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#MarketingTitbits – Facebook, Vine, YouTube

Facebook-Vine-YouTube-smaller1. This is what happens on Facebook when you die
You may have never wondered what happens to your social media profiles when you die. It is not something most people would think about. However, different social media channels treat death in different ways. Until recently, Facebook has chosen to restrict a person’s privacy settings to just friends once they have died; however this has now changed.

Now, when a person dies, their Facebook privacy settings stay the same, they say they “are respecting the choices a person made in life while giving their extended community of family and friends ongoing visibility to the same content they could always see.”

Facebook have also added an extra touch for friends and family. If you are a Facebook user you will know that recently you have been able to access your “Look back” video, showing you your life on Facebook. After a father’s plea on YouTube to be able to see his deceased son’s “Look back” video, users can now request to see their friend’s videos upon request after they die.

To read more, click here. 

 

2. 14 best branded Vines of February 2014

Today, many brands are using Vine to connect with their customers. Companies such as McDonalds, Xbox, Microsoft and General Electric are doing great things on Vine and using the relatively new social media platform in an innovative way.

If you’re in need of inspiration on how to use Vine or just want to have a look at who is doing it well, have a look at the 14 best branded Vines of February 2014here. 

 

3. YouTube’s 20 most shared ads of February

Unruly Media have put together a list of the most shared adverts on YouTube from February 2014.

Three’s “Sing It Kitty”, Coca-Cola’s “Social Media Guard” and Budweiser’s “Puppy Love” all feature on the list. To have a look at the full 20, click here.

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How to use image-based social media channels for your business

top-imageAs the old saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words”, perhaps this is why so many companies today have adopted platforms like Instagram, Pinterest and Snapchat to promote their brand.
If you are using social media channels on a regular basis, it is important to bear in mind that Facebook images receive 50% more interaction than text-based posts and Twitter images are the most shared and clicked content.

As an SME, it can be a challenge to adopt creative social media campaigns when larger companies are famously interacting online. However, there are multiple benefits to a number of sectors when adopting image-based social media platforms.

 

Instagram

Since the launch in October 2010, Instagram has grown to over 150 million monthly active users. What makes this tool unique is that it centres on the use of photographs and captions only, providing fun, alternative ways to grow your brand presence and promote your company offering. Here are a few tips for using Instagram in your business.

  • Show a more personal side to your brand. Introduce a clearly defined personality and voice.
  • Offer an exclusive view into the lifestyle that your brand makes possible.
  • Inspire movement around your brand. Encourage people to capture photos and create campaigns with a #hashtag.
  • Know your audience. Take time to learn what people love about your brand and fill their newsfeeds with photos that capture this.
  • Offer followers exclusive benefits. Introduce them to a new product or service before it goes live for the public.

Last year, Kellogg’s came up with an idea to convert Instagram photos into their own currency. The Special K store in Stockholm was turned into an Instashop that encouraged customers to upload a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #nyaspecialk (nya – meaning new) to receive a box of their new Special K cereal. The campaign follows Kellogg’s first pop up shop in London where customers could pay for a packet of Special K Cracker Crisps by tweeting a message about the new snack

 

Pinterest

Pinterest is now the fastest growing image-sharing social media channel. In 2013, Pinterest drove 41% of social media traffic to ecommerce sites. The social media site is described as the world’s biggest collection of everybody’s favourite things.

There are multiple opportunities for businesses that explore this creative platform. To set you in the right direction, here are a few top tips.

  • Create specific boards, include products, case studies and company life.
  • Relevance is key. Keep up with the times and pinning regularly is essential.
  • If your company has information buried away in dated PowerPoint presentations, create useful infographics to share with your target audience.

Petplan, the pet insurance company, created an engaging destination for pet loving parents. Their aim was to produce relevant and easy-to-digest pet health information available in a visually compelling format. After researching the trending pet topics on Pinterest, Petplan began creating boards with images from their popular pet health magazine, fetch. Over time, the company created specific educational boards like “Health Tips” and “Breed All About It”. After developing their presence on Pinterest,  Petplan saw an 87% increase in new site traffic, a 35% increase in page views and a 12.5% increase in insurance quote requests.

 

Snapchat

Snapchat allows users to take photos and record videos, which can then be sent to a controlled list of recipients. It has been reported that Facebook offered to buy Snapchat for over $3 billion, which highlights how important the app has quickly become. If you are worried that Snapchat might not be appropriate for your business, here are a few tips to help you use this platform effectively.

  • Make your snaps straight to the point. Your audience will be able to see them for a maximum of 10 seconds.
  • Keep it light-hearted, one of the main reasons for Snapchat is to make people smile, so be funny!
  • Personalise responses when possible, which reinforces the human aspect.
  • Quick competitions are a great way to engage with your audience via Snapchat.

The Co-operative is the first major UK retailer to use Snapchat for marketing. The ‘Snaptop’ campaign offers students £30 off all laptops online when they add Co-operative Electrical as a friend on Snapchat.  The Co-operative’s campaign is about targeting a specific audience using a platform they love, with something they need, at the time of year they need it.

The expectations of brands on social media are getting higher, which is leading to businesses having to turn away from traditional mediums and create more engaging and interactive experiences for followers. As images continue to generate higher engagement rates than text-based content, businesses will need to re-evaluate their marketing in 2014 to ensure that campaigns reflect the ever changing social media environment.

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LinkedIn Changes: April 2014

blog-imageSince its launch in May 2003, LinkedIn has become an essential tool for business professionals and companies. As well as being a networking tool and virtual CV for users, the Company Pages have developed hugely over the years and now enable significant brand development potential. They allow your company to connect and engage with followers interested in your brand.
Currently, if you have a Company page on LinkedIn, you have the ability to display the products and services that your company has to offer. Alongside the specific products and services images, links and descriptions can be added. However, as of April 14th 2014 this will change. LinkedIn have announced that they will be removing all “Products and Services” sections from company pages. To help overcome this, LinkedIn have recommended ways of conveying the same information to your followers. 

Company Updates

Company updates can be seen both on your Company Page as well as on the newsfeeds of your followers; they can be added to and updated on a daily basis. Not only this, but they give you a chance to engage with your followers and the people who are interested in your brand. To take advantage of this, it is important to ensure that the information you are sharing is appropriate for your brand and target audience. Remember it is your Company not you or your individual employees speaking.

Showcase Pages

Similar to the soon-to-be defunct “Products and Services” section, these are subpages of the Company Page. Here, companies can showcase the specific services they offer and post regular updates to their followers.  Contrastingly to the “Products and Services” pages, these can be followed by users in the same way they would follow an individual Company Page.

Other features include:

  • Analytics are available so that you can track what content your followers are interested in and engaging with. This is separate to the Company Page as a whole.
  • Groups can be featured on the page, allowing you to promote networks that you are part of or are linked to your company.
  • Just like the Company Pages, you can add the Showcase Pages to your Hootsuite account, making sharing content that little bit easier.
  • If an individual is following one of your Showcase Pages this does not mean they will automatically be following the Company Page. This means users can be segmented and only be informed of the news that specifically interests them.

Company Recommendations

Company Recommendations are currently a part of “Products and Services” pages. When these disappear there will be nothing to replace them, or if there is LinkedIn have given no indication as to what this might be yet.

If you are an admin for a Company page, you can easily save the recommendations by copying them into a document. If you’re not able to do this before the 14th April deadline, you can still request a copy of the recommendations direct from LinkedIn through their Customer Support Centre until 30th May.

Although the section of the Company Page dedicated to recommendations will be gone, there is nothing stopping you from creating a Showcase Page dedicated to these testimonials, keeping them all in one place and easy to find for your followers.

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#MarketingTitbits – Lego, blogging, Marc Jacobs

lego-blog-marcjacobs-smaller1. Lego to co-create marketing campaign with UK fansLego is calling upon all UK fans to help create a marketing campaign by suggesting new product ideas for a global market. Lego’s head of global community co-creation said despite the fact the company is not expecting the new products to be the next Ninjango or Lego Movie, it is hoping to build on the trust it already has within its UK community of fans. Lego are also encouraging the fans to promote this new marketing campaign via their own social media profiles.

Similarly, in the past, Lego have invited fans to give input to their marketing. For example, students in Canada sent a balloon with a Lego figure attached to the edge of space and scenes in the Lego Movie have been created by fans. To read more, click here. 

 

2. Blogger vs. Word Press: which is better for beginners?

If you’ve never written or had a blog before and you’d like to but don’t know how to get started, this is a great article for you. The two most widely used blogging platforms out there are Blogger and WordPress but it can be difficult to decide which one is best for you.

They differ in terms of ease of use, aesthetics and how easy they are to integrate to social media channels but really it all comes down to what type of blogger you are. If you’re looking for a blog that is simple, without much room for customisation, then blogger may be the one for you. However, if you’re more serious about blogging in the long term and want your blog to be totally unique, WordPress is probably the platform for you.

To read the full article, click here. 

 

3. Marc Jacobs takes to Twitter to find face of new campaign

Last week, Marc Jacobs made a controversial decision to find the face of their campaign not by the traditional method of model agencies, but through Twitter. The designer brand asked fans to post a selfie with the hashtag #CastMeMarc.

This is not the first time the company have taken to Twitter; during London Fashion Week they opened a ‘tweet shop’ allowing customers to make purchases simply by tweeting about the brand! To read more, click here.

 

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#MarketingTitbits – Twitter, Ribena, Innocent

twitter-ribena-innocent-smaller1. Like it or not, you’ll have Twitter’s new profile by May 28th
Last month, Twitter announced that they will be updating the Twitter profile design. It’s true that the new design bears more than a passing resemblance to Facebook, but like it or not, you will be using it from May 28th.

You have probably already seen the new design, as new users and some existing users have been using it over the past month. It appears that some Twitter users aren’t happy about the change and have been expressing their opinions over Twitter.

To read more, click here. 

 

2. Ribena ad banned for ‘exaggerated’ health boasts

In a bid to make their marketing “more consumer friendly”, Ribena got an advert banned by the Advertising Standards Authority.

The company had reworded health claims associated with the vitamins present in its products, such as “Vitamin A… helps keep your vision in tip-top condition” and “Vitamin C… it helps immunity”. Unfortunately, the ASA claimed that Ribena implied the vitamins make the body perform better when in reality they just help the body to maintain its normal function.

To read more, click here.

 

 

3. Innocent juice campaign will run despite Indian mangoes import ban

As of May 2nd, the EU decided that the shipments of mangoes from India must be suspended. This is because some consignments of the fruit were found to be infested with fruit flies, which were deemed to be dangerous if brought over to the UK. David Cameron has said he will “do his best to reverse this ban so we can keep the special relationship with India”.

However, in the meantime, Innocent had to make a decision about whether they would run their new advertising campaign, which features the story about Bedrul who produces the mangoes that go into one of Innocent’s juice blends.

To read more and to watch the advert, click here.

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#MarketingTitbits – Google, social media, quotes

Google-socialmedia-quotes-smaller11. Study says that Google is now the world’s most valuable brand
For the last few years, Apple has been credited as the world’s most valuable brand. Their place in the number one spot has been envied and aspired to by many, but none more than Google.

However, this year the results are in and Google have finally managed to overtake Apple, taking the title of the world’s most valuable brand. The BrandZ study is undertaken by Millward Brown and estimates Google’s brand value at $158,843,000, compared to Apple’s $147,880,000. Here are the top 10 brands and the brand value of each in dollars.

  1. Google 158,843
  2. Apple 147,880
  3. IBM 107,541
  4. Microsoft 90,185
  5. McDonald’s 85,706
  6. Coca Cola 80,683
  7. Visa 79,197
  8. AT&T 77,883
  9. Marlboro 67,341
  10. Amazon 64,255

To read more, click here. 

 

2. What are the best social media marketing campaigns of all time?

In late 2007, 100,000 businesses were already using Facebook to interact with their customers. Today, millions of businesses all over the world are doing the same thing. This just goes to show how relevant social media has become for business, within a 7 year period.

We’ve found an article from Econsultancy this week highlighting some of the best social media marketing campaigns over the last 7 years. Some of them include Old Spice, GoPro, Barak Obama’s Presidential Campaigns and Oreo. To read more, click here. 

 

3. 15 quotes about creativity from advertising legends

Today, in any industry, creativity is a must. Whether you are thinking of ideas for a company name, new product or logo, it can sometimes be hard to get inspiration. To help you get inspired, here are some wise words from advertising legends.

“Most ideas are a bit scary, and if an idea isn’t scary, it’s not an idea at all.” Lee Clow, chairman, TBWA/Media Arts Lab

To read more, click here.

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#MarketingTitbits – Google, app, social media

google-scent-socialmedia-smaller1. 10 Google Doodle is celebrating the World Cup in style

For those of you who use Google, you are probably now used to the company celebrating historic moments through their Google doodles. The animations, interactive games and imaginative cartoons have been used in the past to celebrate things such as Valentine’s Day and the birthday of the Rubik’s Cube.

However, this month Google have been brightening up the search engine with a new Google doodle for every day of the World Cup. If you have missed these ingenious doodles then click here to see all of them. 

 

2. This app can send scented text messages

Last week, a Harvard University professor unveiled a brand new app for the iPhone. oSnap has been developed by him and his students and allows the user to send text messages accompanied by a photo and a scent to one another.

The app lets you take a photo and then asks you to tag scent notes that go along with it, up to 8 in total. The message is then sent and the user on the other end can use the oPhone to receive the photo and accompanying smell. Despite the fact that the phone is currently only available at the Natural History Museum in New York and Le Laboratoire in Paris, the team are currently raising support hoping to make the phone available in homes.

To read more, click here. 

 

3. 19 social media fails of this year so far

Especially for those who are new to it, it can be hard to find the right content to use on your social media channels. Our first piece of advice is to find content that is relevant to your followers and post as regularly as possible.

Our second piece of advice is to not do what these people have done. Have a look at this article from Econsultancy that highlights some of the most cringe worthy and horrific social media fails of the year so far, enjoy!

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#MarketingTitbits – personalities, authentic brands, social media

personalities-authenticity-socialmedia-smaller1. The best jobs for every personality type
Ever wondered what job you are best suited for? If you don’t, taking the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test could be a start. You may not have come across it before, but this test has been an established tool within business for decades. Simply answer the questions and the results will outline what 5 job types you are most suited for, easy!

Let us know if you get anything surprising.

To take the test and find out what your top five are,click here.

2. How to be an authentic brand

Firefish has recently conducted a survey into the ‘authenticity’ of brands from the views of 1000 consumers. Many of the world’s most well-known brands hit the top 20, but there were also a few surprises. Heinz fought off competition from Apple, who came in 6th, and Coca Cola, who hit unlucky 13th, to come out in pole position. To be authentic, a brand needs to be culturally relevant to the target consumer, but how is this determined?

According to the study, there are particular values that can boost your ability to thrive as an authentic brand, including originality, expertise and passion. But, as recommended by Heinz’s vice-principal of marketing, Giles Jepson, your key to being authentic is to be clear about what you stand for. But is it always that simple?

To read more about the rankings, click here.

3. 5 Social Media mistakes to avoid

If you or your business is looking to master the world of social media, then there are certain things you need to steer clear of, as reported by Entrepreneur. Incomplete profiles mean an incomplete brand in the social media world. How is a potential customer supposed to gain all the relevant information about a business when the details aren’t placed in front of them?

Constant bombardments of sales pitches will also divert customers away from your profiles, so try to break up your feed by adding personal touches rather than violating Terms of Service agreements by spamming users. It is highly important to see you profiles through the eyes of potential customers, in order to achieve the best results from social media. If you succeed in this, then you are ideally positioned to reap the rewards that social media mastery offers.

Click here to find out what else you should aim to avoid when creating your profiles.

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#MarketingTitbits – ice bucket challenge, Red Bull vs. GoPro, CEOs

icebucket-redbullgopro-ceos-smaller1. Charity defeats memes: ice bucket challenge hits 1 billion YouTube views
The Ice Bucket Challenge has been sweeping the globe over the past few months, but who could have predicted that it would become one of the internet’s biggest video memes in history? The challenge has topped the ‘Harlem Shake’ craze of 2013, having reached the 1 billion views milestone on YouTube, whilst raising awareness for ALS and over $100 million dollars in donations.

ALS is a neurodegenerative disease and its Wikipedia page views reached 2.89 million in August alone, coinciding with ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ searches topping YouTube in the same month. It goes to show the power of social media and begs the question – what will the next viral craze be?

To check out the most-viewed challenge videos,  click here.

2. Red Bull vs GoPro: taking content marketing to the extreme

Two brands in opposite corners, fighting it out for content marketing supremacy. But who will be crowned the champion? Econsultancy decides.

Both Red Bull and GoPro have revolutionised the content marketing world, through broadcasting heart-stopping events or positioning us at the centre of the action on helmet cams and cockpits, as sports are taken to the extremes. Not even GoPro can rival Red Bull’s Stratos jump – resulting in Felix Baumgartner breaking the speed of sound as he fell from the edge of space. Perhaps no one can for the foreseeable future. However, GoPro produces content that its audience finds entertaining, unique and exciting, proving that the brand is a force to be reckoned with. Both brands’ YouTube channels also enjoy expressing their love for the extraordinary, so if you haven’t had your fill of exhilaration, then this is the place to go. However, rivalry aside, arguably each owe their success to the other’s existence?

To see who came out on top, click here.

3. What CEOs wish they knew about money in their 20s

Some CEOs have finally confirmed what we’ve all thought; not everyone knows everything. So, what were some of the things they would have loved to know all those years ago?

Contrary to what many of us think, according to Matt Maloney, money is not the route to happiness. The CEO of grubHub believes a key lesson to learn is that passion is a driver of success, and this brings you happiness, rather than the money itself. It seems that TOMS founder, Blake Mycoskie, agrees and recommends enjoying life rather than chasing money.

To hear the other billionaire tycoons’ views on wealth, click here.

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#MarketingTitbits – Coke Life, social media demographics, productivity

cokelife-socialdemographics-productivity-smaller1. Coke Life is the harbinger of death for Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola’s attempt to launch their new brand, Coca-Cola Life, has had the question raised byMarketingWeek, about whether their latest product a dud? Filled with 89 calories per can, Coca Cola Life has been described as a ‘half-way house’ between the regular 139 calorie can, and the zero calories of Diet Coke and Coke Zero.

Although Coca Cola have made a good attempt with their 50 calorie reduction, the drink still contains a high amount of sugar that could result in consumers shying away from the new introduction as the world’s population strives to be healthier.

The new flavour is stated to be extracted from natural sources, but take one look at the listed ingredients on the new green can and you’ll see that the soft drink contains a number of less than ‘natural’ substances and is certainly no more ‘natural’ than its ‘full-fat’ sister drink. So, maybe Coca Cola aren’t being 100% truthful in their claims.

It begs the question, is Coke following in the footsteps of rival Pepsi’s previous attempts at bringing healthier options into the market?

To read more, click here.

2. The social media demographics report

Social media networks’ population profiles are constantly changing – some are cultivating millions of younger users, whilst others are reaching more mature audiences. But how are the demographics changing?

In a new Business Insider report, we see that Facebook is still the most popular among teens in the USA, whilst 6 out of 10 Snapchat users are in the 18 to 34 age group, making it the youngest social network of all. Another interesting revelation is the growth in male users on Twitter, whereas previously, the site had always typically been gender-neutral.

Is this a signal of further changing times in the world of social media?

To find out how other social networks are faring, click here.

3. Get it done: 35 habits of the most productive people

We all only have 24 hours in a day and sometimes all of us go through times where this just doesn’t feel like enough for us to accomplish everything we set out to do. But Anna Vital, co-founder of Funders and Founders, has now compiled a number of tips on how to become more productive.

The infographic she has created consists of a number of actions you can adopt to improve your productivity. Not wasting time on wondering what to wear, eating healthily, assuming you’re always right and limiting your email replies to one per minute are just a few.

To see the full list, click here.

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