Miiko Mentz @miikomentz - Tumblr Blog

Ritz-Carlton's "Six Word Wows" Campaign Is Succinct Storytelling, Perfect For Social Media

The Ritz-Carlton's "Six Word Wows" campaign encourages guests to share their Ritz-Carlton memories in a creative and pithy way using only six words and tagging them with #RCMemories. Of course, the hashtag doesn't count toward the six words. An example, "Honeymoon Misfortune. Aloha Recreated. Love Prevails." Or this one:

The Six Word Wows campaign is a perfect fit for social media because it's succinct storytelling. With social media, people have very short attention spans so this is something they can quickly enjoy and move on. For those sharing their own Six Word Wows, it doesn't require much time -- after all it's only six words -- so you're not asking for a big time commitment like some campaigns where you might have the person shoot and edit a video.

The latest campaign fits nicely into the brand's ongoing positioning as a creator of happy memories. The Six Word Wows campaign is actually an extension of an internal program that started 30 years ago to celebrate memories made at Ritz-Carlton resorts.

In addition, the Ritz-Carlton also encourages guests to share their photos from their visits by using the #RCMemories hashtag, and select photos are showcased on Ritz-Carlton's Instagram page.

To learn more about the Six Word Wows campaign, read Clickz's Ritz-Carlton Gets Social With "Six Word Wows"

#social media marketing #social media #social media campaign #hospitality #travel

Are You Haphazard About Content Marketing In Your Small Business?

You're not alone!

According to a survey by BoostSuite, a company that helps small businesses optimize their websites. BoostSuite surveyed thousands of small businesses and uncovered some revealing facts in its The State of Small Business Content Marketing in 2014 infographic.

Most small businesses spend two hours per content marketing piece with much of it focused on blog posts:

Most content marketing by small businesses lack data and are missing out on one of the most important channels, email marketing:

Many small businesses are not cross promoting their content marketing (hence, making more work for themselves) and their doing it alone instead of leveraging partners:

To view the full infographic and read BoostSuite's post, visit: The State of Small Business Content Marketing in 2014 [Infographic]

#social media marketing #content marketing #email marketing #small business #small biz

The Weather Channel Sends Snarky Twitter Reply Instead of Helping

Another example of how NOT to do social media. The Weather Channel picked the wrong Fort Worth council member to take a shot at on Twitter.

Every few months some social media person blunders by tweeting in an inappropriate manner on their employer's or client's Twitter account. The latest comes from the Weather Channel.

One of the greatest uses of social media for a brand/business is getting customer feedback to improve one's products/services and business, and at the same time provide excellent customer service with a personal touch.

Clearly, the Weather Channel's social media person doesn't understand this very basic use of social media and got snippy after Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns tweeted the Weather Channel in frustration asking them to stop showing pictures of Dallas for Fort Worth on its app:

Instead of using it as an opportunity to connect with a frustrated follower and app user and turn the situation into a positive experience, the Weather Channel's social media person behaved badly with a snarky and inappropriate tweet back to Councilman Burns, which takes a jab at his work to end bullying:

The Weather Channel did apologize. However, the incident was on social media, after all, so it took off like wildfire. There has been tons of tweets in support of Councilman Burns, as well as press coverage. Here's a photo of the story that appeared on the front page of Tuesday's Star-Telegram:

Hopefully the incident has the Weather Channel revisiting how it trains its social media team so this doesn't happen again.

To read more on it, see: Fort Worth Star Telegram: Twitter storm erupts between Fort Worth councilman, Weather Channel The Dallas Morning News: The Weather Channel picked the wrong Fort Worth council member to take a shot at on Twitter Mediabistro's AllTwitter: The Weather Channel Misses The Mark With Callous Tweet

#social media marketing #pr #social media blunder #twitter #social media

Social Media Trends and Best Practices for Marketers

Vocus, PR and marketing software company, created a handy visual guide with the best practices and social media trends in 2014 to help marketers get the most out of their social media marketing. The infographic guide offers a trend/tip for each social media platform, along with an example of each trend in action.

Facebook: Share photos to drive engagement

Twitter: Implement Twitter Cards

Google+: Cross post between Google+ (specifically Hangouts) and your brand's YouTube videos

Flickr: Only post print-quality photos Pinterest: Brand Pins with your logo Instagram: Encourage follwers/fans to use your brand's hashtag

Vine: Use objects that align with your company's brand LinkedIn: Make an interactive resume with rich media YouTube: Take advantage of YouTube's Video Editor to breathe new life into existing videos

To view the full infographic, see Mediabistro's AllTwitter post: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Vine – Social Media Best Practices [INFOGRAPHIC]

#social media marketing #social media marketing tips

CHEAT SHEET: Best Character Length for Social & Online Content

Here's a great cheat sheet from Buffer that shows the best character length for social and online content.

Want to know the details on how each one was determined? Hop on over to Buffer's blog post, The Ideal Length of Everything Online, Backed by Research.

Image source: Buffer

#social media marketing #social media content #social media tips #content marketing

Honey Maid Ruffles a Few Feathers with Its "Love" Ad, But Most Are Loving It

Honey Maid released this 30-second TV spot (above) in March and it has ruffled a few feathers. The ad's slogan is "This is Wholesome" designed to imply the wholesome goodness of its products. That's not what caused the backlash. It was the people portrayed in the TV spot, which included a gay and biracial family.

In response to the backlash, Honey Maid hired two artists to create an art installation that was made up of all the hate feedback that the company received printed out on paper and rolled up. The paper was then strategically placed to read "Love." Next, the artists took all the supporting feedback, also printed on paper and rolled, and placed them around the Love structure. It created quite a beautiful art installation with a powerful message of acceptance and love for one another.

Honey Maid did this time-lapsed video (above) of the artists creating the art installation and released it as a second ad. The response has been mixed and those strongly opposed to gay relationships are not backing down.

Monica Cole, director of the anti-gay group One Million Moms told Vocativ.com, “Now we know not to support Honey Maid, and we won’t be buying their products. …We can vote with our wallets.”

On the other side of the fence is support for Honey Maid not only from consumers and fans of the brand, but from other brands, too. Here are two supportive tweets one from Nilla Wafers (btw, if you don't follow @NillaWafers, you should. They do an incredible job at social media marketing):

And another one from Betty Crocker (whose Twitter feed @BettyCrocker is also worth following for it's a delicious one filled with mouth-watering treats from them and their followers):

A tweet to Nilla Wafers from @durwoodg had a supportive and funny response:

To read more about this, jump on over to Ragan: Honey Maid responds to anti-gay hate with 'Love' video and Huffington Post: One Million Moms Discusses Honey Maid 'Love' Pro-Gay Ad.

#advertising #lgbt #social media marketing #Honey Maid

Taco Bell and McDonald's Engage in Some Friendly Rivalry Over Taco Bell's New Breakfast Menu

With the launch of its new breakfast menu, Taco Bell decided to up the ante and take a jab at McDonald's with its "Guess Who Loves Taco Bell's New Breakfast" video. The spot features a lot of guys named Ronald McDonald. The video ends with the line, “Delicious new breakfast everyone can love, even Ronald McDonald.”

In turn, McDonald's posted on its Facebook page the below photo of Ronald McDonald with a Chihuahua, along with a tongue-in-cheek status update and a link that links to an interactive landing page with McDonald's breakfast menu items.

The cheeky banter between these two brands has been well received. Fans get a kick out of seeing brands engaging on social media with each other, as long as it's done in good fun with a dose of healthy rivalry. Taco Bell and McDonald's have done just that.

To read more about it, head on over to Digiday: Taco Bell and McDonald’s take breakfast war viral

#social media marketing #social media #Taco Bell #McDonald's

Taco Bell Sends Fans on #WakeUpLiveMás Missions to Promote Its New Breakfast Menu

Taco Bell is introducing its biggest menu expansion in its 50+ year history. The new Taco Bell breakfast menu hits restaurants this Thursday, March 27. Over the past few weeks Taco Bell has been in full force on the mobile and social promotion front to get the word out about its new breakfast menu and it has fans buzzing about it.

Taco Bell's mobile component of the campaign includes the distribution of 1,000 burner phones that instruct Taco Bell phone recipients to complete missions in order to win prizes. The phones were distributed throughout the U.S. from March 18 through March 21 by hiding the phones in seven key markets (Chicago, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.) and providing clues to the locations of the phones via social media. Taco Bell also mailed phones to select followers and fans as part of its "social listening" on Taco Bell's twitter account.

The phone recipients are given missions that come via text messages to the phones and then they're tasked with performing the mission and sharing it on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #WakeUpLiveMás.

Here's a tweet from one lucky phone recipient who completed a mission and is excited about the possibility of winning a trip to Venice Beach to enjoy a Waffle Taco breakfast at a Venice Beach Taco Bell (one of the possible prizes is being sent to a Taco Bell restaurant to enjoy its new breakfast menu):

Taco Bell has also used Vine to promote the campaign and its new breakfast menu. Here's one Vine video that Taco Bell created to promote its new A.M. Crunchwrap:

To read more details about the campaign, jump on over to ClickZ: Taco Bell Breakfast Phones Dial Up New Menu Buzz

#Social Media Contest #social media campaign #social media marketing #taco bell

An Inside Look at Keds’ Girl-Oriented Social Strategy Success

Learn how Keds re-positioned the brand to connect with teen girls, and how it put together a small in-house social team dedicated to growing and engaging on its social channels.

The results thus far... Keds Facebook fans grew from 173,000 to 963,000 and on Instagram followers went from 1,200 to 112,000 followers. And its newly started Tumblr blog, Bravehearts, is getting nice traction.

Read how they did it at Digiday: Step by step: Inside Keds’s girl-oriented social strategy

#social media marketing #keds

Fashion Brand Ted Baker's #ZolTed Campaign Invites People to Discover & Share Their True Circus Character

The #ZolTed campaign riffs on the circus theme featured in the brand’s Spring/Summer 2014 campaign and includes a circus character quiz and circus talent video challenge.

See on clickz.com

5-hour ENERGY Capitalized on Daylight Saving Time with Its Clever #ShowUsYourTiredFace Selfie Giveaway

Moving from Standard Time to Daylight Saving Time is a challenge for most of us. I know I don't like losing a precious hour of sleep.

This year, the makers of the 5-hour ENERGY drink had a little fun with the time change. Bright and early on Monday morning a tweet when out on @5hourenergy's Twitter account asking followers to tweet out a selfie of their tired face using the hasghtag #ShowUsYourTiredFace and he/she could win a 5-hour ENERGY 6-pack.

It was a fun and clever giveaway that garnered the brand some decent results, especially for a campaign that only lasted less than 24 hours.

According to Digiday, by day's end 5-hour ENERGY saw a nine percent increase in Twitter followers, 259 tweets using the #ShowUsYourTiredFace hashtag and gave away 52 5-hour ENGERY drink prize packs of assorted flavors.

To see a few of the entries and read more about the campaign, see Digiday's 5-Hour Energy collected your sleepy selfies for Spring.

#Social Media Contest #social media marketing #energy drink #5 hour energy

Infographic: How to Use Google+ for Business

If your business has an online presence, then Google+ is impacting your revenue. Love it or hate it, interacting with Google+ is an important piece of an online marketing strategy. As the second largest social platform (behind Facebook), it is important to integrate Google+ into your regular social marketing activity. For those new to the platform, here are some quick tips and best practices to get you started.

See on visual.ly

5 Low-Cost Social Media Marketing Strategies for Authors | OPEN ...

Writers can no longer rely on their publishers as publicists, so here are some DIY tips to make your title a bestseller.

See on americanexpress.com

Sweethearts Candies #tweethearts Campaign Lets You Send Custom Digital Love Notes

Necco, the makers of the beloved Sweethearts Candies, rolled out the #tweethearts campaign just in time for Valentine's Day. Simply tweet @tweethearts your love note and they'll create your message on digital candy hearts and tweet it to you and the person (or brand) of your desire.

Here's an example of a fun one tweeted by Stephen Ronaldson, @Harvey_S on Twitter. He tweeted his love for Chipotle burritos:

Surprisingly, the social media team running the @ChipoltleTweets account didn't reply. It's one tweet they should have replied to. It's playful and fun and a refreshing change from the usual tweets that they get on a daily basis. I say it's a missed opportunity on their part.

In addition to the digital #tweethearts love notes, participants can also have their #tweetheart love note message turned into customized Sweetheart Candies with one word per candy. It's $29.99 for a one-pound bag.

An admirer of Boston's morning newscaster Christa Delcamp sent her #tweetheart candies and she tweeted it out:

Sweetheart Candies are nostalgic for many adults and the #tweetheart campaign is a great way for Necco to reconnect with adults in a playful and engaging way.

Read more about the campaign at ClickZ: Candy Company Necco Offers Custom #Tweethearts for Valentine’s Day

#valentines day #social media campaign #Twitter marketing

Esurance to Give Away $1.5 Million to One Lucky Person for Simply Tweeting the Hashtag #EsuranceSave30

After yesterday's Super Bowl game came to an end, the insurance company Esurance announced its #EsuranceSave30 giveaway via a television commercial starring "The Office" star John Krasinski. In it he explains how airing the commercial after the Super Bowl saved Esurance about 30%, or $1.5 million, which the company is passing on to one lucky winner who tweets the hashtag #EsuranceSave30. That's it! One tweet with the #EsuranceSave30 hashtag and the person is entered to win.

The giveaway has an extremely low barrier of entry, which of course has led to it going viral and seeing a spike in tweets for the hashtag #EsuranceSave30. It has also led to some offensive tweets, but given the nature of the Internet and social media that's bound to happen. In my experiences the positive usually outweighs the negative.

According to a statement sent to CNET and included in its story about the giveaway, an Esurance company spokesperson pointed to the rules, which like most sweepstakes and contest rules, the company reserves the right to disqualify entries (in this case negative and offensive tweets). Read the full story here: Esurance Twitter contest goes viral but ties company to offensive tweets.

Despite some rude and offensive tweets/entries, overall this campaign appears to be a success. It went viral. It's providing brand awareness. It's getting it's message out there that Esurance can save you 30 percent on insurance. And some lucky Twitter user is about to be $1.5 million richer. Plus, announcing the winner gives Esurance even more exposure.

According to AllTwitter's post Esurance Are Giving Away $1.5 Million To One Lucky Twitter User, the winner will be revealed on Wednesday night during Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

What are you waiting for, go tweet #EsuranceSave30 and you just might win $1.5 million!

#social media campaign #social media marketing #twitter contest

Awesome things brands did on Social Media in 2013 [INFOGRAPHIC]

To view the full infographic and read more about the social media campaigns, see Unmetric's blog post: Awesome things brands did on Social Media in 2013

Image Source: unmetric.com

#social media marketing #social media campaigns

Happy New Year! Time to Refresh Your Social Media Profiles and Bios.

With 2013 coming to a close and the new year upon us, it's a good time to reflect on the past year and get ready for 2014. The new year is a great time to revisit your personal and business social profiles and possibly revamp them. To get your creative juices flowing here's a good one that Pizza Hut used to use.

It's a great example of a good Twitter bio. It conveys personality and at the same time invites followers to engage with them -- the good and the bad.

Unfortunately, Pizza Hut is no longer taking advantage the bio feature. Its recent Twitter bio is absent of a bio and has a dated image (from October). Maybe with the new year, the Pizza Hut social media team will freshen up Pizza Hut's Twitter profile and add a bio again.

To help you refresh your own social media profiles and bios, see some fun Twitter bios at ragan.com: 10 amusing Twitter bios to inspire you.

#Social media #Twitter marketing

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