How Has Twitter Impacted Your Brand?

Image Credit: Twitter

With the recent celebration of Twitter's 10th anniversary, there are some in the mainstream media and especially the financial media who question Twitter's impact. The financial value may not be as strong as that of other social networks, such as, Facebook and LinkedIn, but there is no doubt that Twitter has become an influential item in the marketing tool box.

If your President, CEO, or entire leadership team questions the validity of Twitter and why you should develop a presence on this social platform, here are five ways that you can use Twitter - no matter what your industry is - to build your brand.

[1] Customer Service
While a common use of Twitter may be customer upset over airplane delays or poor restaurant experiences, the ability for a customer to interact with your brand in real time cannot be surpassed by any other social network. There is a recognized hashtag #servicefail used by many in the Twitterverse (Twitter universe) to indicate displeasure with a customer experience - and the appearance of this hashtag in a Tweet makes it guaranteed to appear in any search for poor service. And when a Tweet is included in a search, others in the Twitterverse will see it. You don't want your brand or company name to be included in these types of searches!

[2] Brand Listening
With a few short and easy-to-remember words or phrases - or even taglines - you can monitor what customers, prospects, and the media say in real time about your brand. Hashtags with your brand or brands, business name, or even your tagline if it's short (think #JustDoIt for Nike) will create easy-to-follow search threads.

[3] Event Promotion
Whether you're a for-profit business or a nonprofit organization, event attendees like to talk about events leading up to an event and also during an event. Think about award ceremonies, technology tradeshows, and galas. You can create a hashtag for the event and then watch the comments. Think about the #SuperBowl, the #WorldSeries, and even #2016PresidentialRace - these are just some of the events that create real time opportunities for discussion.

[4] Tweet Chats
Twitter has a unique capability called Tweet Chats. You can set a time and create a hashtag, and for 30 or 60 minutes, host a virtual discussion. These Tweet Chats exist for nearly every subject and are hosted by many brands. You can attract potential customers and make new connections for your brand - and easily feature an expert from your company or invite an industry expert to participate on behalf of your brand or business.

Check out this schedule of Tweet Chats:
http://tweetreports.com/twitter-chat-schedule/

Learn the basics for hosting a Tweet Chat:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevecooper/2013/09/30/the-ultimate-guide-to-hosting-a-tweet-chat/#1a04f1e364b3

And lastly...

[5] Competitor Research
Have you ever wondered what was happening with your key competitors but didn't know how to find out before a new product or service launched? NOW you can easily find out. Follow your competitors on Twitter, and you will learn all the news that they share in real time. If there are hashtags for unique products in your industry, then searches using these terms will automatically find them. And with Twitter, your searches are not shared with the world - as opposed to LinkedIn, where your searches and activity can be tracked.

So if you haven't yet jumped into Twitter, create a strategy about the content you will share, develop a distribution schedule, and join the conversation, or convo in shortened Twitter lingo. You may even attract new customers, but you won't know until you try. Above all, respond to Tweets in real time - or as soon as possible - don't leave a fellow Tweeter hanging - it's similar to not returning a voicemail or email.

Why Janitors May Be Your Best Brand Advocates

Some time ago, I read a book, Managing Whole People, One Man's Journey, by leadership expert Mark Herbert, and the book featured a memorable story about the importance of corporate culture. A man visited a hospital in Texas because he wanted to meet a famous heart surgeon. As the man left the hospital following his meeting with the surgeon, he met an elderly man who was mopping the floor. The visitor asked, “What do you do here at the hospital?” The elderly man who was mopping the floor replied, “Dr. DeBakey and I save lives together.” The elderly man explained that Dr. DeBakey had told all staff members that hospital infections kill more patients than disease, so the elderly man was doing his part to keep the hospital clean.

Now, think about your business and your culture. If a total stranger interacted with any of your employees, would he or she have the same type of experience? Would he or she see firsthand that your employees understand your business, your brand promise, your competitive advantage, and why your business exists?
 
I’ve invited Mark Herbert to share some of his insights to help businesses improve their cultures and maintain long-term, satisfied employees.

The Human Resources Pyramid describes a series of questions that every employee from the custodian all the way up to and including the CEO seeks answers to, and both the questions and the order that they are answered in (if it all) play a very important role if you expect to create and sustain an environment of engagement. Those questions are:
•    What is my job?
•    How am I doing?
•    Does anybody care?
•    What do we do?
•    How are we doing?
•    How can I help?

When you address these questions on an individual level along with the Golden Circle from Simon Sinek, you have a formula for creating the kind of alignment and performance that cause CEO’s and CFO’s to shout with delight. Sinek’s model is elegant in its simplicity; he recommends that organizations answer three key questions from the inside out rather than from the outside in:
•    WHY are we doing this?
•    HOW are we doing this?
•    WHAT are we doing?

When you think about it, these questions form the foundation of every organization with a meaningful value proposition, whether they are in the profit or not for profit space. We hear every day that the new generations are demanding more from their work than a paycheck, they want meaning and value. For all the debate about employee engagement and employment branding, the evidence is compelling that organizations with high levels of engagement outperform their competitors in every key performance metric. Similarly, organizations with strong intentional employment brands – think Starbucks, Google, Apple, Zappos – don’t spend much time lamenting the fact they can’t find applicants to fill their open positions.

Dr. DeBakey was a man before his time. He provided a roadmap for employees before it was called employee engagement. If you look back at the conversation with the custodian, he knew the answers to both the Human Resources Pyramid and Sinek’s Golden Circle. High-performing organizations recognize that their BRAND lives where their customers and their employees intersect. As leaders, the choice is ours….

My thanks to Mark for his commentary here on my blog. Here are some final thoughts...What steps do your leadership team, management team, and human resources team all take to make sure that your corporate culture allows for and develops respect, responsibility, rewards, information sharing and open communication, and loyalty? If you cannot answer the question, just think about the Texas hospital janitor – wouldn’t you want him on your team?


For more timeless leadership insights, follow Mark Herbert on Twitter @NewParadigmer and on his blog at http://www.newparadigmsllc.com/blog-page. 

Image Credit: vectorolie via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A Review of the #Ads from #SuperBowl50

There is no dispute that the annual Super Bowl football game is one of the most-watched TV events around the world. But for those of us who live and breathe all things marketing and branding, the final football showdown of the season provides a different focus. 

The incredibly high-priced ads that grace the TV screen during the game have become known as the Brand Bowl, and since I watched the game with my smartphone for the ad discussion in real time on Twitter, it's time to determine if the millions of dollars spent on the ads achieved the desired brand recognition.

"Advertisers covet the Super Bowl because of the size of its audience — the biggest on television, by far. 2015’s game drew 112.2 million viewers, making it the most watched show in U.S. TV history," explained John Ourand, staff writer for Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily.

Were any of the ads as memorable as Apple's from 1984? Were any of the Tweets as memorable as Oreo's power outage Tweet from 2013? Can you recall any of the ads? What was your favorite, and which ads fell short?

According to Wikipedia, "CBS set the base rate for a 30-second advertisement at $5,000,000, a record high price for a Super Bowl ad (the price represents an 11 percent increase over the base price that NBC charged for Super Bowl XLIX last year of $4.5 million). This will be the final year in a multi-year contract with Anheuser-Busch InBev that allows the beer manufacturer to air multiple advertisements during the game at a steep discount. It is also the final year that Doritos, a longtime sponsor of the game, will hold its "Crash the Super Bowl" contest that allowed viewers to create their own Doritos ads for a chance to have it aired during the game. The Pokémon Company will be airing an ad for the first time as a way to celebrate their 20th anniversary. QuickBooks is sponsoring a "Small Business Big Game" contest, in which one of ten small businesses from various parts of the United States will have a 30-second commercial aired free of charge courtesy of QuickBooks."

"The Super Bowl 50 Host Committee has vowed to be "the most giving Super Bowl ever," and will dedicate 25 percent of all money it raises for philanthropic causes in the Bay Area. The committee created the 50 fund as its philanthropic initiative and focuses on providing grants to aid with youth development, community investment and sustainable environments."

According to Landor Associates, "Here are three tips to help you, your dad, or even your football-crazed grandma decide which brands scored a touchdown with their commercials: Is the ad on-brand? Will you remember the brand tomorrow? And, does the ad speak to the times?”

During the game, I participated in a TweetChat hosted by Jim Joseph of Cohn and Wolfe using #SuperBowlExp, and although it's always fun to see what fellow marketing folks are saying about the ads in real time, there are a couple of challenges. First, some ads run in regional or local markets, so there were several instances that Tweets referenced ads that not only hadn't I seen during the same commercial breaks, but I didn't see some ads at all. Second, there are so many hashtags that draw attention to the same thing, the ads, that sometimes, it's hard to keep up. There was #SuperBowlExp, #SuperBowlAds, #BrandBowl, #SuperBowl, and many more.

Sadly, this year, there were no Oreos, M&Ms, polar bears wearing scarves featuring the colors of the competing teams, or the entire group of Clydesdales with their pal, the Dalmatian, so while I was missing those brands or brand icons, here were my favorite ads:

Audi’s ad entitled, “The Commander,” honored David Bowie’s musical legacy and featured a memorable tagline that “Choosing the moon brings out the best of us.” According to Audi, “The legacy of the first moon landing lives on at Audi. The same spirit of discovery drives us to dream, innovate, and explore, from creating a car that goes 205 mph to building a lunar rover. It’s why we're constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.” As a previous Audi owner, I’m ready to get into an Audi driver’s seat again.

My second favorite ad was Subaru’s ad entitled, “Puppy.” A dog parent was driving around the neighborhood to keep his puppy asleep in the back seat, and when he parked in his driveway and turned off the car's engine, the puppy immediately woke up and started barking. This situation was easily identifiable for parents, but the ad was even more convincing with its final message: Dog Approved.

Two ads tied for my third favorite: Budweiser’s #GiveADamn ad featuring British actress Helen Mirren and the NFL’s #NoMore ad to speak up, become educated about, and end domestic violence. Mirren was seated in a restaurant, and told viewers to not drink and drive. The NFL’s ad featured two friends texting, and one friend stopped suddenly. Hopefully, viewers watched both while sober and paid attention. With such a large audience on Super Bowl Sunday, I believe that serious issues should be addressed by advertisers.

Learn what the Joyful Heart Foundation (@TheJHF on Twitter) had to say about the NFL’s ad:
http://www.joyfulheartfoundation.org/blog/new-super-bowl-ad-premieres-about-friend-who-may-need-help-know-when-know-how.

One of Doritos ads featured a group of dogs who desperately wanted to enter a grocery store to purchase some Doritos. Despite many unsuccessful attempts, they devised a clever disguise to fool the store employees and walk away with their purchase. You just had to laugh at this ad.

While the product was not as memorable as the actor featured in the ad, LG’s use of Liam Neeson in a role similar to his “Taken” film role was spot on. His cadence and some of his comments were reminiscent of the film series of the same name.

To answer Landor Associates’ questions, Audi’s and Subaru’s ads were on-brand (driving excitement for Audi and family fun with dogs for Subaru); I vividly recalled the ads the day after viewing them, and the ads speak to the times (people want excitement in their cars even if they’re stuck in freeway traffic, and people also want cars that their entire family – two-legged and four-legged – can be comfortable in).

None of this year’s ads stood out like the following ads from the past: Apple’s 1984 ad; the surprise featuring Jay Leno, David Letterman, and Oprah; the young boy dressed as Darth Vader for Volkswagen; Budweiser’s talking frogs; Budweiser’s Clydesdales bowing down to New York after September 11; and Chrysler’s launch of its “Imported from Detroit” campaign.

And now, I’d like to hand over the virtual microphone to Jenn Herman. Jenn provided a social media tip for one of my blog posts back in December, and now she’s sharing her thoughts about the Super Bowl ads. Jenn is a social media consultant, speaker, and globally recognized Instagram expert. She is the forefront blogger on Instagram marketing and her blog, Jenn’s Trends, has won the title of a “Top 10 Social Media Blog” in 2014 and 2015. Through her blog, consulting, and speaking, she provides tips, resources, and training for small to medium sized businesses that need to structure their social media strategies. Her business background includes Administration, Sales, Human Resources, and Marketing, and she enjoys bringing these skills together to help grow businesses. Visit Jenn’s website at www.jennstrends.com and connect on Twitter and Instagram at @jenns_trends.

My favorite commercial from the Super Bowl this year was the Doritos spot with the baby on the ultrasound. It was funny, entertaining, and downright lol-worthy. Not to mention, I craved Doritos nacho cheese chips the whole time I was pregnant, so I might be a little biased! But I honestly loved every aspect of the commercial and I always enjoy the Doritos commercials as they really take the competition aspect of Super Bowl seriously. Now, I know a lot of people got all upset about this one, and to each his own, but I found it funny and entertaining. I don't see the need to take it too literally.

Second on my list is the Mini #DefyLabels spot. Even though it wasn’t a funny or innovative commercial, it was timely and relevant to the trending topic of rhetoric these days, and I thought it did well to dispel those labels. It felt empowering and supportive, and that resonated with me. It also showcased the car well, and in all reality, that’s still the point. With the right marketing message, Mini could do well with this new campaign.

I’ll admit that my third choice didn’t start out that way. The Prius commercial began with the bank robbery suspects evading police. It seemed awkward and drawn out. But as it continued and really played on the advantages of the Prius, it got pretty entertaining. The real winner came in the follow-up spots that took the story that much further as the police get involved with their own Prius. I loved the way this played into trends, behaviors, and marketing all together.

The Hyundai Genesis commercial featuring Kevin Hart started the day off strong and was definitely one of my favorites. It had a slightly Bad Boy (when Martin Lawrence’s daughter goes on a date) theme to the content but I liked that. It was quirky, funny, and sold the features of the car in a way that made you feel like you couldn’t live without them, even though you totally could.

Finally, and apparently against what many have to say, one of my favorites was the Audi R8 Commander spot. I found it endearing and it gave me goosebumps. Not to mention, the car was gorgeous! So, yeah, those who found it insensitive, unrealistic, or ridiculous to compare the car with a space shuttle, it’s a commercial – calm down.

Of course, there were plenty of other good ones. Overall, it was a “good” representation of ads. But there really weren’t that many knock-it-out-of-the-park winners for me. On the other hand, there were some serious WTF commercials! Chronic constipation, digestive issues, and toe nail fungus all took the top honors for cringe-worthy spots. Why do they insist on torturing us? And, finally, the whole #PuppyMonkeyBaby...don't even get me started on this ridiculousness! If this represents the product you’re pushing Mountain Dew, you quite effectively convinced me never to touch that toxic concoction!

A big thanks to Jenn for sharing her thoughts with me and appearing here on my blog. And if you’d like to see how the top 50 ads rated, here’s the link: http://admeter.usatoday.com/results/2016.

PR Week reported that brand tracking companies differed over who “won” the PR battle during last night's Super Bowl, but all pointed to Doritos, Hyundai, and Budweiser being among the best at engaging the public and social media users. Brandwatch tracked social media brand mentions during the game’s four-hours and crowned Doritos the winner with 89,000 mentions, followed by Pepsi with 38,000 mentions. Pokemon, Mountain Dew and Budweiser made up the rest of its top five.

Jacques de Cock, a faculty member at London School of Marketing, said the game will have been watched in half of US households. "The Super Bowl is a phenomenon unsurpassed in the world. It is one of the few national social events, which is also why social media traffic during the game is so high...What is also remarkable is that advertising is not viewed as something to skip, but is seen by 77 percent of viewers as part of the entertainment and therefore more watched and engaged with than any other television advertising during the year."

Image Credit: Thanks to Tom Fishburne for use of his cartoon with this post. Tom is the Founder and CEO of Marketoon Studios, a content marketing studio that helps businesses reach their audiences with cartoons. Check out his work at http://tomfishburne.com.

_______________________________________________________________________________

A quick wave to Julia Carcamo, who attended Mardi Gras this year. Julia and I collaborated in 2012, 2013, and 2014, to discuss the Super Bowl ads, and here are the links to previous posts:

Julia’s post from 2015 – I was sidelined:
https://juliacarcamo.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/advertising-on-the-biggest-entertainment-stage
 
Joint Post on February 3, 2014:
http://debbielaskey.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-game-ended-early-but-super-bowl-ads.html

Joint Post on February 4, 2013:
http://debbielaskey.blogspot.com/2013/02/when-ads-take-center-stage-post-game.html
 
Joint post on February 6, 2012:
http://debbielaskey.blogspot.com/2012/02/which-of-super-bowl-ads-do-you-remember.html

A New Term for Bosses: "Employee Empowerment Advocates"

While we all read countless blog posts on a daily basis, how many stand out? What makes a particular post stand out? I read an excellent post quite some time ago, and not only the title but the message have remained with me.

The question posed by the post was, should we banish the word "boss" from our business vocabulary? There are so many negative connotations with the word boss stemming from how a boss supervises his or her employees to how he or she interacts with them in casual situations. However, since the boss oversees departments and teams, assigns projects, and conducts performance reviews, it is clear why the individual known as the boss is in charge. (Recall all the Dilbert cartoons?)

We've all seen people change overnight when they assume the title of boss. It's as if a light bulb goes on in the individual's head, and he or she is no longer able to communicate or empathize with employees. This does not create a positive working environment – and the boss is the reason.

So, what can be done? The memorable blog post recommended shifting from the term boss toward a more educational term of mentor. But that really doesn’t go far enough. Titles are not the only thing that must change in order for workplaces to become more productive and positive.

Corporate cultures must change, and in the process, anyone who has the privilege of supervising employees, teams, and departments must evolve. These supervisors, managers or leaders must be genuine advocates for their employees. They must provide their employees with the tools to do their jobs as well as the authority to make decisions to improve customer experiences.

In the words of leadership expert Mark Herbert, "Leadership is a gift, not a position. It doesn’t require you to be the smartest person in the room…It requires you to block and tackle for others."

So, would you use my term for your boss: Employee Empowerment Advocate? If it improves your workplace culture, I invite you to adopt my term.

Marketing Highlights from 2015

With 2015 now history, it's time for my annual "Top 10" marketing highlights post. What campaigns were great? Which were duds? What stood out as marketing innovation, and what will go down in history as memorable as Apple's 1984 Super Bowl ad? 

What do you remember from the 2015 marketing reel?

With a quick nod to David Letterman for the format, here's my list:

Number 10:
Google changed its corporate name to Alphabet. While the search engine did not become Alphabet, the name change came as a surprise, especially since the term or infinitive, "to google something" has become part of everyone's life when conducting online research.

Number 9:
Volkswagen endured a scandal with diesel-powered vehicles that significantly tarnished its brand equity and impacted sales. Audi, an affiliated brand, recently cut its ad dollars - so the scandal was not short-lived or something that only impacted VW.

Number 8:
The movie "Furious 7" drove into movie theaters following a memorable ad campaign that honored the memory of actor Paul Walker, who played a large part in the movie franchise but died before the movie was completed. Large billboards depicted the group of actors gazing toward an image of Walker.

Number 7:
Two technology powerhouse brands, Adobe and Microsoft, announced a strategic partnership to provide brands with customer intelligence by connecting data from sales, marketing, and customer service. According to Mark Zablan, president of Adobe EMEA, "Together, Adobe and Microsoft are joining forces to create the industry’s first large-scale solution for connecting the customer experience across all customer touch points and helping companies communicate much more effectively regardless of where customers are in the lifecycle."

Number 6:
Caitlyn (formerly, Bruce) Jenner graced the cover of Vanity Fair magazine following a life change that brought the transgender issue into the mainstream. Following a life of Olympic medals, this transition was shared on TV and in print, and in the process, created a new personal brand.

Number 5:
Following the birth of their first child, a daughter named Maxima Chan Zuckerberg, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan announced that they would donate 99 percent of their Facebook stock worth an estimated $45 billion through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a newly formed group that will initially focus on education and health.

Number 4:
Sesame Street introduced a character with Autism to help children on the spectrum learn life skills and also teach awareness about autism. The new character named Julia was part of Sesame Workshop's "See Amazing in All Children" Initiative.

Number 3:
Starbucks ended the year with a controversy termed "Red Cup Gate" when it launched its holiday cups with solid red and green logo but without any holiday-themed designs. According to the company's VP of design and content, "This year, we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories." Social media was full of noise, but most fans ignored the controversy and simply purchased their favorite holiday drinks: gingerbread latte, pumpkin spice latte, eggnog latte, etc.

Number 2:
With the long-awaited arrival of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in theaters, fans of this nearly 40-year-old movie franchise had much to celebrate. But on the marketing front, the subtitle should actually be: The Brands Awaken. Co-branding opportunities that promoted the movie popped up everywhere: Jeep, Dodge, Fiat, General Mills, Kraft, Costco, Verizon, Subway, Duck Tape and more.

And Number 1 on the 2015 Marketing Highlights List:
Donald Trump evolved from business tycoon and TV host to Presidential candidate. While some may question his viability for this position, there is not doubt that he can teach everyone a thing or two about building a powerful personal brand.

What would you add to this list? Here's to 2016 and another year of marketing highlights. Happy New Year!


Image Credit: Stuart Miles via FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

16 Social Media Tips for 2016

With the start of 2016 on the horizon, marketing and media experts are making a variety of predictions about the future of social media. Will Facebook take over Google or vice versa? Will Twitter still be in existence at the end of 2016? What will be the next trendsetting platform? No matter which social platforms your business prefers, there is no denying that social media marketing is a key component of all brand building. Therefore, here are 16 tips from social media experts to improve your social media activity throughout 2016.

[1] Jim Joseph (@JimJosephExp)
Find your social media voice, and be consistent in not only what you post but the tone you take in your posts. Are you serious, comical, witty, or snarky? You should decide this up front and make it a part of your social media brand.

[2] Kathi Kruse (@kathikruse)
Brands must do a better job of generating employee engagement and participation in content marketing. Employees, especially salespeople, are the fountain of quality information that your customers crave. Start with a social media policy, provide training, make content submission easy, establish WIIFM (what’s in it for me), and encourage growth of employees’ personal brands. Employee expertise = quality content!

[3] Paul Biedermann (@PaulBiedermann)
Social media is now a part of our every day and so ingrained within our society that simply “doing social media” is not enough. Carving your own niche is becoming increasingly important but ever more difficult to do. Establishing a truly unique, personal brand and sharing content of only the highest caliber will continue to set you apart and build trust – your only hope for deepening those relationships most important to your business.

[4] Rich Gallagher (@gallagherPOC)
Set response standards and stick with them. Social media is now a routine, legitimate communications channel just like the telephone, and your responsiveness brands you in every channel. If you wouldn’t ignore a voice mail or email, don’t let Tweets or Facebook posts sit in limbo either.

[5] Heather Coleman Voss (@HeatherEColeman)
Social media, ultimately, is about building strong professional relationships through the use of various platforms. It’s about engaging, working together, and building something greater than we can individually.

[6] Elaine Fogel (@Elaine_Fogel)
It doesn’t matter how many people follow you on social media. What matters is how many of them fall within your target audiences, respond to your call to action or content, and become sharers, business leads, and customers.

[7] Phil Gerbyshak (@PhilGerb)
Do short videos that address one problem your customers have or offer one insightful story and then use the recording of the video as the basis for longer form content (i.e., blog posts, email newsletters, Tweets, Facebook posts, or LinkedIn posts) and more. A short video with full energy shot on your mobile phone will go further than just text any day. Bonus points if you experiment with Blab or Periscope to get your customers and prospects involved in your video.

[8] Neen James (@neenjames)
Invest 15 minutes each day paying attention to others and share their brilliance. Give people a virtual hug by focusing on what’s important to them, recognize their success, give shout-outs, make recommendations, write testimonials, and promote their content.

[9] Mike Kunkle (@Mike_Kunkle)
As social media becomes more mainstream for business professionals, and especially for sales professionals, we’re seeing much more bad behavior spill over from other media such as email and telephone. In 2016, ease up, remember your manners, and if you’re in sales, stop pouncing on buyers immediately after you connect with them. The power of social networks is the ability to build relationships, support others, earn trust, and nurture interest – before asking for a commitment or a sale.

[10] Amy McCloskey Tobin (@amymcctobin)
Turn back to LinkedIn and reassess its value as a networking and distribution tool. As much as we like to complain about the spam fest that is LinkedIn Groups, there is still nothing like this network for professional networking.

[11] Gina Schreck (@GinaSchreck)
Plan out your potential client journey from social media initial contact to qualified lead. Most people use social media to broadcast information about their company without giving much thought as to how they will convert LIKES into LEADS. Create “value offers” such as whitepapers, special video tips, and tip sheets that people would be willing to exchange for their email address. Now create a landing page to capture the emails and a great graphic that has your “Download our free whitepaper on (add an expertise of your business here).” Once you have these in place, use the graphic call-to-action at the bottom of blog posts and strategic spots on your website. You then use social media to send people to each blog post or even use the graphic as a social post. NOW, you will see a greater return on your social investment.

[12] Jenn Herman (@jenns_trends)
2016 will be the year to put your “face” in front of your audience. Whether through videos or live streaming, you will be expected to interact more personally and authentically with your customers and audience through video methods.

[13] David Schwartz (@1ad_dad)
We have entered a point when we need to start to look at social media in conjunction with our media plans. We can no longer silo social media and media. Facebook, for all intents and purposes, is a paid medium for brands. The other networks will be sure to follow. What this means is you need to include paid social dollars as part of your media plan, so consider greater segmentation and targeting on the new found mediums.

[14] Lyn Boyer (@Lyn_boyer)
Pin your most recent work to the top of your site/social pages so your network can help to promote your latest work.

[15] Peter Hillard (@Mr_hillard)
Just because you have 20,000 followers does not make them customers or clients.  It is imperative to engage like-minded people and keep them engaged. So 2,000 real followers can turn into 20,000 real customers/clients with time and effort.

[16] Amanda Brazel (@AmandaBrazel)
Focus on your business goals and the development of your brand’s message. Then execute with action and energy.

If you don’t follow these experts on Twitter, check out their handles as noted above following their names. They add incredible value to the Twitterverse and also on other social platforms. I thank these amazing social media experts for appearing on my blog and wish everyone a happy and successful 2016!

Image Credit: Stuart Miles via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The #GivingTuesday Brand in 2015

 

Since 2012, the Tuesday following Thanksgiving has been known as #GivingTuesday, a day dedicated to online philanthropy. What began as a partnership between the United Nations Foundation and the 92Y in New York City, a cultural center that connects people to the worlds of education, arts, health, and wellness, has grown into a global movement that has engaged over 30,000 nonprofit organizations in more than 65 countries.

According to the #GivingTuesday website: "Just think of a way for your family, your community, your company or your organization to come together to give something more – it can be time, knowledge, love, or donations of food, clothes, or money. Then tell everyone you can about how you are giving...Be a part of a global celebration of a new tradition of generosity."

As Kathy Calvin, President and CEO of the United Nations Foundation, explained, "Long associated with millionaires, philanthropy now belongs to everyone. Through technology and digital communications, people of all ages and all backgrounds can get involved in an issue, whether it’s making an online donation to a group on the other side of the planet or starting a petition to mobilize a community of advocates to push for change. The belief that anyone can make a difference is at the core of the United Nations Foundation’s work. Ted Turner created the UN Foundation because he believes that everyone – not just governments – can play a role in supporting the work of the United Nations, the organization with the global reach to drive big change. This community is about more than charity; it’s about change. People understand that resources are important, but they also want to be deeply engaged, learning about the issues and donating their time, ideas, and voices to help the UN save and change lives."

In the words of philanthropist Ted Turner, “You do not have to be a world leader – or even a billionaire – to make an impact. If we are going to turn things around, we all need to do our part to make it happen. Change starts with you.”

Some in the nonprofit sector might think that year-long outreach consisting of direct mail letters or cards, newsletters, emails, and annual reports have a bigger impact than a single day with a focus on philanthropy. But let's not forget the impact of publicity – and everyone will be talking about their favorite nonprofits on December 1st. The other important reminder is that social media will be on fire with the hashtag #GivingTuesday – and millennials, big social networkers, are future philanthropists. The "know your audience" mantra of marketing 101 demands that all nonprofits participate in #GivingTuesday with some type of campaign to target their existing and future donors.

So, tomorrow, December 1st, share your favorite cause on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram with the hashtag #GivingTuesday and #MakeADifference – and make a donation to one or more charities.

Learn more at http://www.givingtuesday.org.

Image Credit: GivingTuesday.org.