Luke Thomas - Personal Brandin

Facebook Places

Facebook Places is launching in the morning, and after watching the release event, my mind is boggled at the possibilities of this product.

Facebook brought together (maybe not willingly) 3 major giants in location based technology - Foursquare, Gowalla, and Yelp in an effort to publish their product to a mainstream audience quickly.

I see this product being a HUGE benefit in a variety of ways. Obviously with a marketing perspective, I can see ads and coupons popping up as someone checks in, but look at the basic concept of the check-in first.

For example, the places one visits directly correlate with their individuality. The average middle income mom will be checking into places like Walmart, The Hair Salon, and Hannaford. On the other hand, the teenage daughter will be checking into the "cool" places around town, and WILL let others know about it - because it's a direct expression of what type of person she is, and the hobbies/activities she enjoys!

Businesses, Facebook Places is for YOU! Although, very little information was given, I believe that busineses can/will offer rewards (like Foursquare), to those who check into locations. I forsee businesses having the capability and functions to offer special incentives for these people. Unlike Foursquare, this will not be a game, but a social mechanism that provides an intrinsic value to the user - think, "What's in it for me?"


Now I just need to get a GPS enabled phone.........

Full Circle Social Media – Completing the cycle between Virtual & Tangible

Intro:

Many businesses and organizations are finally beginning to realize the importance of social media. Facebook is growing rapidly, and will reach 500 million members very soon. Many of these businesses are under the impression that establishing a Facebook presence will magically lead to more business activity, sales, and increased awareness in their product or service. This is not the case. At times, social media can be difficult and frustrating. “Why are all these people posting negative reviews on my page?” and “Why isn’t social media leading to increased sales?”, may be frequent questions. What these people fail to realize is that a connection between the tangible (store visits, quality of service), and the virtual (social media) must be made before results can be achieved.   

I believe that creating and maintaining this cycle is the key to utilizing the power of social media. I understand that many customers are NOT using social media, yet I believe it is in the best interest of businesses to make every effort possible to reach the people who ARE using it.

Below is a rudimentary graph of what I like to call “full circle social media.”

   

 

Why you need to create the circle:

Imagine walking into a family-owned jewelry store (Smith Jewelers), and being instantly greeted by an employee who is very helpful. They offer  suggestions, and assist you in finding the perfect gift. The service was great, and you are very impressed. 

After you have bought the product, the cashier mentions that if you sign up and connect to their page on Facebook, they will give you a $50 dollar gift card (in the jewelry business, this is a small incentive). Better yet, if you sign up on the spot, they will refund $5 dollars from your jewelry purchase. This seems like a good deal, and you walk over to a conveniently  stationed computer and become connected on Facebook.  

Six months later, you are relaxing at home after a long day of work. After a quick check of your email, you decide to see what everyone is doing on Facebook. Scanning through the latest updates you notice “Smith Jewelers is offering our Facebook fans a special deal that ends tomorrow, 50% off all earrings in stock.” You recall the experience that happened 6 months ago, and remember their professionalism and quality. After work the next day, you stop by Smith Jewelers and purchase a pair of $400 dollar earrings for $200 dollars. You are extremely satisfied and refer friends to Smith Jewelers.

I understand that this is a “dream” customer, yet this example demonstrates that there are many simple and effective tactics to create the full circle connection. Many brands focus on developing an effective social media presence, yet fail to recognize simple and effective ways to implement social media with day-to-day activities. Social media does not replace traditional marketing and business functions, it enhances them!

Make Facebook Tangible:

1. Direct Mail:

For those of you who send out direct mail pieces, consider integrating social media URLs in addition to your website URL. I have seen many pieces of direct mail with icons for Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, yet they need to search for the page before they can connect. The goal is to connect tangible with virtual in as few steps as possible, therefore I suggest posting the URL in order to streamline this process. For a great example of a company that harnesses this power check out Dukky.

2. Feedback Cards

Feedback cards are a great way to see how your business is doing by collecting valuable feedback from customers. Simply create a feedback card that points to an online feedback form.  I suggest using Google Docs, or Wufoo. Integrate social media into this process! On the back of the card, add the Facebook URL ( visit facebook.com/username to set up a vanity URL).  I highly suggest rewarding the people who give feedback - compensate them for their time!

3. Text messaging

Many people on Facebook do not know that they can become connected to pages by texting! If someone (with Facebook enabled on their phone), texts, like lukethomasmedia to 32665, they will become connected to my page. Recently Facebook has sent out window stickers to businesses across the country that look like this:

   

 

According to Mashable, “businesses that promote their Page off-Facebook tend to see a 20% or greater increase in connections.”

Create something similar to the decal above and post it where people can see it. This will connect current customers to your brand’s social media presence, which will increase the size of your page!

4. Offer Incentives

Give people a reason to become connected on Facebook. Do not underestimate the power of a coupon, it can be your best friend!

5. Be Creative!

Feel free to experiment! Make sure you remember that the goal is to connect tangible and virtual experiences. The more unique your efforts are, the more likely they will be spotted (and remembered) by customers. As a general rule, integrate your efforts with everyday business- it’s much easier than trying to create something new.

Virtual Engagement:

1. Virtual engagement needs to match the company’s goals

There are many people who create fake profiles and portray themselves in a way that is completely inaccurate. Make sure your business focuses on portraying itself in a manner that matches company goals and expectations.

2. Be Transparent

If an angry customer walks into a store and would like to speak with a manager, will they be ignored? I hope not! Likewise, if someone posts a negative comment, make an effort to ease tensions. I typically ask them to send an email explaining the problem and make an effort to resolve the issue through email.

3. Content delivery

In my opinion, this is hands down the largest contributor to the success of social media. Before social media, in order to stay updated, people had to visit the website on a regular basis.

Now, a person chooses to connect via Facebook or Twitter, and content is delivered to them! To illustrate this point further, I can visit Mashable.com everyday (if I remember to), or I can have stories shared directly to a place where I am comfortable and check on a regular basis (Facebook). This is a fundamental difference and asset that must be utilized!

4. Create a Connection

Create a connection with your customers on Facebook! Respond to their questions, provide quality content that is of value to them, and make sure you reward them! This will lead to increased brand loyalty, which can result in increased sales!

5. What about Email?

Periodically send emails, but keep it to a dull roar. Many people do not read their emails, but if you already have an email list, send out a short message letting them know that you are on Facebook! I also suggest putting social media URLs at the bottom of every email message to convert them!

In Conclusion:

Take some time and brainstorm how you can integrate social media into your business. As

I mentioned, this can be as easy as utilizing current structures and methods in a new way.  If you would like to create something new and unique, I may be able to help you. I am a poor college student who is constantly looking for social media work! I do not want to make money off writing blog posts, yet feedback and comments ARE APPRECIATED!

How Paul LePage won the Election

Before I begin my analysis on the election, I should first be upfront and let readers know that I work for Paul LePage (New Media, Social Media, Video Editing). I joined and began assisting the campaign in early April, when the Facebook page was still at 285 fans. As I write this post, the page just broke 1,900. My intent is to be unbiased and look at the campaigns with a marketing perspective. Let's look at the difference between Les Otten and Paul LePage specifically.

**********Word of Mouth vs. Traditional Mass Advertising ******

Paul LePage faced many big spenders, which include Les Otten, Bruce Poliquin, and Steve Abbott. Les Otten spent aproximately 2.5 million dollars to fund his campaign, while Paul LePage spent approximately 225,000 dollars. I would receive direct mail from Les Otten on a daily basis, and this method has been proven to be innefective. Word of Mouth marketing is considered the best form of marketing, because it is much more credible. Think about it, if I know my neighbor has the same views as myself - I will be more apt to listen to them, instead of a piece of mail or a television commercial. The television commercial can say ANYTHING! 

Many analysists will say that Paul's connection with the Tea Party movement is what allowed him to win. I disagree, I believe the main reason he won is due to the methods his campaign used. Utilizing the support of local supporters, Paul's message was delivered from door to door by HUMAN BEINGS! Instead of direct mail, the people were confronted with a living human being, capable of answering their questions. To me, this was the key factor.

Another quick point I should mention is the placement of the road signs. I would drive around town seeing dozens of signs for the same candidate, all placed within several feet of each other! It seems to me that LePage signs (which were very short in supply), were very scarce and strategically placed. It reminds me of marketing genius Seth Godin's "purple cow" analogy. He tells a story about how people driving down the road may see a single cow in a field and be amazed, but as they progress down the road, they see more and more cows. They no longer are interested in the cows, but then they see a purple cow. Instantly, they are interested again. Obviously LePage road signs were not purple cows, but this principal shows that placing dozens of signs for one candidate in a small area may not be the most effective.

Competitive Advantage

Paul LePage was not as widely known as Steve Abbott or Les Otten, but his experience was a major selling point for voters. I find three things have set Paul apart:

1. Experience with Business (General Manager of Mardens)

2. Experience with Government (Mayor of Waterville)

3. Life experiences (Homeless at age 11)

Les Otten has experience with business and many other of the candidates have experience in government. Paul LePage has both. He also has a compelling life story which is something that many people can relate to. With so many Republicans running for governor, a competative advantage is something that set the candidates apart.

Social Media

This is my favorite part! Utilizing social media was a critical component for the success of the campaign. LePage supporters were constantly sharing the "LePage 480" YouTube video, which has seen almost 8,000 views in about a month. Take note, a YouTube video is viewed by only those who WANT to see it. Commercials are constantly pushing a product, brand, or candidate. The LePage video reached it's target audience, and those people were the ones who wanted to see it.

In the last couple weeks before elections, I was constantly tracking what Facebook users were saying about the candidates (I searched within Facebook). I noticed that Paul's name was mentioned many more times than Les Otten or Steve Abbott. Obviously Facebook appeals to the younger demographic, but recently it has been widely adopted by people of all ages. Many of these people were encouraging their friends to vote for Paul Lepage, and I could see their friend's comments saying, "I am voting for him too!" They also were constantly sharing events, posts, and videos. The Facebook fan page was also optimized so the opening page contained his vision for the state of Maine. People didn't need to leave Facebook!

The next few months will be exciting, and I am blessed to assist the LePage campaign. If you have comments about this article, or think I am horribly wrong, let me know. Let's talk about it!

I'm sick and tired about hearing about Customer Service

To everyone reading this blog post, I am sick of hearing about how a business is set apart because of customer service. With the transparencies of technology, misconduct from a company can be revealed very easily, using Facebook, blogs, and Twitter. We also know that negative word of mouth can spread like wildfire.

I am very in-tune with the customer service process, yet I believe that this needs to be an expectation, not a "competitive advantage." In a perfect world, all businesses would care about their customers, yet we do not live in a perfect world. 

"I like this company because they have great customer service."

From a business perspective, this scares me. I would much rather hear something like this:

"I like this company because they provide a service that I cannot receive anywhere else. I also loved their great customer service."

In conclusion, customer service needs to be a huge priority, yet focus on creating a remarkable brand first!

Just my thought of the day, let me know if you disagree. 

Facebook "Like" button replaces "Become a Fan"

It's been a week or so since my last blog post, but the recent Facebook changes are looking pretty good, especially for owners of Business and Organizational Pages, formerly Fan Pages. From a marketing perspective, I expect to see some rapid growth over the next few weeks (maybe longer). Facebook keeps switching things up, and I am LOVING this.

Now, instead of become a fan, you can simply "like" a page. I believe that this will convert many viewers into followers, it is easier to "like" a brand, than it is to "Become a Fan." This process seems less of a task, and more of a fun activity (for example, "liking" a status).

 

 Another amazing feature that I noticed was how I can now visit a business page, and I can see how many of my friends "like" that page. For example, I have almost 900 friends on Facebook, and under 200 of them are connected to my page "Luke Thomas Media." I can also tell that almost 20 of the people connected to my business page are not friends with me, which shows some of the "viral" activity using Facebook.

 

Very Cool! Maybe more of my friends should "like" my page? In conclusion, for those of you who read this, take a look for yourself! Is this something that could gain more followers or am I over hyping it? Let me know!

Latest Update!

Challenges of Social Media

Over the past few months I have learned how simple and effective social media can be. I love the viral capabilites and the personal relationship that is possible with current and prospective customers. Truly, social media has changed how we communicate, yet, what happens when "proven" methods do not work? Should we continue, or abandon social media altogether?

Currently I am working with a client that has proven to be a difficult challenge. It is almost 400 Facebook fans strong, yet only a few interact! I attempted to engage them with questions, we even set up a promotion giving away a very expensive ring, yet they are not responding. I believe that the target market (women ages 30-60), is not Facebook saavy, they don't know how to invite their friends to the page, or tag the Jeweler in a status update. We offer instructions on how to do this, but it seems like the content is not being seen. Lastly, I have mixed up the timing of the updates, yet still no interactions are taking place. I will use many of the same methods in other fanpages, and I see massive growth. At least I know it works on some clients, huh?

Don't Give Up:

How did this fan page accumulate over three hundred fans to begin with? How did they promote it? Did they promote it at all? I analyzed the Facebook insights, and I saw a huge growth in the fan count after photos were posted. Could this be a sign?!

Find success, work for it

Establishing and maintaining a Facebook page can be very easy, or it can seem like a waste of time. What are you trying to communicate to your fans? Is your product or service unique? Like I have mentioned in previous posts, creativity is key. Vary your tactics, until you find something that works!

Give It Some Time!

It is true social media offers huge viral capabilities, and successful organizations can be built in very little time. Does that happen all the time? NO! Learn to be patient and find and release the content that people LOVE. If they enjoy something you have to offer, they will come back, and will bring their friends with them! Word of mouth is your greatest friend, take advantage of it by using social media!

With the cons of social media, the pros cannot be avoided! If a Facebook page or Twitter account gains one customer, it's worth it! The choice is yours, will you accept or reject social media? 

Focus on the brand, not the marketing

Maybe it's just me, but the world of marketing a product or service has become extremely easy over the past few years. Utilizing websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube the business owner can generate his/her own marketing "pieces" that are extremely effective. After a few hours of research, someone with simple marketing knowledge can create a Facebook fan page, Twitter account, and Youtube channel. Instead of focusing on marketing, more time and thought NEEDS to be spent on creating an unforgettable experience, something people will tell others about.

For example, let's say I am hired to manage the online presence of a local coffeeshop. This coffee shop is typical, and the customer experience is below average. I can create a Facebook page and get a thousand fans, but if the service is weak, then the marketing is useless. That is why I propose taking more time creating a unique product or service, and less time trying to come up with the perfect marketing plan. Word of mouth referrals are your best friend, don't limit your product/service reach because of a bad experience!

Here are some questions that you should ask:

1. What sets my product or service apart from the competition?

2. What need is my company fufilling?

3. Are current customers talking about my company organically? Or do I need to provoke conversation?

4. Am I making an effort to build a relationship with customers?

5. Is my company maintaining current relationships? Am I rewarding loyal customers?

These are a few of my thoughts, I know there are many more questions that need to be answered.

New Clients, the Power of Networking....

It's been a while since I blogged, party due to the fact that I have been extremely busy. The last few days I have learned the importance of networking, and I thought I might pass it along to you, these are simply my experiences.

Engage & Ask Questions:

After reading about personal branding from Gary Vaynerchuk, I decided to reach out in whatever social channel I could find. I began with LinkedIn, I already established a profile and make some connections. I then began joining groups, I focused on the Portland, Maine, area, simply because I may be going to school in the area next year.

I decided to take advantage of the discussion groups. I noticed that I received emails whenever someone posted a question on the discussion group. I posted my question about what type of opportunities are available in the Portland, Maine area for a college student, and I received a Facebook message, as well as a few emails! The great part was the fact that these people could see all the activities I was involved in - because they had access to my LinkedIn profile. It established my credibility!

Pick up the Phone:

As awesome as social media is, I believe that networking is more beneficial when your audience can associate a voice with the person who is speaking (Does that make sense?). Pick up the phone and give people a call, it may land you a sweet job in the near future!

Show off your projects:

As much as I hate displaying everything I am working on, it is extremely important to show the projects that you have completed (You need to be working on something all the time!). The people that view your profile should not have to search for information - it should be in an obvious place.

Be Personable:

Sometimes I have trouble spitting the right words out - I think it's a family curse. I try to compensate with this weakness by being energetic and passionate. Don't be boring - show the listener that you care!

I will have more points when I can think clearly............

Analytics vs. Conversations

Since the creation of the first website, many companies have provided GREAT tools to analyze the people that come to your site. Services like Google Analytics offer comprehensive statistics on traffic, yet I encourage you to rely on conversations, not simple page views and the time spent on the site. Don't get me wrong, this information is very important, yet I think it's time to focus on something more important - CONVERSATIONS. 

 First of all, constantly checking to see how many page views you have can be depressing, especially for a startup website or blog. Measure success by how many interactions you have with visitors, that is where value is created. 

I will talk about this more in depth later, but check out this video!