The So, Mo, Lo Down

Social, Mobile & Local by the Marketing Services team

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Social Media + Bacon = Endless Possibilities 

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Say Cheese!

We’ve all seen it. We’re sitting down to a meal and the people at the next table are organizing a photo shoot with their food that would make Herb Ritts proud. With websites like Yelp and apps such as Instagram and Foodspotting, everyone can be a food photographer. And with millions of users, these shots are seen by everyone and their mother.

So, how can a restaurant owner utilize these now photogs? Get involved! Create your own account and snap your your shots. Distinguish yourself from your patrons by posting behind the scenes pictures and upcoming specials. Be sure to tag all of your pictures so that users can easily find your brand. You can also share great looking pictures on other social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

If you find yourself with an extremely active army of photographers, you can take it a step further and really engage them in contests and competitions. The Melting Pot recently partnered with Foodspotting to randomly give away $100 gift cards to diners who shoot and tag the restaurant’s cheese fondue.

Above all else though, just have fun and embrace the new runway that your dishes will be strutting down. Like the ubiquitous Facebook baby shots, these are not going away anytime soon.

So, say cheese!

  -Krista

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The key to social media is often being stubborn with your vision, but flexible with your plan.

Erik Qualman, 

http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2066784/Be-Stubborn-With-Your-Social-Media-Vision-but-Flexible-With-Your-Plan

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“Marketing services is the new marketing tool kit. It’s a marketing consultant that generates ideas and campaigns that appeal to your consumers. It’s brand management that allows you to connect with your customers on a personal level. It’s a customer feedback vehicle that provides immediate response and aids your businesses’ growth through word of mouth. It’s a tool kit that taps into every platform and provides exemplary service at the most reasonable cost on the market.”

-Kendall

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Fun & Functional

A couple months ago I was luckily to attend Digital Summit 2012 here in Atlanta, and I came away with so many great nuggets of information and inspiration. There was one statement that really got to me, and it has been something that I have been thinking about frequently as I sit in our brand new Midtown Atlanta office.

"Find the intersection of fun and functional for the consumer, and experiment there."

This statement was made by Douglas Busk, who works in Mobile Brand Strategy for The Coca-Cola Company. At first it seems like a simple statement, almost overly obvious to anyone. The more I thought about what succeeds in this digital age, however, I realized this is really something that can easily be overlooked. 

Whomever your consumer may be, it is important to remember that they must have a good experience with your brand and the technology you implement to reach them. We live in an age where information spreads like wildfire- not thinking of your approach can be catastrophic, because there isn't always time to fix a mistake. Consumers want to feel wanted, appreciated, and heard by a brand. More than those three factors however, they want to feel like the time and effort they put into interacting with you is worth it. 

Are you thinking about whether or not your new marketing strategy is fun and functional? If you aren't, the time is now. Consumers have limited time, energy and attention for the sheer number of messages that are pushed their way everyday. Break through the noise to deliver something exceptional- something both fun and useful- and you may just get the response you have always craved.

-Rachel

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"What's boring to one person may be deeply meaningful to another. Any successful company has lots of stories of happy, inspired customers to share, no matter what they do. Whatever your company does or sells, it solves people's problems somehow. You just have to think about what emotional connections your customers make around these problems and how your products or services have truly helped them"

 –Dave Kerpen, from Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and Be Generally Amazing on Facebook (& Other Social Networks). Check it out here.

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While it's important to have an understanding of today's platforms and players, the goal is to harness the individual strengths of the most relevant platforms for a coordinated, holistic social media strategy. The objective is to drive conversion while personalizing, and protecting, your brand and reputation.

From Social Media Leadership: How to Get Off the Bench and Into the Game, by Michael F. Lewis. You can purchase it here. 

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Are You Pinning?

Brace yourself. There’s a new social media kid on the block. Pinterest is an online platform that allows for the collection and organization of images you come across on the internet.

Pinterest has made its name in the fashion and design world. But, what about the service industry? Is there a way to utilize Pinterest if you’re a restaurant?

Yes! And here are a few reasons why you should:

Continuing the conversation. As with any social media avenue, it all comes down to the conversation. By pinning photos of your dishes and sharing recipes, you are providing content to your consumer base that they can then share with their friends. But don’t forget that any conversation should be two-way. Make sure you are just as active in re-pinning and liking pins from your follower’s boards. After all, nobody wants to be the only one talking in a conversation.  

Market Research. The food industry is just as susceptible to trends as the fashion industry. One day it’s all ‘farm to table’ and the next it’s ‘molecular gastronomy’. By simply observing the trends on the boards you follow and how your followers respond to your pins, you can glean invaluable insight as to what consumers crave. While menus certainly shouldn’t dramatically change based on the fleeting whims of food trends, occasionally reinvigorating your concept is essential to stay relevant.

So, what are you waiting for? Go pin away. 

-Krista

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Looking Forward

Now that we’ve all made it through the Holidays and we’ve had time to reflect on the changes and accomplishments of this past year, we can direct our eyes forward to envision where we would like to be in 2012.  It’s an interesting time to look at where we’ve been and to project where we’re going.  If this past Holiday season is any indication of what the future has in store, which I believe that it is, I think that 2012 promises to be a year of great and exciting change in the tech sector. 

So, looking back, according to IBM’s retail data, online sales on Christmas Day grew by 16.4 percent from last year.  Even more interesting is the fact that more shoppers are migrating to mobile devices to make their purchases.  Furthermore, IBM reports that 18.3 percent of all online sessions on retailers’ sites were initiated from a mobile device, which is a 117.8 percent increase over 2010.  To augment this trend are the latest projections on smart phone sales, which, by the way, will exceed sales of PCs in 2012 and will reach nearly 1 billion units sold by 2015. 

So now that I’ve thrown a lot of numbers at you, the question is: what does it all mean?  Well, to put it plainly, all of this purchasing activity through mobile devices is pointing towards an emerging consumer market trend towards fast, secure, and easy mobile pay.  The giants like Google and Verizon are already on the move and are looking to occupy this space in the coming year.  As large as these two juggernauts are they can’t effectively occupy the entire market space.

So, looking forward, the question becomes: where do we want to be in 2012?

-Taylor

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I found this infograph not too long ago and found it very interesting especially when it comes to social media marketing. One of the most basic rules of thumb in marketing and advertising is being able to understand the consumer. Once you have an understanding of who your consumer is and how they think, you can better execute your message across to them.  With this infograph, you can not only see who is more likely to be on a social media network, you can also see how they’re engaging across the networks as well. Insights like these are vital in understanding who is linked to your brand’s page. Once you know who is on your brand’s page, then you can understand how to market to them which will in turn build your brand via social media. So next time you’re wondering how to reach your consumer through social media, take a look at who they are. You’ll then be able to effectively communicate to them and sell your brand.

http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/infographic-the-most-valuable-digital-consumers/

-Caitlyn

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"Social networks aren't about websites. They're about experiences."-Mike DiLorenzo, NHL social media marketing director

Still think you don't need social media presence? You're missing your market, you're wasting your time on static materials and you're not providing an experience your customers are begging you for. 

Check the stats. Then rethink your strategy.

-Kendall

http://www.hubspot.com/

http://webtrends.com/

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'Tis the Season!

Everyone has heard the saying “It’s better to give than to receive.” This time of year there is a massive uptick of charitable causes that appear outside of stores, in offices, churches and even online.  One of the things these holiday staples like Toys for Tots or the Salvation Army bell ringers have in common is that they require the consumer to take the ultimate action. This season, you can now take the charitable movement under your own belt and possibly even build a new type of relationship with your customers. Facebook’s charity deals allow fans to be a part of a donation by checking in to your location on their smart phone.

                                                             Image 1: Charity Deal Information

As shown in Image 1, a charity deal allows businesses to make donations to a charity of their choice. The donation process is managed completely by the business, so if you are going to run one, make sure you have the initiative to finish the contribution. Small businesses can cap the number of check-ins allowed to make sure their budget is not exceeded. 

                                                                   Image 2: Check-in Details for Customer

When a customer checks in on their smart phone, they will be prompted with the deal, seen above in Image 2. Instead of a deal to redeem, they will be notified that their check in will contribute one donation to the cause you have chosen. In a time of year where consumers are consistently asked by companies to provide donations, turn the tables this year.

Social media has played a part in a world continually more aware of social causes. A charity check in deal can be the answer to not only doing good, but creating a new relationship with your customer. Aligning yourself with a charity can allow you to display core brand ethics, engage in a unique donation strategy and really take the season to heart. 

--Rachel

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Since the results of leveraging social media are often not apparent, it is tempting to rely on traditional marketing tactics that have been proven to generate immediate results instead of utilizing social media. Resist that temptation.”

 –Dave Kerpen, from Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and Be Generally Amazing on Facebook (& Other Social Networks). Check it out here.

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What is the ROI of Social Media?

When a business owner is told they ought to have a social media presence, it is common that they first ask, “What is the ROI of social media?”  The asker of this question rarely accepts a non-numerical answer without at least a bit of skepticism.  Though there are various formulas to convey its approximate value in one way or another, the universal equation for calculating social media’s ROI has been stumping even the industry’s greatest minds since it became such a useful marketing tool.

My personal answer to this loaded question is quite simple. Firstly, I don’t think it’s possible to quantify exactly what your social media’s ROI equals.  There are always elements of value that will not be considered in an equation, such as valuable insights about your customer base you may discover.  Which brings me to my second point: Social media is something you can’t afford not to do more often than not.  It’s not a question of “what will I get out of it?” It’s a question of “what will I be missing out on if I don’t have a presence?” You’re missing a chance to respond to customers with concerns or easily and inexpensively get the word out or build the image for which you’d like to be known.  What if the company down the road with the same customer base as you establishes a social media presence and you do not? There are endless repercussions of such a situation.

Because this is the do-or-die question separating many from their presence establishment, social media gurus are faced with it to no end.  To answer it, many provide somewhat snide yet, in my opinion, quite accurate remarks.

"We think of Twitter and other social platforms as standard communication channels, just like email or telephone or newsletters. Engaging on social platforms is a cost of doing business, and there’s no need to consistently justify the return on involvement." 

- Matthew West, Social Media Manager of SolidWorks

“A big question out there these days is: What is the ROI of Social Media?...Often when I get this question it’s appropriate for me to retort: “What’s the ROI of your phone?”  Other times it’s not appropriate to respond with this answer, which, if done in the wrong tone, or place, can win you a free punch in the face.”

- Erik Qualman, blogger and author of Socialnomics

“Now if a customer provides an idea for a great new pastry, how do you measure that? I suppose you could create a pie chart. Pie chart! Get it? Oh, nevermind.”

-Mark Schaefer, blogger and Executive Director of Schaefer Marketing Solutions

-Amanda

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Striking at the Heart of a Fan

We often focus on driving product-specific campaigns on our business Facebook pages because we want to push promotions that will directly tie to transactions and sales. But do we focus enough on messaging that drives emotion within the heart of a fan? And do we potentially undermine the value of engagement that this creates?

I was recently having a conversation with the president of a social media management platform and we were discussing how often times topics that seem a bit off the wall can drive the most interaction on business Facebook pages. In our discussion he mentioned an example of a well-known trendy Mexican cantina in the metro Atlanta area that asked the following question, "do you think there should be a stop sign between the corner of Elizabeth and Maple" (which is a popular intersection in the neighborhood). The outcome was that this simple question drove more interaction than the concept had ever seen on their Facebook page. Why is this? Because the fans were emotional about this subject. It reenforces one of the primary reasons why people follow brands on Facebook - because they have an emotional connection to the brand. In this case knowledge of the local community was critical. Maybe it's through a simple question such as a community topic or as deep as a philanthropic cause but it is important to tap into the emotion of the consumer.

Would you agree that driving this type of engagement would directly translate to increased sales?

-Sherry

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The Good, The Bad...The Negative

Which word stands out the most to you?

Good. Great. Terrible. Nice.

Now relate it to businesses on social media, which customer review of the business are you going to remember the most, the comment about excellent service or the complaint about the bug in the soup? 

Generally, the negative is the most prominent and what is most remembered, especially if it’s referring to a customer experience. This can hinder your business and reputation if not handled in the appropriate way.

The Internet acts as an open forum, so customer feedback, both positive and negative can be made public. All types of comments should be viewed as an opportunity to boost your image and reputation as not only a successful business but also one that pays great attention and care to its customers. When you are faced with an unhappy online fan, we recommend and practice this approach:

1. Don't Delete the Comment

You will most likely upset and/or lose the customer and you lose credibility as a business that responds to customer needs. Deleting comments limits the customer voice and you inhibit the advantage of an open forum discussion.

2. Respond Promptly

This is where daily maintenance of your page is very important. A negative comment that is not responded to within 24 hours gives the impression of page neglect and customers feel invalid and ignored.

3. Apologize 

Your response should be personal to the upset customer but made publically so all your fans can see it. Start by apologizing and taking responsibility for the customer’s unsatisfactory visit. Keep it positive, short and simple, 140 characters max. 

4. Move the conversation to a private platform

This makes the conversation more personal to the customer so you can find out the details and offer more support. Add your contact information or customer support line to gain further information.

There are instances where the unhappy customer can continue the negative conversation on a public forum. Don't retaliate and further the argument. In such a case you can use the advantage of your online community to deal with the situation.

Such feedback is how you learn and grow as a business; they should be viewed as an opportunity and a chance to further connect with your customers!

-Kendall

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A couple of months ago, I wrote a blog about the 5 Reasons You Should Be on Social Media. It was turned into an infographic- check it out above, or a high resolution copy here. For the original blog article and other industry blogs, visit http://radiantblogs.com/

--Rachel