers now equipped with Smartphones, making it impossible to deny that these devices will prove to be the next phase of social networking activities. The power behind the mobile social movement lies in the capacity for smartphones to track where consumers are, who their friends with, and what’s nearby. Social mobile efforts in 2012 will focus on tracking what and where consumers are purchasing.
4. Twitter Supports Brand Marketing
Twitter’s release of business-friendly features will continue to drive this medium as a pivotal tool for brand advertising. Twitter continues to prove its ability to spark viral movements, increase word-of-mouth, and promote link sharing, making it a highly effective platform for spreading brand messages to consumers. Simplicity and effectiveness are the key strengths driving the increased integration of Twitter into traditional advertising campaigns. In 2012, brand advertising methods such as television commercials, will begin to integrate Twitter tags to push consumers to the site.
3. Television Programming Integrates Social Networking
Television viewing has naturally adopted social media activities, with many viewers already tweeting, texting, or calling their friends to discuss the shows they are watching.
In 2012, expect more shows that ask viewers to vote and interactive through their social networks, adding a whole new layer of content to traditional media. The launch of the new network, Get Glue, the TV equivalent of Foursquare, allows users to “Check In” to their favorite shows in order to collect stickers that tell the world what programs they like. Social media integration into our TV viewing habits will continue to gain popularity as the ratings for fully integrated programing becomes available.
2. Social Feedback Sparks Global Change
The Occupy Wall Street movement shed significant light on social media’s capacity for rallying the masses. Consumer reactions to political, social, environmental, and economic challenges are felt in real-time through the social feedback and link-sharing ability of site such as YouTube.
Be prepared for the major political campaigns of 2012 to depend heavily on social networks and the power of social feedback. Political candidates will turn their attention towards building their political platform from their social platforms, meaning we’ll be forced to sit through less annoying television commercials, while our personal opinions will be considered more valuable than ever before.
1. Google+ Gains Clout
Although most people still aren’t sure if Google+ resembles the social structure of Facebook or the idea-driven architecture of Twitter, the New Year promises to see a rise in popularity of this particular form of social media.
More users are already signing up for Google+ and the term is officially the second-fastest rising search term of 2011, proving that the future is bright for this part-social network and part-social search initiative. Get ready to watch Google continue to blend the Plus platform into its other offerings, particularly through Gmail and toolbars, in the effort to help users incorporate Google+ into their daily social networking habit.
The Top Five Social Media Epic Fails Of 2011
5) Ashton Kutcher Supports Paterno
In November of 2011, there was a media uproar over the Penn State sexual abuse case involving long time head coach Joe Paterno. When Ashton received news of Joe Paterno’s termination, he was quick to fire the tweet “How do you fire Jo Pa? #insult #no class as a hawkeye fan I find it in poor taste” without the full knowledge of the situation. Kutcher was attacked via twitter for his tweet and later deleted his post once he realized the full extent of the controversial mishap. Unfortunately, even after apologizing for his uneducated comment, the damage had already been done and the viral backlash was too much to handle. Soon after, Ashton posted a blog announcing that due to the recent events, he would be turning over his social networking presence to his management team.
Word to the wise: When you are a prominent figure in the public eye, social media posts can be crucial. Know before you post!
4) Chrysler Disses Detroit Drivers
A New Media Strategies employee in charge of Chrysler’s social media mistakenly posted ““I find it ironic that Detroit is known as the #motorcity and yet no one here knows how to f*#!ing drive” on the companies twitter account @ChryslerAutos. Although the employee’s intent was to post on his own personal account, the results were damaging. Consequently, the employee was fired for the mishap and New Media Strategies was also let go from further working with Chrysler.
Word to the wise: When you are large scale company, it’s vital that you investigate who it is you hire to run your social media. The destruction of one mistake can have a huge impact on your company.
3) Alec Baldwin’s Twitter Tantrum
Alec Baldwin was recently kicked of an American Airlines flight for playing on his smartphone while waiting for departure. He turned to twitter to vent and posted such tweets as “’Flight attendant on American reamed me out 4 playing “Words With Friends” while we sat at the gate, not moving” and used the hash tag #theresalwaysunited. Alec additionally vented his frustration on a guest appearance on SNL, where he further poked fun at the incident. Numerous comments and media blasts were sent out in reference to Baldwin’s inappropriate behaviour on the air craft by fellow travelers. Alec Baldwin’s Twitter account has since been deactivated.
Word to the wise: Inappropriate or controversial social media content can be damaging to your reputation, so be careful when it comes to venting on your Twitter or Facebook accounts; it just may come back to haunt you.
2) Weinergate
In May of this year, Democratic United States Congressman Anthony Weiner was caught up in a sexting scandal, in which he sent a sexually suggestive picture to a 21-year old college student who was following his account. The link was deleted short after it was posted, but it had already been captured by fellow tweeters. Although he denied it was him in the photos and claimed his account was hacked, he was still pressured to resign from his position as congressman.
Word to the wise: It’s crucial that when someone holds a prominent public role or position, they should be ethically conscious of their online personal activities.
1) Charlie Sheen Not Winning
We were all bombarded at the beginning of 2011 with Charlie Sheen and his public sanity breakdown. As a result of a radio interview with The Alex Jones Show where Sheen lashed out at producer Chuck Lorre, he was later dismissed from his spot on the hit television series Two and Half Men. Sheen further fired back by posting a malicious Youtube video directed at Chuck Lorre, along with many other public displays of hatred towards the Two and a Half Men crew. He additionally took his insanity to Twitter and Youtube where he continued to post various bizarre, threatening and in-your-face content.
Word to the wise: It is likely that your employers are either watching or are aware of your social media activity. Be aware of the appropriateness of your posts and who they are directed at, because material on your personal accounts can be extremely damaging when it comes to your job and future career.
How Social Media Can Help You Maximize Your Business This Holiday Season
Social media platforms will be a major source of information and persuasion for this year’s holiday shoppers, and many consumers will turn to their social networks to help them navigate through the online crowds. Online shopping is the key retail trend to follow, as more are turning to their devices in order to help them make informed purchase decisions. With the stress, time-constraints, and strict budgets associated with the holidays, it’s no surprise that social media will play a huge role in businesses hoping to maximize their profits during the last quarter of the 2011 fiscal year.
Whether they’re comparing prices, reading reviews, or actively making purchases, the average holiday shopper plans to do 46% of their holiday shopping online, according to the latest research conducted by the National Retail Institute.
The same survey also found that 29.2% of consumers (that’s nearly 3 in 10) will check out a company’s Facebook page for more information about products, consumer reviews, or holiday promotions, while 65.1% plan on reading customer reviews on a company’s website. A similar survey conducted by the marketing research firm, SymphonyIRI, breaks down exactly how consumers plan on using the Internet during the 2011 holiday season. 61% of consumers will use more coupons from group couponing websites (as opposed to only 33% in 2010), 48% will take advantage of promotions learned online, and 43% plan on comparing products online via blogs, forums, and other social platforms.
According to Deloitte’s 2011 Holiday Survey, 44% of consumers will use social media as part of their holiday shopping process. Below is a breakdown of how consumers plan on using social media:
As a business, how can you use social media to help you maximize your success during the 2011 holiday season?
Update Is The New “Up Sell”
It is extremely important to keep consumers up to date on all the latest promotions, discounts, one-time deals, and exciting new product linesas holiday shoppers are in hot pursuit of deals, reviews and coupons. By continuously pushing new updates across your social platforms you can easily increase your business’ presence by staying relevant with key search words. In addition, a frenzy of updates will filter through the viral tunnel which will ultimately send more people in your business’ direction.
Cross-Communicate
Integrate your social posts with your other online advertising communications (such as emails, banners etc). This allows for instant feedback and analytics that can help optimize conversation and response rates by responding to your customer’s needs and preferences in real time.
Don’t Just Entice Customers With Your Promotions, Engage Them
Spread the news about your unique promotions (Clickz suggests activities such as: gift registries, holiday countdowns, and price altering) through your social networks. By adding opt-in and registration opportunities, like Facebook tabs, you can easily drive value and add engagement while at the same time growing your databases for more effective conversations even after the holidays.
Respond With Rewards
Incorporate incentives such as exclusive offers and loyalty events for social community members. Make a reward available for those consumers who engage with your holiday campaigns and who help to spread the word.
Integrate The Ability To Make Purchases
46.7% of holiday shoppers will buy online this year, so why not use those online purchases to leverage your social media platforms? Use your Facebook page to offer purchasing opportunities (this is known as F-commerce). Clickz also suggests using your social platforms to create social events around big commerce events, like “Chat With The Designer”.
So, get to where your consumers are this holiday season. Respond to the latest trends and shifts in holiday shopping behaviors, and leverage your social media presence in order to maximize your profits in the fourth quarter and beyond. Remember, you need to keep your consumers up-to-date with fresh, exciting content, and compelling, unique promotions, as this year’s holiday shoppers are all about price discounts, product reviews, and comparative shopping. There are also a number of many creative ways to extend your success and capitalize on conversions by incorporating your existing social platforms. If you’re overwhelmed by these tasks, or are in unsure of how your business fits in with this new holiday shopping model, turn to the experts here at Blab! For suggestions, strategies and executions.
Happy eHolidays!
Blab Media Welcomes Interns!
We love doing what we do, there’s no doubt about that, but now we get to share the experience with two interns who are diving head first into our world of social media. We’re excited to share our passion with other young people in the city and to give them an opportunity that most didn’t think was attainable in Windsor. As entrepreneurs who grew up in this city and went to school here, we understand the pressure to pursue a future in other cities like Toronto where opportunities seem to be bountiful. We know first hand what it’s like to crave a successful future working in the field we studied and we know what boundaries and obstacles lie in the way for Windsor graduates. It’s because of this that we strive to retain local talent by showing these young people what opportunities Windsor-Essex offers and how they can be leveraged for success.
Thinking about your future can be a scary concept, and unfortunately in Windsor-Essex, often times those thoughts involve leaving the city. One of our interns, Cristina Matteis, knows all too well the pressure associated with graduating. She is currently a third year Advertising student at St. Clair College Centre For The Arts and wants to explore her options before deciding on an internship location and venturing out into the workplace. She knows social media is an important aspect of any marketing strategy so when presented with the opportunity, she came to Blab Media to learn more about Windsor businesses and their social habits. Cristina brings to our team a broad range of knowledge, a strong work ethic and a bright personality that shines through in any situation.
Gaining experience in the industry can be a key element when it comes to getting a job in any field. Natalie Lahoud, our second intern, doesn’t take this lightly and values the experience and the opportunities that are often presented when the initiative is taken to further your knowledge. A graduate from the Odette School of Business, Natalie knows the ins and outs of the corporate world but her love for social media was never something she could explore in the classroom. She found Blab Media online and knew that her chance to explore the corporate world of social media was within reach. Natalie brings to our team a strong business background and a a go-getter attitude that is sure to be contagious!
We look forward to working alongside both of these talented young girls and helping them realize their own potential and the potential this city has to offer them in the future. Welcome to Blab Media Cristina and Natalie!
Tech Germs! How Clean Are Your Gadgets?
We all love our gadgets whether it’s a laptop, cellphone, portable music player or e-reader. They’re part of our lives and we use them on a daily basis but do we clean them as often? This infographic, created by Keeping It Kleen, gives us a detailed look at some of our devices less appealing specs. Do you think this information will change your device cleaning behaviour?
Louisville Slugger Hosts Social Media Scavenger Hunt
To honour the 2011 World Series Champs, The St. Louis Cardinals, Louisville Slugger shipped out 48 commemorative bats and hid them around St. Louis landmarks on Saturday. Throughout the course of the day updates and clues were provided via Facebook to help guide Cardinals fans in the right direction. The hunt brought out baseball fans of all ages and had the entire city if St Louis in a frenzy to uncover the location of the special edition bats.
Hundreds of people waited with bated breathe around the city, staring at their cell phones and crossing their fingers that lady luck was on their side. People were digging through bushes, overturning objects and running as fast as they could in hopes of getting their hands on some baseball history. It was a site to behold and the city’s passion for its team was evident.
As an iconic baseball symbol, Louisville Slugger was excited to give back to the city. Throughout the hunt, fans posted pictures as bats were found and commented on the Louisville Facebook page thanking the brand for uniting the entire city of St Louis.
I love how much energy and excitement this bat drop brought to St Louis and it was only possible because of social networks like Facebook. It would be amazing to see more local businesses using social media to power fun projects and bring the community together!
Blab Media Turns One!
It’s hard to think back one year ago to the day we first launched our website and started this whole adventure. In the past 365 days our lives have completely changed for the better. We have met so many new people and become so much more involved in the community. We have worked alongside some amazing businesses and we’ve gone from working in our own homes to working out of an office downtown. Being tenants at The House has been a great experience so far. It’s the perfect atmosphere for our business and it’s refreshing to be around other entrepreneurs with the same passion and ambitions. We now officially have a door sign and our outdoor signage is on its way so needless to say we’ve settled right in!
We have some great clients and we’re even taking on interns this spring from St. Clair College! It’s crazy to think how far we’ve come in so little time and we have so many businesses and people to thank for helping us get to where we are today. So far it’s been a journey but we’re so excited for the future of Blab Media! Heres to the next year and many more successes to celebrate in the future!
Zynga Set To Launch Its Own Social Network
Popular game developer and publisher Zynga has announced its plans to launch a social network of its own in the next few months; Zynga Direct. It’s a website that will allow them to create an online community separate from all social media sites and is a part of their overall direct-to-consumer strategy. The concept is that you can play Zynga games outside of Facebook and across multiple platforms.
Interestingly enough, Zynga is almost entirely owned by Facebook and therefore has to provide Facebook with a cut of all it’s virtual goods revenue. For this reason Zynga is reaching out and attempting to create its own social platform so it can control and own it’s users rather than consistently relying on Facebook to succeed. That being said, Zynga isn’t planning to ditch Facebook entirely and still plans to utilize Facebook Connect. The benefit of creating a separate community is that Zynga will no longer be tethered by the rules and regulations of social sites which means they are free to send out notifications as often as they please. Another big change will be the credit system. If Zynga disconnects from Facebook, users will have to buy Zynga money instead of Facebook credits.
This social network is two years in the making so the launch later this year is sure to turn some heads. It will be interesting to see how their relationship with Facebook fares throughout this process and if gamers will be happy with the changes that are eminent. Do you think Zynga’s value will increase if they distance themselves from Facebook?
Steve Jobs' Legacy Lives On
Last night Steve Jobs, former CEO and co-founder of Apple, passed away at the age of 56. Today it is clear that the world has lost a brilliant mind and a passionate entrepreneur that revolutionized technology through his design, marketing and creation of personal computers and mobile devices.
In 2005 Steve Jobs addressed the graduates at Stanford University. He shared with them his life story and his advice as they move forward and progress through life. It was a moment that I’m sure many of them won’t soon forget. His message was simple, “stay hungry, stay foolish.”
Thanks to Steve’s innovative designs, businesses like mine exist and thrive. I can run my business using only an iPhone and a Macbook computer. I can listen to my music, update all my social networks, keep up to date on industry news, manage invoices, share files and do an infinite amount of other things at any given time. The technology that he dedicated his life to has helped make mine easier and the same goes for many businesses. There are jobs that exist today because of his desire to push the world forward and these technological advancements will continue to create jobs far into the future.
In the past 30 years, Steve Jobs managed to build an empire out of a garage based business. He grew Apple into the powerhouse brand that it is today and along the way he shaped the way people listen to music, share information and view the world around them. There is no doubt that his passion for technology and his drive to succeed has opened up a world of possibilities. His desire to change the world has blossomed into a legacy and it is certain that not many business men manage to make such dramatic and positive changes to human civilization. Let’s celebrate the life of an icon whose imagination knew no boundaries and whose creativity shaped our future.