Thursday, February 28, 2013

3rd party apps and North Social


Wow, just 2 weeks ago I had recommended North Social as affordable, easy interface for newbies to create their fangates and contests. I hadn't been back to North Social since last July when we finished our Balloon and Wine Festival promotions so I didn't know they had raised their rates.

I'm sorry to all those I misled.  I don't think a base rate of $5.99 a day is inexpensive - really I don't. So here is another one for you to check into - ShortStack.  I have also tried Pagemodo and Tabsite but didn't care for the user interface - clunky and not as professional looking as North Social - but that was a few years ago.

I'll keep you updated once I've worked through the ShortStack interface. But for now it is less expensive and offers many of the same bells and whistles.  Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, still deciding between Vocus and Cision, although I decided to look into mymediainfo/Thomson Reuters. Online reviews seemed to switch between the three. I'm leaning towards Vocus.

Vocus recently joined forces - or last year to be precise - with North Social so based upon the current Vocus pricing and North Social Pricing - the two have made sure you have to buy the "full package" to get North Social apps with media database and tracking/analytic services.

Event Tool Box and Fix It Marketing



Hi everyone; thought this would be the best way to get some important info to you.
First; many of you did not have a strategic plan.

On the Thursday morning class  Surviving the Future:  What Leaders, Boards and Organizations can do to Ensure Success in a Changing World -Mitch Dorger, Consultant, Mitch discussed strategic plans. He mentioned a guru of strategic plans and so I looked him up (social media marketing 101) on my phone, found his books, and while listening to Mitch ordered a strategic plan workbook that is absolutely outstanding.
"Creating Your Strategic Plan - A Workbook for Public and Nonprofit Organizations "- Creating Your Strategic Plan: A Workbook for Public and Nonprofit Orga (Google Affiliate Ad)available on Amazon and cheaper than the hardcover book.

For those that were in my marketing workshop several books:
[CD] We Are All Weird By Godin, Seth (Google Affiliate Ad)[CD] We Are All Weird By Godin, Seth (Google Affiliate Ad)Seth Godin "We are All Weird"
Book on "Brand Media Strategy: Integrated Communications" - this is where I got many of my opening statistics including the information about NIKE dropping their traditional media buys by 55% in 2006! But it is a 2010 print so relatively new info and lots of little tidbits for marketing.
And I also mentioned service providers for your publicity/public relations. The two that have "ala carte" programs that are more affordable to smaller events. VOCUS and CISION - both have integrated suites that tie your email marketing, social media tracking and analytics - $$$$ version.
Both also have ala carte versions. Vocus - best known for PRWEB - Where you can send your release to thousands of online contacts and newswires for a flat fee $159 to $499 - I usually use the $199. ( some of the features)
  • All major online news sites like Yahoo!News and Topix
  • More than 250,000 PRWeb RSS feed subscribers and 30,000 journalists
  • Targeted distribution: you choose 10 industries and 5 regions you want to reach
  • Distribution to premium online publishers like Entrepreneur.com and Media Digests (news collection groups)
  • Permanent listing on PRWeb.com
  • Priority next-day delivery of your news
Currently I am working with both to utilize their database contacts - this is more expensive but for those of us in PR its worth it. Journalists, contacts are more "fluid" than ever now, often working freelance for several outlets and there are new opportunities all the time.

I'll let you know the final progress on this - negotiating.
Sign up for "Haro"  - Help a reporter Out. Your event niche and expertise can be part of the profile and you will receive daily notices on journalists looking for experts or quotes of experience - travel, leisure, entertainment, business - you name it. I've seen requests for everything from Winter Weather Driving Tips, to Disgruntled Baristas and requests for reality series triplets.

Finally, something for all of us to be aware and alert our local non-profits and fundraiser event organizersCALIFORNIA CEQA law that could financially destroy many events.

Read below and forward please.

You may be aware that CalTravel is leading an initiative with Political Solutions and FSB Core Strategies to seek a minor modification to  the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
In 2010, a ruling from the San Diego Superior Court found that all special use and parks use permit applications must comply with the very burdensome and often costly environmental review process.  This ruling, if expanded throughout the state, would have devastating economic implications to communities and nonprofits within California that hold parades, marathons, community events, festivals and public activities.  While most of our industry is very familiar with CEQA,  Many of the charities and not for profits throughout the state are not and will experience incredible complications and expense for temporary events that often last less than 3 days and are in compliance with all other rules and regulations.
CalTravel has formed the California Community Events Alliance (CCEA) which is currently composed of 18 DMO’s throughout California. Our goal is simple…to protect all temporary community events throughout the state. This industry understands better than most what happens when one segment of the industry is threatened...we all lose.  I have attached a “CCEA Initiative” document that provides an overview of the issue and our current actions.  To make a difference, we need your help.*
  1. We need your help in spreading the word about CCEA and identifying additional supporters.  Please take a moment and use the attached form to provide us with the names of  individuals and/or organizations that would be impacted  and interested in joining CCEA.  Please complete the form and return to Sarah Pollo of FSB Core Strategies at info@cacommunityeventsalliance.com
  2. Please respond to info@cacommunityeventsalliance.com if you are interested in learning more about our efforts and joining the CCEA.
  3. Please provide your logo and  the logos of any community events that require such permits and typically include marathons, parades, holiday celebrations, farmers’ markets and art fairs, fairs and festivals so we may use it on the CCEA website and other communication pieces.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Social Media, Stats, Is it Advertising?

The Nielsen Company released stats on the top 10 U.S. social networking/blogging sites for the 3rd Quarter of 2011. Leading was Facebook (of course) with an average monthly audience of more than 140 million. Blogger, with a 50 million audience is the closest competitor, nearly one-third of the Facebook audience.

The other top ten: Twitter at 23 million, Wordpresss at 22 million, MySpace at 19 million, LinkedIn at 17.7 million, Tumblr at 11.8 million, Six Apart Typepad at 8.5 million, Yahoo Pulse at 8.4 million and Wikia at 7.6 million.

What's that mean to event marketing and public relations professionals?

It leaves us scrambling to prove the efforts and expense are worth the results. In Wildfire's report on Social Media ROI, "Earned Media" (unpaid publicity created by users about your brand/event) is the unique benefit of a social media campaign. Wildfire offers theses stats on social media users:

  • 78% are directly influenced by branded posts when making purchases
  • 74% encourage friends to try new products
  • 80% try new things based on friends’ suggestions
Ironically, while most of us in marketing and public relations believe in the value of of social media, it isn't exactly the highest paid area of the agency business. Advertising Age this week came out with a report that senior digital executives at New York-based shops bill clients bill nearly half per hour for social media or "digital execs" time as they do for traditional agency creatives - $630 vs $350. 

In May of this year, GM stated that the company would stop advertising on Facebook (this news just before Facebook's IPO). 

As an event promoter, my company began developing social media campaigns four years ago to combat the declining audiences of traditional media. One regional event we promote had relied heavily on radio and print advertising for selling tickets. Yet, the writing was on the wall as each year ratings for the top stations saw reduced shares of the audience and newspaper subscriptions were dumped for online and mobile/cell phone news hits. 

Unlike the major advertisers who spend more money on an ad agency retainer than my clients have for five years of advertising, our budgets have been stuck in the mud for five years while the diversity of media and splintering of the audience grows. Additionally we have to buy traditional media from 3 major metro markets to fill the event. That means maximizing the reach, interaction and call to action of each and every dollar spent.

So how do you do that? Increase attendance, while buying Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego DMA radio and television, on a beer budget? Over the years, we've relied on publicity - public relations - that "earned media" to fill in our budget gaps. With declining circulation and declining print pubs - that's out. With splintered television due to bundled cable/fios and satellite, and reduced budgets at all news stations - getting free live broadcasts has become far more difficult.

Enter social media - and the constant push for content, interactivity with fans, driving results and fans to sponsors for measured results, and in reality an entire new ballgame. Our Festival campaign includes Cross Marketing with traditional media, social media components of all broadcast and print media, a separate social media campaign that engages the fans and provides unique "you heard it first" info, and an aggressive approach to finding and engaging key writers, bloggers and online media to spread the word.

In 2011 after a two year push to obtain fans on Facebook, followers on Twitter and email addresses for eblasts, the regional event in question had a 51% increase in online ticket sales. 2012 results are pending but here are some sobering statistics that should tell you where to derive your ROI on an event social media campaign:

  • 2011 # of Impressions 17.1 million
  • 2012 # of Impressions 285 million (we also employed better tracking practices, and auditing services)
  • 2011 # of inches 750 print inches
  • 2012 # of inches 2731 print inches.
The conclusion - by measuring the "earned media" results alone, the social media campaign paid off. By measuring online ticket sales it paid in buckets. What did it cost?It is not advertising and my firm has never BOUGHT Facebook ads nor pay per click.

I'm guessing that Facebook will figure a better way to monetize other than pure paid ads. The third party apps that create contests do wonders for increasing a fan base and fan interaction - Facebook and Mr. Z would be wise to create their own for a "fee." Keep it small though boys so us little guys can survive.

We are sold on the ROI despite the time spent - an average of 5 hours per day of direct communication and content creation over a six week time frame. And no, in this neck of woods we didn't charge $350 an hour (value $73,500) - Wish we could. Personally, I'm waiting to be discovered and SMing my way to discovery cuz I'd love that kind of pay.



Thursday, June 16, 2011

Some Tools and Tips to Try with Your Facebook Page

There are several third party application creators offering Facebook pages and makeovers and in trying to beautify and simplify one of my non-profits Facebook campaigns I've experimented with five.  The all have their hits and misses. 

First there is basic FBML. A simple way to center general information like dates, times, store hours. There are plenty of tips online for utilizing the fbml codes. If you know a little html - it isn't much different and pretty easy.

One big miss - is Tabsite, which was originally designed for when Facebook had Tabs. When they went to the "frame" option and eliminated the FBML, Tabsite became dysfunctional. I just tried it again and while I can easily add "pages" to my index on the left, I can't edit them. They basically keep sending me back to sign up again. I am sure it is either a "should be using FireFox" or "you need to do steps 8-9 on the missing disc" type of problem but it is annoying and there is no one to give you quick answers.

Easy but sometimes cheesy. Pagemodo. This one has a variety of options depending on your payment level. It comes with easy to work templates that help you crop your jpgs/gifs, and create text pages for your landing page. Cheesy because the text formatting options are limited and it looks a bit cheesy when you can't control leading, weight and size in the finished piece. It adjusts and "fits" the type, and there is no "bold" or "linking" to an individual word.

I liked Wildfire's Facebook applications, and all of the opportunities it offers. First there is the Free Fan Gate, a landing page that opens up to "offers" when customers "Like" your page. It's a nice welcome page. Limited but free. The other programs are for those agencies and or marketers who have good budgets. Most are contest driven such as a sweepstakes, public voting, trivia or photo contest, or simply coupon or group offers. This is where Wildfire's costs go up.  It is "Campaign" specific in that Wildfire will charge a base fee then a per day fee of maintaining the campaign. Most of my non-profits can't afford an open ended product like this.

Which leads me to the final one that I have had the most success with - North Social. Their platform works best and sometimes only with Firefox web browser. But, they offer everything from sweepstakes, to sign up forms (such as volunteer sign up forms) and they have easy to understand instructions. The best part of their program is you can create your own artwork. They give you very specific dimensions instead of the "Must be under 1 mg" type of templates most give you. Their website has video tutorials giving you step by step, as well as a q&a blog from other users for each application. But the best part about this company is their service. Right on. I get immediate answers to my questions and their pages are clean. Here's what you can do with them Deal Share, Fan Offers, Sweepstakes, Photo Showcase, Show and Sell Partner  Pages (IE sponsors) Donate pages, twitter feeds, "Map It" and North Contact.

North Contact is the application that works with their sweepstakes and other sign up pages. This program is free and provides you with a data base of your registrants. It also has an email program. This is extra and charges you per usage.

I'm currently using North Social and North Contact for a contest and interactive game I'm playing with fans of one my my accounts. The North Contact window has remained open during the promotion allowing me to see the number of registrants, which registrant has not answered the confirmation email, and provides an exportable CSV file with all the sign up information. You can ask as many questions as you want in the sign up process. (I recommend the fewer the better.)

If you are running a contest or sweepstakes, Facebook regulations require you to use a third party. There are also lots of restrictions to using the term Facebook so be sure to read Facebook Promotion Guidelines ON Facebook. And an odd little quirk that is fun to work around Facebook requirements call for Sweepstakes promotions. This is easy, a drawing of some sort with no purchase required. What isn't easy is that winners must be notified by email. You must get your client's email. But, if you are using an email program such as I Contact, when the program screens your copy, unless it is built into the "artwork" it most likely will suggest you remove the word "sweepstakes" from any copy before allowing you to send. This term is often screened as "spam" in email.


Whichever program you choose, sample it first. I'm trying to get one of my least favorites off my credit card, and while it worked great in March - it sucks right now.

Monday, February 14, 2011

My Wall is NOT Your Billboard!

Stop putting advertisements on my Facebook and Twitter please.

I understand, you read an article on the Social Media revolution, Egypt, and how brands are being born through Facebook and Twitter.

You hired a social media guru who told you you would have 500 fans and followers within a week, a month, whatever and they promised to make you a "voice" on social media.

Maybe you read "Twitter Power" or "Social Media Marketing for Dummies" and signed up with Hootsuite or Cotweet with a "Whoohoo I just saved my Company" revelry.

You may get one or two desperate individuals who are social media newbies/old school marketing buffs to respond: "Oh yes, that whole life insurance for at $34.99 a month is just right for me." But you will not win fans and followers in the long haul. And social media, my friend is a long tail of the cat. It is about building a relationship. Not selling product. What?

You missed the most important statement that Dierdre Breakenridge ("PR 2.0: New Media, New Tools, New Audiences") and Brian Solis ("Engage") have been preaching for the last three years. (I've been devouring their books, blogs and tweets for two.)

Marketing and P.R. have merged. This means within the social media world, content and proper manners are king. YOU the marketer are supposed to engage. This can be hard for old die-hard radio hype advertisers who believe Frequency and the offer leads to the pot of gold.   This is not broadcast or outdoor media where the most obnoxious catch the attention.

Lately my Facebook wall and Twitter page are being cluttered with discounts, blatant ads - no valuable info - nothing I want to read.

Is this unusual? No. And often, if you follow me at twitter.com/Melsprwrks or twitter.com/SocalWinecntry you will see this kind of garbage on my page or on my Melody.Brunsting Facebook page. I friend and follow many. Melsprwrks follows social media, pr and marketing people that I consider to be experts. SocalWineCntry follows wineries, event planners and wine experts as it covers events in California. For every one individual I may follow there are two to three I either block or stop following. Why?

There is also a new crop of marketers that failed to read either
Brian's or Dierdre's book. They did read about Hootsuite and Cotweet, then signed up a few 50-something clients to "build and maintain" their social media presence. SAVE ME!!

They are doing it wrong. If "they" are doing this for you: "Save 20% on case of Zinfandel if you attend our concert this Friday at... yadeeyadeeyadee for $50 buy tix at yadee yadee."

If you are sending out ADS you are doing it wrong. Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and even your blog is not a FREE billboard. It is a SOCIAL network. Do you avoid the guy at the party who tells you why you need term, whole life and temporary disability insurance? Yes. Do you turn off the radio or television when an annoying ad blasts through your peace? Yes.

To the insurance agents that annoy me - tell me how to save money on business liability insurance, why I need automotive liability at $2 million or tell my friend if she should just add business liability to her home because she is home based? That's good information and I might just follow you for that.

And if you are a marketer -- I really hate seeing tweets with long lists of mentions and hashtags. What good does that do anyone on my Tweets or blogs? They can't tell what the heck you are trying to say or where you want us to go.

Here is what you will see on Brian Solis' Twitter:
"Reading@lou hoffman's book review of "Tell to Win" by @PeterGruber http://bit.lyh8fVkK.

"shelhotz 13 answers on Quora to "Should every business have a blog? Why or why not?" and mines on top! http://b.qr.ae/hStec7.

I am interested in both tweets and will follow the links.

Here is what I won't follow but was actually on my Twitter page:

"The BLEEP BLEEP Wine Guide Daily is out http://bit.lyleVbleep To stories via @bleep,@bleep@bleep."

"Dummy read/dummy does GET MORE FOLLOWERS MY BEST FRIENDS/ WILL FOLLOW YOU IF YOU FOLLOW ME. http..bleep.

Really? yes he did type all caps.  The BLEEP BLEEP guide actually put out a separate entry for every BLEEP BLEEP guide he/she writes and posted them all within the same 15 minutes.

I implore you - if you are serious about using the social media, take a public relations course, read at least two more books than Twitter Power and Social Media for Idiots - I mean dummies. And, please read the section on manners - not just the 1 hour a day task list. If you outsource - please in source with someone who reviews what your outsource is going to do. If it is nothing more than advertisements, don't waste your money or good name. Wait until you can do it right and put a person on the task that is engaging and engaged with your company story.

Next up - Do I need to Tweet to Sell a Seat? A primer for special event marketing.

For more information on marketing your event see my seminars at slideshare.net/Melsprworks

Social Media, Engaging and Egypt

For anyone who followed me during the “Grand Social Experiment” of 2010 where I conducted a contest using Facebook and Twitter to promote the Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival,  the campaign was very successful. The original goal was to increase the number of fans on Facebook by 10% of the event attendance. We increased it 9.5% – close. The second goal of the campaign was to increase online activity and online ticket sales. We doubled ticked sales, and doubled online traffic over the previous year – not once, but twice. That means we doubled it on Tuesday, and then doubled it again.
Bottom line to the Grand Social Media Experiment – it  accomplished its mission. The campaign has won two awards – Best New Idea at Calfest against events like the Miramar Air Show. And it won a Gold Pinnacle award at the International Festivals and Events convention, competing internationally against events like the Kentucky Derby, Cherry Blossom Festival, and Rose Parade. Gold is top honors – this award was for Best New Promotion.
I knew I had to embrace Facebook and Twitter – my new world of PR – to keep any of the events I promote on top of their game. I knew it was a strong and “cheap” tool. Today I witnessed just how strong this new media can be when used as it is intended.
Egyptians showed the world what tenacity and networking can accomplish. World news media credits much of the revolution to social media. As I watch the celebrating I wonder what is ahead. The power of the people to unite through communication, the long, long tail of the cat that spread the word to Egyptians even with their Internet and texting shut down, persevered. The outcome will be analyzed by world leaders and the intelligence agencies behind them. 18 Days – that was all it took – 18 days to throw a president/dictator out of office. To the people of Egypt, their campaign has rewarded them with a new Egypt.  The world will watch, read and listen as their new country takes shape.
Clearly, transparency in this new regime will be essential. Mubarak’s biggest mistake was trying to shut down the communication of the people.  May the world leaders take note.
I titled my blog Marketing Revolution 2012 because that is what social media has done to my profession of marketing and public relations. It has caused a revolution of transparency – communication is now king – and there is nowhere to hide when there is a problem.
As Public Relations and Marketing professionals we need to keep this in mind as we engage on the social networks. Companies that answer to complaints and problems, politicians and dignitaries who make attempts – good or bad – to explain and communicate with their constituents are respected for their candor in this age of transparency. Those faced with controversy and scandal that attempt to shut down the public’s right to speak, avoid journalists or reply “no comment” may not cause a revolt as Mubarak’s regime did in Egypt. But, they will lose. Whether it is market share or voters’ approval – they will lose as a precedent was set today.
A cat was let out of the bag decades ago when the Internet was commercialized. As of 2009 an estimated quarter of the Earth’s population used services of the Internet. Affordable cell phones that connect to the Internet followed, allowing communication throughout the world.
This new world is both challenging for “old P.R. dogs” and those in the public eye, but is also very exciting.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Social Media Campaign Takes A Gold

Boise, Idaho- The International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) paid tribute to the 2010 Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival on September 15, 2010 during the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Ceremony held at the IFEA’s 55th Annual Convention & Expo in Saint Louis, Missouri, U.S.A. – September 15-17, 2010, where they were presented with three awards in the prestigious IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards competition. Awards were won in the following categories: 
  • Gold Pinnacle (top honors) - Best New Promotion Social Media/Facebook & Twitter Campaign
  • Silver Pinnacle - Best Media Kit
  • Bronze –Best Media Relations Campaign 
All three award-winning entries were produced by Melody’s Ad Works, Inc. of Wildomar, the Festival’s Public Relations firm. Melody’s Ad Works Inc. has been marketing and promoting the Festival for 14 years. The firm also produced the three 2009 IFEA Awards for Gold Pinnacle Award (top honors) for Most Creative/Effective News Stunt, and Best Media/Press Kit. The Bronze award was for the best printed piece and was awarded for the Festival’s rack card. Melody's Ad Works, Inc. The firm also produces and promotes six events for the City of Temecula, including the Temecula Bluegrass Festival.

 
Temecula Bluegrass Festival 2010
Sponsored by industry leader Haas & Wilkerson Insurance, the professional competition draws entries from among the world’s top festivals and events. Winning entries came from organizations as diverse as the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Denver, CO; Borderfest Association, Festival of Lights, Hidalgo, TX; Shows Etc.-Idaho State Capital Building Rededication Celebration, Boise, ID; Kentucky Derby Festival, Louisville, KY; Saint Louis Art Fair, Saint Louis, MO; and the International VSA Festival, Washington DC.

 
International contenders included such diverse event organizations as Baekje Cultural Festival, South Korea; Ludwig Van Beethoven Easter Festival, Krakow, Poland; Rotterdam Festivals, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Festival Lent, Slovenia and Sentosa Development Corporation, Sentosa, Singapore.

 
Awards were handed out in 69 different categories in total including Best TV Promotion;, Event Program; Commemorative Poster; Overall Sponsorship Program; Environmental Program; Educational Program, Children’s Programming; Media Relations Campaign; Overall Merchandising Program; Festival & Event Management Degree Programs to the highest award reflecting the best overall festival & event in the world – the Grand Pinnacle.

 
“We would like to congratulate all of our Pinnacle winners for their outstanding entries into this year’s competition,” said IFEA President & CEO, Steven Wood Schmader, CFEE.

 
“The IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards represents the hallmark of excellence in the festivals and events industry. Entries in every budget category, from every corner of the globe, allow us to recognize the best in our business while raising the standards and quality of media promotions and events across the board.”

 
Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) is The Premiere Association Supporting and Enabling Festival & Event Professionals Worldwide. In partnership with global affiliates under the umbrellas of IFEA Africa, IFEA Asia, IFEA Australia, IFEA Europe, IFEA Latin America, IFEA Middle East, and IFEA North America the organization's common vision is for "A Globally United Industry that Touches Lives in a Positive Way through Celebration," The Association offers the most complete source of ideas, resources, information, education and networking for festival and event professionals worldwide.

 
For a complete list of winners and more information on the IFEA, go to http://www.ifea.com/.

 
Temecla Valley Balloon & Wine Festival
The Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival is held the first weekend in June annually. The Festival has a 28-year history of celebrating Southern California Wine Country’s finest assets of clear skies dotted by hot air balloons, mild temperatures, and rolling vineyards. For Festival information visit http://www.tvbwf.com/ or call (951) 676-6713.

 
Temecula Valley Wine Country
301 Ways to Use Social Media To Boost Your Marketing