User-Generated Content and the 4 E's

Over the past semester I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this blog and exploring the world of user-generated content. It was fascinating to me how many different user-generated content platforms there were out there, and the infinite ways different organizations can utilize these platforms. As I was exploring various platforms (Youtube, Facebook, Tumblr, Snapchat, etc.) I couldn't help but think that despite their obvious differences, that to make the most out of these sites businesses have to approach them with a similar mindset.

For my last post I wanted to summarize how all of these user-generated content sites need to be approached in a similar way in order to serve as a successful marketing tool. While thinking upon this, I cam across this short video of Jeffery Hayzlett, Chief Marketing Office of Eastman Kodak, who explains his companies strategy for utilizing social media and user generated content. He states that it's all about the 4 E's.

1. Engagement: You need to get engaged with your consumers, and know what it is your consumers are thinking and what they desire. These conversations are going on with or without you, so it's best that you are the one engaging with them.

2. Education: This goes two ways. You need to educate the consumer about your product or service, and they will educate you on what they seek and desire from you.

3. Excite: You want people to not only know about your product or service, but get them excited about it. Use innovative ways to get your messages to stick in their mind and get them excited for what you have to offer.

4. Evangelize: If you preform the first 3 things, then you will turn your consumers into brand ambassadors. That's the beauty of social media is if you complete this then you have created a network of individuals helping you market your brand and product.

These 4 steps simply explained by Mr. Hayzlett are equally applicable to any of the platforms I have written about this semester. So if you are looking to begin advertising using user-generated content remember your 4 E's!

I hope you have all enjoyed reading this blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it! Farewell and have a great summer!

Matt
#CiA

Is Your Business Pinteresting?

In the past Pinterest has been known to many as a site to post wish lists, DIY projects, clothing, fitness routines, travel destinations, photography, and the list goes on.  But what about marketing on Pinterest? Are you just repinning things that look interesting? Or are you actually clicking on those pins and buying the emerald cutout dress, or watching the YouTube video and doing the workout routine, or going to that waterfall in the Maldives in the picture you pinned to your "Oh the places you'll go" board? For most of us the answer is no, or at least not very often.  So the big question is - how do companies get pinners to start doing more than just pin?

Well, first we need to start with how companies even get pinners to pin. Pinterest is different from Twitter and Facebook in the sense that it is more easily accessible for the conversion from pin to site.  Also, Pinterest and pinners love to take advantage of boards and likes so they can go back on a day off and make those crafts or buy those products.  It is possible to pin a photo or video from a site without a "Pin It" button, but companies should really start to incorporate it onto their website.  If anything it will at least let viewers know that it is possible to pin since many wouldn't even relate the two without having that button accessible to them.  When people are on Pinterest they are actively looking to pin.  This is why companies should work on having photos, videos, podcasts, coupons, updates, sustainability methods, something that really catches the pinners' eye.  

Once pinners begin to pin and repin your product the biggest struggle is getting them to explore your site.  Calls to action are definitely favored and can really get people interested.  Telling people what do to, in a sense that they have to click elsewhere or do something extra, in order for that pin to be meaningful to them.  On your main page you can create different boards to help organize different things you have available to users, such as coupons, videos, photos, etc. Another great way to get more people attracted to your page is to start pinning things yourself, whether it's things related to your business itself, or just pins that catch your eye and may catch a followers as well.  

Pinterest has a separate "Pinterest for Business" section that can help you track different analytics for your site.  This makes it easy to see if your current approach is working and what you can fine tune to increase those conversions and repins.  

So, next time you're on Pinterest click on a few of those pins you find interesting and see where it really takes you - does it make you pin more from the site, buy the product, make the craft?

Microblogging with Tumblr

            Suppose you have just created an upstart business, and are trying to spread the word on your brand and the product and services you offer. You feel that you have a lot to say about your product, so what better way to spread information about your brand while also being able to show your knowledge of your industry by writing a blog? Virtually every company has a blog these days. More often then not their blog is an extension of the company’s website. But since your company is new, many people aren’t going to be actively searching for your blog, let alone even know your blog exists. So what is a relatively easy way to write and gather readers for your blog? Why not use the microblogging platform Tumblr!

            Microblogs are a service that enables the broadcasting of short messages to interested users. Tumblr is part microblog, part social network, which is why it can serve as a very effective blogging and advertising platform for businesses, particularly new businesses. There are many benefits for a business to utilize a tumblr. First of all it is free. It is very easy to set up and personalize (although those who are well versed in blogging sometimes see Tumblr’s format as a bit limiting).  It allows you to post and share all forms of media, including text, images, video, and audio.

            The biggest benefit of Tumblr to businesses is how it also serves as a social network. Tumblr has a huge following upon which businesses can link their posts to other blogs by following, liking, and reblogging from others blogs, and allowing others to do the same from theirs. According to Tumblr’s website it contains over 106 million blogs, and to date their has been 49.8 billion posts. That is quite a large community to which your business could be exposed to.

            You might now be wondering what is the benefit of having a tumblr when you already have a Facebook page? From what I have thus far described, everything you are able to do on Tumblr you can effectively do on a Facebook as well, but their are many benefits in using a Tumblr in addition to Facebook. First of all, blogs on Tumblr can be accessed directly through search engines, which increases your search visibility. I had a friend who had a tumblr, and he even bought his own domain name for his Tumblr, allowing for even easier searches. Tumblr also enables tags for posts, which allows users to easier find blogs  that appeal to them based on the tags they utilize.

Here is a list of some businesses that utilize Tumblr. Let us know which businesses you follow on Tumblr, or who you would like to see get one!

Huffington Post- http://huffingtonpost.tumblr.com/

J Crew- http://jcrew.tumblr.com/

Adidas Football- http://adidasfootball.tumblr.com/

            

Can Business Utilize Snapchat?

A growing concern for those seeking jobs is their web presence. More and more employers are searching for their applicants online, and the last thing an applicant should want is for an incriminating picture of themselves to pop up in the Google search. Future employees are being warned to take down pictures on their Facebook and Instagram accounts that are deemed unprofessional. Recently a new picture-sharing app has been sweeping the nation where this will no longer be a concern, as these pictures delete themselves!

The latest social media fad that utilizes user-generated content is Snapchat. According to the Snapchat website, “Snapchat is a new way to share moments with friends. Snap an ugly selfie or a video, add a caption, and send it to a friend (or maybe a few). They’ll receive it, laugh, and then the snap disappears. The image might be a little grainy, and you may not look your best, but that’s the point. It’s about the moment, a connection between friends, and not just a pretty picture.”

I will admit that I have yet to jump into the Snapchat frenzy, but I have seen how popular it is. I can’t go through a Friday night without having to have my picture taken by one of my friends or roommates for a Snapchat sent to somebody else. While this may seem like a silly app right now, with it’s growing popularity it is hard to imagine that businesses won’t try to cash in on this fad as well. Here are a couple ideas I have with how businesses may try to cash in on the new app:

•          Limited-Time Offers: Companies often like to promote their products and services through offers for a limited time, so why not advertise through a medium that has a limited time as well? Advertisements through snapchat would be a new and innovative way for consumers to learn about deals, and may create a sense of urgency for them to cash in on the deals.

•          Promotional Give-Aways: Many companies give away coupons in order to promote their brand, products, or services. Businesses may begin to use Snapchat as a means to give away coupons. They may tell their consumers to Snapchat a picture of themselves using their product, or something of that nature, and then they will send a coupon to those who do it.

•          Guerilla Marketing: Wikipedia defines guerilla marketing as an advertising strategy in which low-cost unconventional mean are utilized to promote a product or idea. Snapchat can be an outlet for companies to send out creative, and even weird advertisements in such a way that will get consumers talking about your product, as they will have to since they can't look at it whenever they want.

5 Must-have Free Apps to Improve Your Business

Lately, people don't even have to browse the web anymore because more than likely whatever they're looking for, there's an app for that! There are nearly 1,000,000 apps out there, so how do you find the right app for what you're looking for? Here are just a few that focus on business and social activities related to business.

1. Bump

This app allows you to share documents, information, photos, video, etc. quickly and easily by just "bumping" phones. It is then easily transferred to your computer. 

2. Easy Note + To Do

Constantly making to do lists on multiple pieces of paper and forgetting where you put them? Easy Note + To Do is an easy app to help organize, assign, prioritize, and check things off as you go. 

3. Instagram

As many already know, this app allows you to take pictures and transform them instantly with easy uploads to Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Flickr, and Foursquare.

4. DocuSign Ink

Rather than have to sign documents then scan, fax, or mail them out, this app makes it easy to sign, send and store documents.  You can even create and save your signature in different formats, fonts, and colors.

5. CardMunch Business Card Reader by LinkedIn

Have a big stack of business cards and no where to put them? Now you can have them all in one easy place. This app lets you convert business cards to address book contacts and upload them to LinkedIn as connections. 

Apps can help save time and enable things to be done anywhere, anytime.  These 5 aren't even the beginning of helpful apps, but can help you start a core group of apps that can be used on a regular basis. So start exploring what apps you can use to make life and business a little bit easier!

Also - guess who got Twitter?! Check it out! @kaylabostwickk

User-Generated Content and the REI 1440 Project

In my last blog post I talked about how businesses are promoting their brand through Instagram. Instagram, and many other social media sites allow businesses to interact with their consumers on these platforms, which use “user-generated content (UGC).” A big question when businesses use these sites is if it is still considered user-generated content when a business is the one publishing the content?

A couple weeks ago I was able to attend a lecture by Paolo Mottola, the Digital Engagement Program Manager at REI.  He said a good way for a company to use user-generated content is to support marketing campaigns with incentives for utilizing user-generated content. He stated a better way to utilize UGC is to give customers the spotlight. But according to Paolo, the best way to utilize UGC is to make UGC part of the customer experience. REI is trying to integrate UGC with the customer experience in their most recent marketing endeavor, the REI 1440 project.

According to the site, the REI 1440 Project is “A celebration of every minute spent outside.” The project is essentially a “minute by minute timeline making up a 24 hour day” where people can submit photos of themselves doing activities outside and enjoying outdoors. The hope is for numerous photos to be sent every minute of the “virtual day” (1440 minutes total, hence the name of the project).

Here is the link to the site:

http://www.rei1440project.com/

On the timeline you can search for pictures based on time, location, or activity. Viewers can upload their photos, and by adding to the timeline REI hopes they feel they are part of a greater community that shares their love of the outdoor, upon which they will direct this positive feeling to the REI brand. While the 1440 project doesn’t direct consumers directly to the products they sell, the project is still a benefit to the company because they are building up their brand by having consumers share their pictures on their site, essentially displaying what cool things you can do with the gear and clothes you purchase at REI.  Since it’s inception the 1440 project has had over 1 million visitors, and all this advertising is being done at virtually no cost to REI. With the success of the 1440 project it will be interesting to see if other organizations begin to integrate the UGC with their customer experiences.

Business and the Instagram Fad

One of the most common mediums of user-generated content is the picture. Millions of people are uploading and sharing pictures on the Internet every day. There are many sites that enable people to share and look at other’s pictures including Facebook, Flickr, and Picasa.

One site that has reshaped how we share photos is Instagram. Here is how instagram “introduces” itself on its webpage.

“Meet Instagram

It’s a fast, beautiful, and fun way to share your photos with friends and family.

Snap a picture, choose a filter to transform its look and feel, then post it to Instagram. Share to Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr too – it’s as easy as pie. It’s photo sharing, reinvented.”

While Instagram is a fun way for individuals to see what their friends and families are up to, many companies have also created a page or account in order to advertise their company and brand. Two such companies are Starbucks and Patagonia. Here is a photo of each of their Instagram sites.

Such sites allow companies to build up their brand identity without directly advertising their products and services. The majority of Starbucks photos are pictures of coffee being brewed outside of a commercial Starbucks setting, and Patagonia’s photos involve people going on various outdoor adventures. Through these photos they are indirectly advertising their company by using cool photos to increase their brand awareness.

Instagram is not a one-dimensional site. Companies can link their photos from Instagram to other sites such as their own personal webpage, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. You can also use hashtags on your photos so that you can track people who are promoting or talking about your brand. Some companies even have Instagram contests to promote their brand. Last summer Red Bull had a contest to promote their King of the Rock competition, asking it’s followers to “Take a picture of you holding a basketball in the most unexpected or surprising location you can think of to play ball” and the winner won tickets to the Red Bull King of the Rock Finals in San Francisco.

Have a favorite company that you follow on instagram? Let us know about it by writing why you love their photos in our comment section!