Tag: 2011
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!
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!
Blab! Media Hosts Windsor-Essex Social Media Week
September 19th to 23rd is national social media week and this year there will be plenty to do in Windsor-Essex for businesses and social media addicts alike. At Blab! Media we really wanted to get the community involved and provide a variety of fun events. We’ll be hosting a social media themed networking event, educational workshops, and a casual community discussion to help spread the word in Windsor-Essex that social media is here to stay! For us, this week is about creating awareness and bringing the community together so clear your schedule and get ready to embrace social media! All events are free to attend and anyone is welcome. Come out and celebrate, meet new people, share your passion, learn something new and just have fun!
WED SEPTEMBER 21ST
Every month WEtech Alliance hosts a special networking event called Startup Drinks Windsor. The event brings out a mix of local entrepreneurs, business professionals and students who are all looking to meet new people. For social media week we’ll be co-hosting the event and injecting some serious social fun! Come out to Mick’s Irish Pub from 6pm-8pm to play games, eat food, network, and enter for your chance to win some awesome prizes! Bring your smartphone for your chance to win a free social media makeover (up to an $800 value)! Space is limited so click here to register.
THURS SEPTEMBER 22ND & FRI SEPTEMBER 23RD
We really wanted to focus on educating the community so we’re offering free, hands-on workshops for Twitter and Linkedin. The workshops will be taking place on Thursday September 22nd and Friday September 23rd. Reserve your seat to get a better idea of how these platforms work and how to use them to your benefit. To register, please e-mail us at hello@getyourblabon.com. Participants must have basic computer skills and have a Twitter and/or Linkedin account created in advance.
FRI SEPTEMBER 23RD
To end the perfect week, join Blab! Media at Snooty Rooster downtown to participate in a social media community discussion. Bring your smartphone and your appetite as delicious food, snacks and drinks will be available for purchase. What do you want to see Windsor-Essex businesses getting more involved in? What do you think would make Windsor more social? We want to hear from you! To register click here.
Windsor-Essex, what else do you want to see take place for social media week?
Be sure to follow us on Twitter and like our page on Facebook for more updates and news!
Blab! Brings Social Media To Downtown Windsor
For a month now we’ve been planning out the details, putting together Ikea furniture, organizing our belongings and counting down the days until we officially became a tenant at The House. After much anticipation, the day has finally arrived! Today is our first day in the new office and even though the last month has been a whirlwind, all our hard work has finally come together. We’re excited to bring social media to downtown Windsor and we’re hoping to contribute to the revitalization of the area!
The House itself has a lot of character and charm so it wasn’t difficult for us to settle in. With a little paint and some new furniture and accessories, we were able to transform the space into a new home well suited to our eclectic and colourful personalities. Take a look at the before, during and after photos to get a better idea of our transformation and let us know what you think! If you’re interested in discussing social media or you just want to say hi, feel free to stop by.
Class of 2011: If Social Media Were a High School
We’ve all been there, flipping through the high school yearbook, drawing devil horns, speech bubbles and hilarious things over the photos of our fellow classmates. Take a second and imagine if social media were a high school. Would Facebook be a jerk? Would Twitter ever stop talking? Luckily for us, the vast world of social media comes with it’s very own stereotypes and this entertaining info graphic reviews them all.
See the original blog post here
Twitter Celebrates Five Years!
Happy fifth Birthday Twitter! It seems almost preposterous that the social media behemoth has already survived 5 years and in reality, things are far from slowing down! Just like any successful business, Twitter has a story to tell so it only seems fitting to take a look back, see how Twitter started, and how it became the platform it is today.
Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams and Biz Stone, all programmers at Odeo Inc in California, were the creators of Twitter. They were looking for a way to send messages on their cell phones while trying to re-invent a dying company and thus Twitter was born. On March 21st 2006 Jack sent the first tweet “just setting up my twttr” and in the blink of an eye, a communications revolution had begun. The name was originally inspired by Flickr and was chosen over other alternatives including FriendStalker and Dodgeball. The dictionary definition of Twitter is “a short burst of inconsequential information.” According to Jack it was the perfect name because that’s exactly what the product was.
Fast-forward today, 200 million users later, and an early tweet in 2006 by Dom Sagolla stating “Oh, this is going to be addictive” seems quite accurate! Almost 460,000 new twitter accounts are started each day and more than 140 million tweets are sent out on a daily basis. Twitter has exploded from 8 employees in 2008 to over 400 and still growing. Because Twitter is a private company, their sources of revenue are not completely clear, but they list their revenue at a modest $150 million annually. They also license their stream of tweets to Microsoft, Google and Yahoo. Twitter is said to be worth about $4.5 billion dollars. The possibilities for the future are endless. Twitter could start selling traditional ad space on their site or even start charging for premium accounts that push business to their sites. The only thing we know for sure is that Twitter is no fad!
The 140 character “tweets”, which are the heart and soul of the site, are a length that was chosen for a reason. The founders knew that the limit for SMS was 160 characters so they figured 140 characters would leave enough space left over for a username. At first, typing in 140 characters seemed outrageous to a person with a lot to say like myself, but the micro blogging platform is one you become used to and it forces you to focus on what matters instead of wasting characters on nonsense.
These 140 character updates have ultimately changed the media, business and even the world of politics. News has a new medium with live tweeting and updates, political messages are now widespread and no longer controlled by a single group of leaders, and businesses are re-defining customer service and employee communication. The future seems bright with Twitter as new technological advances and creative uses of the platform are popping up everyday. So, in honor of five years, it only seems fitting to honor the social media giant that started a communications revolution and has allowed us to declare our cereal addictions, bad habits and personal preferences to the world since 2006. Cheers Twitter, may we celebrate many more years in the future!
Networking With Your Smartphone
It seems like the process of networking has changed a lot over the past few years with the development of new technology. Gone are the days of filing business cards and keeping business contacts on blocked social media profiles. Things have changed and the wide world of mobile apps has a lot to do with it. We’re using our smartphones to make our lives easier in every aspect so why not use them when we make new connections? Take a look at our top three mobile apps to help push your networking practices into the 21st century.
Hashable
Described as the “ultimate networking app,” Hashable offers a unique user experience that takes it roots from the check-in craze. Sure, all your friends are checking in to restaurants and TV shows, but have you ever considered the concept of checking in with a person? Luckily for us, Hashable has! As a user you can track your meetings, calls and other events either privately or publicly which makes it easier for you to remember who you spoke with and why. You can type in another persons email address or Twitter username to exchange contact information directly with them and you can even expand your network by watching who your friends connect with.
One of the great things about Hashable is it allows you to connect and network on the go through your smartphone so if you make a connection in an unexpected place, you don’t have to worry about not having a stack of business cards on you. What Hashable focuses on is tracking your strongest relationships and in a world so heavily dependant on constant communication, this free app makes the stress of networking and keeping in touch less of a burden.
CardMunch
Have you ever lost an important business card and in turn, an important contact? If you answered yes then this app is definitely for you! CardMunch allows you to take a photo of a business card and it then pulls important information like the name, phone number, email, website, and address, and creates a new contact on your phone in seconds so you’ll always have that contact’s information no matter where you go. Business card enthusiasts can leave their binders at home because this app will save you a lot of storage space! With a simple flip of your phone you can also view all the business cards you’ve snapped photos of in a beautiful rolodex style.
If you’re a fond user of Linkedin, you’ll be happy to know that CardMunch is owned by Linkedin so scanning a contact’s business card and adding them to Linkedin through the app is only a one-click process. As a user you’ll also have the option to use the search function if you’re looking for someone but can’t quite remember his/her name. As for storage, CardMunch can either add your contacts to your iPhone address book or create a separate CardMunch address book to keep you more organized; the choice is yours. On top of all these features is peace of mind. CardMunch automatically backs up all the contacts you’ve added through the app on your web account so you can log in anytime, anywhere, and retrieve lost data.
I think the best part about this app is that it’s completely free! As networking professionals, we’re always looking for tools to make mundane tasks easier and to integrate social media into our every day lives so CardMunch is definitely worth it!
Quora
Networking online can be a difficult process. It’s never easy to find the right people in the right place and as a business person you never want to scare them away with a sales pitch. The folks at Quora must have asked themselves, “Why doesn’t the internet have a place where professionals of any ranking can ask business questions and participate in conversation?” After some intense brainstorming and planning, Quora was born! As a networking professional, using your skills online is important and Quora helps connect you to a vast array of people including CEO’s of major North American companies and even business enthusiasts who just want a place to connect and talk.
Using your knowledge on a specific subject to help another business person in need, is better than any hard sale tactic that would typically drive them away. What Quora does is give you an opportunity to show others what you’re made of and have intelligent discussions about topics that are near and dear to you. As a user you can ask or answer any questions you want, you can follow topics that interest you, communicate through messages, add connections and create a biography. You can log in via the website or through the free app for your smartphone. This is one social network you can’t afford to miss out on!
Blab’s Social Media Oscars 2011
After spending a few hours watching the Academy Awards and catching up with the red carpet gossip on Twitter, we couldn’t help but wonder what the Oscar ceremony would be like if instead of actors and actresses, the crowd was filled with brands and businesses vying for the top spot. Imagine McDonalds rubbing elbows with American Express, and Chapters walking down the red carpet with Ford. In honor of the yearly event we’ve decided to nominate businesses that truly deserve a Social Media Oscar for their dedication and creativity.
The Best Interactivity
There’s nothing better than visiting a social media fan page and being able to truly interact with the brand by sharing content and helping to build the community online. This Oscar belongs in the hands of Mountain Dew. Their wall is filled with posts giving suggestions on new flavours or campaigns, people confessing their love for the product and sharing photos, videos and stories of their experience with the brand. You can’t fake brand loyalty like that.
The Best Sense of Humor
It takes a lot to convey a joke through a status update but the people over at Skittles seem to be doing just fine. There’s nothing quite like a good giggle and there are no shortage of them on the Skittles fan page. Silly updates, questions, and just plain crazy antics cover their wall and their fans can’t get enough. Skittles has a quirky brand personality and it shows in their advertising and their social media efforts, which makes the brand not only entertaining, but cohesive across all platforms.
The Best Promotions
Everyone loves a great deal, especially when it’s available to a social media community. For quite some time now, Chapters Indigo has been rewarding their online fan base with exclusive savings that deserve a standing ovation! They’re always adding new tabs with discounts online and in-store that you only get if you become a fan on Facebook. It’s a great way to spark some conversation within the group and get people talking about what they plan to use the coupon to purchase. Partially rewarding loyalty and partially learning more about their customers buying habits, it’s a win-win situation!
The Best Creative Use Of A Platform
It’s all about what’s happening next, what’s trending next and what else is possible in the future and that’s why this Oscar goes to Threadless for outstanding innovation! As a Facebook user you can check out their new t-shirts, let your friends know what you think, and order them in your size right from the Threadless Facebook page. They also have a frequently asked questions tab built in to address user concerns about things like shipping and returns since they can buy directly from the page. It’s the integration of this technology that earns Threadless the top spot for creative use of the Facebook platform. Plus who doesn’t love t-shirts?!
The Best Overall Community
Winning this award was not an easy task but Mashable deserves it! In our opinion, the definition of the best overall community is a place where we can go to interact with other users, share opinions and comments freely, keep up with current news and most importantly, educate ourselves. With tons of resources and a great user environment, Mashable never fails to impress. Congratulations to the social media giants for winning over The Academy this year.
Which companies do you think deserve awards for their social media efforts?