Earned vs. Owned vs. Paid Channels

What scares me about earned vs. owned vs. paid media? A few things. Let me break it down by channel for you, where I’ll also list off a few positives for the channels as well, but lately I feel I’ve seen a shift and it’s only about to get WORSE. 

EARNED:

This channel terrifies & excites me in a few ways. This is obviously a very effective channel for many brands, as word of mouth is a powerful thing, and the more shares your company gets, the better, but the amount of content being churned out on blogs, youtube, facebook, infographics is beginning to get overwhelming and create a sea of good/bad content to sift through. The face books of the world want to help you sift, which I guess I appreciate, but then again I don’t, when THEY get to tell you what content brands are churning out they want you to see RE: how they’ve started pushing videos SO HARD IT HURTS, when not every brand is there yet, so I feel the ones who aren’t sharing videos are about to get left in the dust… just when they started learning how to share a great photo. 

OWNED: 

This channel makes me (and others I’m sure) happiest because it’s everything YOU can control, you set the rules/guidelines/experience for and it’s unique to your brand alone. I suppose social media can be owned, but not in my eyes, since big social players can change the game at any second and your content becomes worthless. Basically, the rule of thumb is while you’re busy trying to create ‘cool’ content on instagram, you need to find ways to drive people back to your website, and make sure your user experiences match what you’re pitching on the channels you’re using to attract people in. 

PAID: 

Paid is obviously a great (and almost the only way) to get your content on social channels seen, as well as a great way to drive additional traffic back to the mothership, your website. What scares me about paid is how much every brand who thinks they get it is about to pour into it, while Facebook and Twitter can change their own game and make it more expensive to reach your audience, yes, your owned audience, which isn’t really owned if not everyone has a chance to see what you’re selling/pushing/promoting!? I find retargeting and PPC to at least be a bit more straight-forward about the process, but that too is about to get overused by so many companies due to the ease of use, targeting capabilities and relatively lower cost. 

Anyone else have strong thoughts on the various channels? Clearly my fear of these social media channels that are gaining huge traction (and dollars) who I feel could make the playing field harder at any second are a heavy weight on my mind. 

Why Social Media Is A Great Tool For Travel

I've been meaning to write the post for awhile & will add on Instagram for that matter. Why are these tools so great when traveling? Let me tell you several great reasons. 

1. Pre-travel research has been made much more interactive. When googling certain places, you can also check out their social media feeds to find non-stock photos and (if they're smart) real images from recent guests! 
2. Geo-tags are phenomenal to find inspiration for activities, locations & trips as well. 
3. Hotels & airlines are embracing these as customer service channels and instead of sitting on a phone call angrily for 30 minutes, you can simply tweet them for assistance! A real life-saver. 
4. Finding great deals on social media! Many hospitality industry social channels are still figuring out how to prove these channels are worth monitoring constantly, so the offer deals only found via these channels -why not take advantage! 
5. Tips, tips,  tips. I frequently follow not only hotel & airlines I'm using, but their convention bureaus to find out about new activities & events

What other reasons do you use social media when traveling for? 

The Importance of User Generated Content

User generated content is a growing trend that is currently undervalued in many industries and it’s always interesting to see what large brands are making the most of UGC and how.

User generated content can be absolutely free, and equally as effective in promoting your brand, identifying or creating brand ambassadors as well as a helpful tool for listening in the spaces where your customers currently reside.

Paid media can be effective when done right, but UGC seems like a unique opportunity to reach customers in a different way without having to do anything. If you’ve got a great company, people of all ages, especially millennials, will share and create content about you that can come across as much more genuine than your expensive online advertisements can.

It’s important to leverage this content any way you can. How do you track and promote user generated content that’s relevant to your company? 

The Bandwagon Has Broken

It seems most large and small companies have decided social media is WORTH IT – but don’t exactly know what that means

They’ve jumped on the bandwagon, because they’ve heard “they need it”, “everyone’s doing it” “tell your intern to do it”, without researching and learning about what social media can do. These people infuriate me.  People who assume that just because they started a page and a twitter account, follow zero people, stuck an intern on it to post articles about themselves – or worse – times their store is open or short and irrelevant posts, that all this means you “GET” social media and you’re “in the social space”. It does not. It means that you don’t understand what it can do for your business, nor do you actually care.

Social media is not a fad. It’s changing the way people do business, and it’s bringing power back to the consumers. Consumers are fed up with traditional advertising that is stuffed down their throats, even by brands they do adore.  Everyone has an opinion, so why not start listening to your customers’ opinions?  Social media has opened the floodgates to engagement opportunities, both positive and negative, and it will be detrimental in the long run if you choose to ignore this.  

Many companies have figured this out as well, some are doing a great job at monitoring social media, while others are slowly starting to figure this all out and cave to hiring social media managers, social media interns and such.  The problem is that now everyone’s on there, doing the same thing. They respond to the negative issues with generic tweets, they try to throw a “social media sweepstakes” and give away something small and unsubstantial thinking this will grow fans, and everyone is starting to blend in and act the same online.

I challenge those who care about social media to take it all a step further, because your competition is catching up to you. Start thinking further outside the box, stop watching what others do, look inside your brand and find your company’s core values and start using that to your advantage.

Now that everyone’s caught up to you, how will you continue innovating the social media space? 

The Necessity of the Social Media Strategist

It seems like in the past year or two, many various industries have decided they all NEED social media strategists, community managers and an actual social media strategy. Virtually no industry has gone untouched by the hands of social media and it has been very interesting to see how not only various industries are responding to the new challenge, but specific companies, both big and small are, as well. 

Every industry also has several shining stars, the incredible examples of a few companies who REALLY get it, and do more than just tweet or post on Facebook. They create campaigns that link throughout many different channels and encourages participation and loyalty to the brand, not just the initial likes. Then there are those who are either so late to the game they just hired the first person who was up for the job or they decided to take it on themselves without looking into it. 

For the industries that deal with consumers on a daily basis, the most successful small and large companies in the social spaces not only try new things, styles or new channels but they also CONNECT with their fans and people talking about them on a one-to-one basis. This is where the gold is for those social media strategists. This is why more than a college intern needs to handle your twitter account. 

No matter how large or small, I think it's been proven many times over the fact that simply responding to people talking about your brand, whether they're complaining or complimenting you can really solidify their bond with your company, create a lasting impression and even convert a hater into a lifetime customer. 

What do you think? Have you seen a rise in social media strategists now that many brands have realized it takes more than one hour a week to really make something happen? 

Hotels and Social Media: It's a Must

How many hotels have you seen on social media? Most hotels you stay at? I’ve seen a ton of hotels embracing twitter or Facebook, and a few on Foursquare and Youtube, but does that mean they’re doing it right?

I appreciate the fact that hotels are joining social media and some are joining in on their customer’s conversations, but it needs to be more than this. They need to work on incorporating it into their marketing plans, making their employees aware of their ongoing initiatives, and reward and respond to customers…. Customers expect this of hotels!

If hotels want to stay successful, they have to engage.  This may seem scary to various hotels, but social media presents a wider variety of opportunities for the hospitality industry.  Social media allows hotels to hear what customers want and whether they’re giving them what they need or not!  It’s also the best way to ensure customer service optimization by dealing with guest’s issues, complaints, and compliments both online and offline. It’s also another way to reach customers and better cater to their needs… and pick up on their personal needs and wants.

In other words, embrace social media because customers are already there spreading the good, bad and the ugly about EVERYTHING. 

Are Demographics Dead?

I don't know about you, but I find TED talks to be some of the most fascinating videos and ideas I've ever watched. I absolutely love browsing through their themes and speakers and watching a variety of speakers talk about their ideas for global change, ideas for new companies and everything else you can find in there. This weekend, I was browsing through anything social media related and Johanna Blakely's Social Media and the End of Gender video really caught my eye.

If you haven't had a chance to hear her talk, her basic idea is that not only is social media going to end the age/gender/etc demographics, but it's going to call for the rise of women's input in entertainment and commercials. She argues that because old media companies are starting to realize that age/race/gender demographics aren't extremely relevant, they're turning to monitoring customers on social media. Because of this, they're realizing it's much easier to discover what their customers are interested in than finding out their age and more information about them.

She argues that old media companies and advertisers need to start searching through taste communities and aggregate WHAT people like and talk about in order to better cater to their needs. She thinks that social media will have a huge impact on the way old media companies once created movies, commercials and TV shows.

In a way, I completely agree with her in that I think as more media companies and advertisers continue to flock to social media sites, once they understand WHO their customers are by monitoring their interests, likes and even blog posts, then they'll be able to better cater to their customers every need and customers will respond positively as well.

There's nothing like feeling respected and appreciated, and I think eventually that's what companies are going to do.  I don't know about you but I loathe most commercials, and maybe if more companies monitored what I liked, they would realize what I'm interested in, and I would start paying more attention to what they're trying to sell me. Once this "gender revolution/social media revolution" begins, it's going to help both companies and customers create long-lasting, respectful relationships.

2011 Tech Predictions and Trends...

It’s the start of a new year and the start of plenty of new, competing ideas and speculation about which social media sites will prevail and how customers and businesses will continue to embrace them.

There’ve already been plenty of predictions about which social media sites will prevail this year, what Facebook is going to be pressured to do, and how businesses are busy working on ways to include social feedback.

In my opinion, one of the industries that need to reevaluate the way they do business online is the travel industry. Some leaders have begun to realize that they need to listen to customers, engage with them, offer exotic deals that no one else can and give customers a unique experience as well as find a way to create loyalty and relationships. All travel agents and travel groups should be embracing all social media channels and updating the way they do business, because people aren’t interested in paying someone to just plan their trip. They want more, and know they can find it if they really want to. They want personalized and interactive trips, and the best way to show them is through youtube channels, Facebook pages for the hotels they’re interested in and Twittering with the hotels they’re interested. Travel agencies need to change the way they’re doing business, before they become obsolete.

The next big prediction/game-changer has to do with Facebook. Since Facebook introduced their Location Based Services- do you think it’s going to be a Foursquare killer, or work in parallel with it? It’s hard to tell which will prevail, or if either would find a way to integrate further with companies such as Groupon and LivingSocial.

I think either Facebook or brands with Facebook designers that decide to take it upon themselves need to find a way to exchange more information and recommendations on Facebook. Obviously, there are plenty of successful brands on Facebook who allow fans to comment and like various posts, as well as post their own opinion. But this can be cluttered and doesn’t always allow other customers to gather an opinion about a product… There needs to be a better way to do this.

What are your thoughts on social media in 2011? What is going to be the game-changers or next big thing?

Still Searching For A Job? Try Tweeting About It...

Gradating from college during the past few years has been extremely scary lately, due to the lack of jobs available. Although it seems like jobs are starting to become more available depending on what field you're in, it's been a hard year for most of my friends who are recent graduates and most haven't been able to find much.

My suggestion to all of them has always been to use social media to find something, network with others and to make some great connections, but most of them look at me like I'm crazy...which I'm not. While we only learned about Facebook and the ramifications it could potentially have on us and our careers, no one ever talked about the plethora of other social media sites we should have known about or started looking into.

Linked In, MeetUp and even Twitter can result in some great leads to a job and show employers that you're actively searching for a job. I know that showing up to restaurants or events without knowing anyone can be terrifying, but I guarantee if you try hard enough you can walk away with a few new acquaintances who you can e-mail, keep in contact with and potentially get a job with. Try it and see what happens.

Seasons Greetings...

The other day I was browsing through my social media and technology news websites trying to stay on top of the latest trends and whatnot when I came across an interesting article on Mashable talking about using Social Media to plan your Thanksgiving, which completely intrigued me. The article lists multiple websites that were ready to help plan the perfect menu, send out e-vites, let guests check off what they'd like to bring, craft ideas, TV listings and more. Without this article, I probably would never have found any of the links, suggestions or tips because I don't have time to search for ways to make my life easier... that would be too easy!

This also got me thinking (and hoping) about what types of suggestions tech and social media sites are going to have for the holidays since Hanukkah and Christmas are right around the corner. I know I want to use websites like Groupon, LivingSocial and even Twitter to find suggestions and ideas, but do you think there's going to be a how-to guide for finding cheap but fantastic holiday gifts? I'm hoping so, and because of that am definitely going to try to find the best deals and suggestions via social media and I hope you do to. From one-day deals to social media exclusive discounts, I'm on the lookout this winter to find the best gifts with the help of all these social media outlets... Will it work out? Find out soon.

Is Your Company As Social As They Should Be?

                          

 All brands know the importance of marketing and advertising, which is why they pour MILLIONS upon MILLIONS into their advertisements, strategies, and methods needed to analyze the effectiveness. What they don’t seem to quite grasp yet is the importance of not only incorporating social media into their plans, but that they need to be paying more attention to it.

In a recent Advertising Age article, it discussed the fact that brands FACEBOOKS alone drive more activity and engagement than the website they had previously created. It’s not only driving more page views, but Facebook likes, comments, and more click-throughs to the articles, blogs and photos posted on those websites.

Marketing and advertising strategies need to be able to shift as quickly as possible, especially when all of their consumers are embracing social media via Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and more. Just because these sites don’t offer the types of analytics a company may be searching for, it is much more worthy of the time and money flowing through these departments to get in the social media game even if they can’t measure it as effectively as some other engagements.

Consumers of all sorts are on social media… that’s a fact. Most likely, they are the consumers that you’ve been targeting all along. Most consumers seem to be more heavily influenced by peers and followers on Facebook and Twitter when asking an opinion about a product, which is why it should concern companies who aren’t effectively monitoring the answers. 

Why not invest as much time and money into a medium where you’re consumers already exist, and see what possibilities could arise?  

Traveling Just Got Easier... And Trickier At The Same Time?

Have you gone on a vacation recently? Was it to a new, exotic location or was it the same cottage on a coast you’ve been visiting since you were young? Nowadays there is a plethora of methods to help decide on where you vacation should be, how much it could cost, what you should pack… but is it helpful?

With the increasing use of technology and social media in particular to advertise a vacation, what resources should you embrace and which should you forget about while planning for vacations?

One of the best ways to avoid vacation information overload is to pick a destination with friends or family and decide what kind of vacation you’re looking for before you head out there to search for a deal. Next, pick a few favorite travel agent/company twitters and facebooks and research what they are currently offering, what they’ve offered in the past, and if any of it is relevant to you and your family.

Try interacting with relevant facebooks, twitters, and websites to create a relationship with these agents, companies and hotels. You never know what type of deal you may score due to your social media participation, and interacting with your future vacation destinations will keep you informed about all upcoming events and other information you may need to know.

Location Based Updates...

Foursquare has more than a half million users, 1.4 million venues and more than 15.5 MILLION check-ins.... And has only been around for 1 year! Although the trend hasn't gone mainstream yet, I think it will relatively soon. There are many pros and cons to Foursquare, and it's value hasn't been defined quite yet, but I see many pluses to this start-up.

First of all, many people refuse to use Foursquare because it's deemed "unsafe" to be telling everyone where you are and what you're doing at all times. But twitter and facebook both can find your locations and tweet where you are, while Facebook status updates let people know where you are, who you're with and what you're doing... It's basically the same thing. I think people need to get past this part of it, and see Foursquare and even Gowalla for what they're worth...

Businesses and venues need to start embracing these as well, because once they start offering more discounts and deals for all customers checking in (and special deals to "Mayors", Starbucks) people will be more inclined to check it out and see what good it could do for them. Businesses really need to look into it because it could open so many doors, create brand and product loyalty to their food, products, whatever AND create an entirely new channel to interact with customers. How great would it be to walk into your favorite coffee place, where everyone knows who you are and congratulates you on being the "mayor"... Stupid, maybe... but fun enough for all, and who doesn't want to compete with others to be a mayor when all you have to do is frequent the shop?

I think it will be interesting to see how well these do in the next year and see how they transform. Look out for all of this.

Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living; the other helps you make a life -Sandara Carey

I'm currently trying to figure out what I should start a blog about. I'm trying to dive into as many different types of Social Media as I can and see what works best for me.

I'd love to talk about social media strategic tactics, the new job search I'm starting, some twitter tips, advertising, mobile health, and then some fun things on the side of course too!

Can't wait to try this out, and I hope some people find it super insightful!

Check out my Twitter if you want to see more of my thoughts, articles I post through that and ideas that are always being thrown out into the world.