Pharma B2B Marketing: Influencers are Dominating the Social Media Healthcare Space

January 9, 2023

By Daniela Alba

The pharma industry has a longstanding history of utilizing marketing strategies to promote products and services. In fact, it is estimated that the industry allocates billions of dollars annually toward marketing campaigns according to Statista. In recent years, there has been a noticeable shift toward influencer marketing expenditure; $13.8 billion in 2021, up from $9.7 billion in 2020. In B2B Pharma Marketing, influencers are dominating the social media healthcare space.

Influencer marketing is a tactic involving partnering with individuals who have the ability to “influence” the purchasing decisions of their followers. This includes social media influencers, bloggers, and celebrities. While this may seem like an unconventional approach for pharma, there are numerous advantages to investing in influencer marketing.

Influencers are Effective at Engaging Customers

For many, “Doctor Google” is the first stop but Google isn’t the only platform being used for information. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are continuously becoming the search engines of choice. Nearly 40% of Gen Z members (born from 1997 to 2012) prefer TikTok or Instagram for online searches, according to TechCrunch.

These platforms can provide a space for you to engage with your audience and provide valuable information about your products and services. This helps to establish trust and credibility, which are crucial in the healthcare industry. Let’s not forget the power of video content, particularly short-form videos. Short-form videos are effective at connecting and educating your audience about your healthcare products and services.

Influencer marketing and short-form videos help engage customers on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Combining these platforms with the power of influencer marketing helps a brand connect to the right audience. The benefit of working with influencers is their ability to tap into existing trusted relationships. Influencers create authentic and personalized content that can help to increase brand awareness and engagement.

By collaborating with influencers, Pharma companies can gain valuable insights and feedback from their customers, which can be used to improve products and enhance the overall customer experience.

The term “patient influencer” has emerged to describe individuals who use their platform to promote medications and medical devices from a user standpoint. These influencers offer Pharma marketers, the opportunity to leverage patient influencers’ personal experiences for the promotion of healthcare products and services.

Damian Washington is a prime example of how a patient influencer can help influence their niche followers on what healthcare products they should purchase. Damian was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. He has used his platform on Instagram and Twitter to help bring awareness and provide a sense of community for others suffering from this disease.

In an interview with EndPointNews, Damian states he doesn’t partake in getting paid to promote products. Damian works with various pharma companies on commercials and attended events for which he does get compensated.

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Damian Washington (@damianwashington)

Another great example is Gem Hubbard. Gem is a disability activist sharing her life in a wheelchair via her social media profiles. On Instagram, she boasts 75k followers and on YouTube, her videos have more than 3.7 million views. Gem gives insights into her day-to-day and promotes products related to her disability.

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Gem Hubbard 👩🏼‍🦽 (@wheelsnoheels_)

Key Opinion Leaders in Pharma

Key opinion leaders have been crucial in the healthcare industry. KOLs are considered physician influencers within the community. They deliver key content with credible information to their audience. Viewers trust KOLs for the same reason they trust patient influencers – they provide relevant information that allows them to connect with their followers from a place of trust.

KOLs are highly influential individuals within their communities due to their extensive experience. They can effectively generate awareness and potentially increase sales for suppliers through their ability to impact purchasing decisions within hospitals or networks. KOLs are frequently consulted by pharmaceutical and medical device companies during various stages of product development and testing.

They provide valuable insight into disease states and existing treatments, as well as assist with clinical trial design, product improvements, and marketing strategies. KOLs can aid these companies in gaining acceptance for their products within specific hospitals or health networks through their familiarity and influence with the target audience.

TikTok is often perceived as a platform for younger users, but it is gaining popularity among people aged 35 and above. The number of users in this age group is steadily increasing. @Drspf on TikTok utilizes his platform to educate his viewers on all things skincare.

@drspf
Have you tried the #prescription #retinoid #twyneo yet? #drsugaiskincare #acne #tretinoin
♬ Sia – Xeptemper

FDA Advertising, Regulatory and Promotional Requirements

The proliferation of big pharma utilizing influencer marketing can be attributed to a number of factors. A primary reason is the increased rigidity of the FDA in regard to advertising and promotion regulations, making it more challenging and costly for traditional methods to reach customers. Patients are increasingly seeking out online sources for health information and guidance, rendering influencers an effective means of connecting with them.

However, it’s highly important to understand the regulatory requirements imposed by the FDA before collaborating with influencers. The FDA has general rules that apply, such as the requirement for all promotional materials to be accurate and not misleading. As well as the necessity for them to be submitted for review prior to publication.

While the FDA currently does not explicitly regulate influencer marketing, this could potentially change in the future. Therefore, it is vital to stay informed of the latest regulations and guidelines if working with influencers.

Key Takeaways

It’s clear that the pharma industry is taking a cue from the rest of the digital world and investing heavily in influencer marketing. By partnering with influencers, pharma companies can effectively engage with customers and gain valuable insights to improve their products and customer experience. Two valuable assets for pharma companies looking to leverage influencer marketing in their marketing campaigns include patient influencers who share personal experiences with healthcare products and services and trusted physician influencers.

The use of short-form videos [on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts] is an effective way to connect with and educate audiences about healthcare products and services. It is clear that investing in influencer marketing can bring numerous advantages within pharma.

Pharma B2B Marketing: Key Tenets for Engaging Health Providers Intelligently

December 9, 2022

By Daniela Alba

Engaging with health providers has been a notoriously difficult task. As mentioned in our previous blog, Covid-19’s impact has transformed the Pharmaceutical marketing landscape. From face-to-face interactions to fully digital efforts, the key objective is to reimagine how marketers engage with providers.

This means focusing on reliably targeting and connecting with the right HCPs and providing informative and relevant content. Creating the best plan for your long-term success begins with developing the right strategy. In this post, we will explore some of the ways to engage with providers to help you do so.

Maximize Engagement with Distinct Media Preferences

To reach healthcare providers where they are and engage them digitally, pharma companies need to create digital experiences that empower them. But how can pharmaceutical companies best reach and engage HCPs? The answer lies in understanding providers’ media preferences. By understanding where HCPs spend most of their time, pharma companies can develop a compelling marketing mix to engage providers effectively.

HCPs are using social media for professional purposes more than ever. Studies have shown that providers are using social media for open conversations about clinical trial results, the latest treatment options, public health, and patient care. With providers now open to professional and product messages on social media channels, making the most out of multiple channels will help reinforce your messaging and encourage more engagement.

Most HCPs use social media as a place to create communities with their peers on platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Pharma marketers can deliver credible, concise, and educational content including infographics, charts, and short messages with visuals via social channels to best reach providers. Making the most out of these channels is essential when effectively engaging with providers

Make the Most out of Email Marketing

Email is the number one preferred marketing tool by HCPs. According to HealthLink Annual Report results, HCPs prefer to be reached via email for industry-related interactions. As HCPs have a greater demand for educational resources, it’s crucial for pharmaceutical companies to provide them with valuable materials. With this in mind, pharma marketers must implement the following three steps when creating an email for maximum engagement:

Think creatively. Focusing on visual design will help reinforce brand recognition and increase the visual appeal of the message. This will encourage healthcare professionals to take action.
Focus on responsive design. Take into account where HCPs view emails. For the most part, this includes mobile devices. If there is an extended load this may lead to decreased response rates negatively impacting your message.
Customize your content. HCPs are not one generic audience. Promoting irrelevant content to HCPs negatively impacts any potential revenue and decrease brand trust. Personalized subject lines yield higher open rates resulting and personalized messages yield increased engagement.

Focus on Niche Content

Physicians are most likely to engage with condition-specific or disease-state content and value information from trusted medical and regulatory resources. In addition, HCPs have been shown to value content that helps them better serve their patients. However, in a report conducted by Accenture, 64% of HCPs said they’re getting too much digital content, and 65% say digital marketers spam them. How can marketers avoid poorly programmed campaigns, irrelevant content, and spam-like behavior? Simple, build trust with personalized content.

As providers increase expectations, pharma companies are venturing out to gain time, trust, and influence with HCPs and their patients. Niche content can be packaged as blog posts, e-books, Infographics webinars, white papers, podcasts, case studies, videos, and more. And include medical education, patient education, and disease state information. Making sure you have specific content that delivers value is key to improved engagement.

Engagement & Retention

The number of information physicians have to keep up with combined with the time constraints they face throughout the workday has a significant impact. Digital marketing allows pharmaceutical companies to reach physicians where they spend most of their time – online. However, an online presence is not enough to guarantee engagement and retention.

Reading has a 10% retention at 2 weeks
Hearing words has a 20% retention at 2 weeks
Looking at pictures has a 30% retention at 2 weeks
Watching a movie/demo has a 50% retention at two weeks
Short-form videos are over 8x more efficient than long videos.

Regarding engagement and retention, pharmaceutical digital marketing is most effective when it uses short-form videos. Learn more about short-form video in one of our previous blog posts. Short-form videos are more efficient at engaging and retaining an audience than long videos. So, if you want to ensure that your target audience sees and remembers your message, focus on creating short, value-driven, and engaging videos.

Key Takeaways

By now you should have a better understanding of some of the key tenets of engaging providers intelligently. Whether through maximizing engagement with distinct media preferences or making the most out of email marketing’s popularity, focusing on delivering niche content, or making sure to explore the best avenue for provider engagement & retention. HCPs want value and for maximized engagement, pharma companies must cater to the increased demand for content that matters. In the final part of this Pharma B2B Marketing series, we will explore why influencer marketing works in Pharma B2B digital marketing.

Pharma B2B Marketing: Factors Accelerating Omnichannel Adoption

November 28, 2022

By Daniela Alba

The pharma B2B digital marketing landscape is changing rapidly. Several factors are accelerating omnichannel adoption within the industry. This three-part series will explore some of the most critical components driving pharma B2B digital marketing changes and how companies can benefit from these changes. From the importance of data to omnichannel strategies, we will cover the trends shaping the future of pharma B2B marketing.

Covid’s Effect on Pharma

Covid-19 has posed an unprecedented challenge to the pharmaceutical industry, radically altering care delivery. Access constraints due to covid for in-person interactions have long been the foundation of the pharmaceutical sales model. However, the COVID-19 pandemic created an environment where these interactions are no longer safe or efficient. And with the amplification of remote engagement, connecting with patients and physicians in a remote setting has become essential.

With the pharma industry now worth more than a trillion dollars after the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmaceutical companies are forced to pivot to digital channels and are transitioning into innovative sales and advertising initiatives. And the best way to do so has been via omnichannel marketing. An omnichannel approach has the customer at the center using all available media channels rather than a multichannel approach that is centered around the product or service, helping companies focus on improving how HCPs cater to consumers.

Data, Analytics, and Technology

The proliferation of data and analytics is evolving digital marketing in Pharma. To execute effective omnichannel campaigns in today’s competitive market, pharma marketers must have access to the right data delivered in an actionable way. Brands need data that is comprehensive, accurate, and rapidly available. Using tools that will help them understand what patients and HCPs do after seeing their ads and how to optimize all marketing touchpoints is key. Companies can also use data analytics to accelerate drug discovery and development, improve drug efficacy, enhance safety and risk management and gain insight into target patient populations.

According to Silicon Valley-based Treasure Data, capturing large volumes of consumer data and unifying it creates a better relationship between field teams and HCPs, leading to enhanced execution of marketing plans and a direct uplift in sales. Data and analytics of patients across all provider encounters lead to faster, more accurate diagnoses and better outcomes. Additionally, advanced analytics tools are helping companies make sense of this data and glean insights that can improve their marketing efforts. Social media, medical records, and other primary sources of big data can help pharmaceutical companies utilize this data for better reach and engagement.

Customer Expectation

According to an article by Retail Dive, Omnichannel marketing is now the baseline customer expectation. With this in mind, there are two areas to consider when catering to customer expectations:

1. Prior Omnichannel Engagements with Hospitality, Retail, and Financial Industries

Across industries, customers have come to expect a seamless, omnichannel experience. To create a similar customer experience, pharmaceutical companies need to understand customers’ expectations. The best way to do so is by exploring prior omnichannel engagement with hospitality, retail, and financial industries.

Customers in these sectors expect consistent messaging and branding across all channels. Pharma B2B marketers must provide an omnichannel experience that is familiar to the ones their customers are already experiencing. In addition, a personalized customer experience that meets specific needs will exceed customer expectations.

2. Multi-generation customers, comprising digital native and digital immigrants

Companies are continuously adjusting their marketing strategies to target multi-generational customers as the world becomes increasingly digitized. This includes digital natives (those who have grown up with technology) and digital immigrants (those who have adopted technology later in life).

Digital natives are used to getting the information they want when they want it and expect the same from companies. They are also more likely to engage with brands on social media and other digital channels. Digital immigrants, on the other hand, may need more education on how to use digital channels effectively. However, they will likely be more loyal customers once they are won over.

Commercialization Cost

Commercialization costs are a significant factor driving the adoption of omnichannel digital marketing in the pharmaceutical industry. In addition, economic instability and inflation are continuously affecting drug affordability. The cost of raw materials, active ingredients, and intermediates drive pharmaceutical price growth worldwide, creating inflationary pressures.

This is causing more countries to introduce price controls and regulations to combat these issues further. The rising costs in commercialization have given omnichannel marketing a boost within Pharma. The following factors have contributed to the acceleration in omnichannel marketing:

1. Wider Customer Reach Of Treatments For Rare Diseases And Small Patient Populations

The development of personalized medicines has increased the number of treatments for rare diseases and small patient populations. To reach these patients, pharmaceutical companies are turning to omnichannel marketing strategies.

In addition, the increasing complexity of new molecules has required a more thoughtful approach to commercialization as target patient bases shrink and drug developers compete for dominance across more specialized therapeutic areas and smaller audiences. By using an omnichannel strategy, pharmaceutical companies can better engage with patients and maximize the reach of their treatments.

2. Selective, Targeted In-Person Engagements For Such Treatments

In-person engagements with physicians and other healthcare providers are essential for pharmaceutical companies seeking to commercialize new treatments. However, these engagements can be costly and time-consuming.

To maximize the impact of these interactions, pharmaceutical companies are increasingly turning to selective, targeted in-person meetings. By carefully selecting the doctors and other healthcare providers they meet with, pharmaceutical companies can ensure that their interactions are more focused and more likely to result in positive outcomes.

Key Takeaways:

The future of digital media is evolving, and the need to reach patients where they are as customer expectations continue to grow is essential. While omnichannel marketing is new to the Pharma industry, it is not unique to customers. Thus, creating a need to upskill teams to embrace and execute omnichannel effectively and compliantly.

Pharma must embrace omnichannel marketing across all customer touchpoints taking into consideration the ongoing effects of Covid-19, the increased focus on data, technology, and analytics, increased commercialization costs, and keeping up with customer expectations. Part two of our Pharma B2B Digital Marketing series will explore the key tenets for engaging providers intelligently.

How Gen Z is Transforming LinkedIn Marketing

November 9, 2022

By Daniela Alba

As the world’s largest professional network, LinkedIn has always been a go-to platform for building connections and networking. However, with the rise of Gen Z in the workforce, LinkedIn is starting to see a transformation in how users engage with the platform. For Gen Z, LinkedIn is becoming more than just a place to find jobs or connect with potential employers.

It’s also becoming a valuable resource for research and career advice. For example, a recent study by Sprout Social found that LinkedIn is the most popular social media platform among Gen Zers for professional networking. But what does the future of LinkedIn marketing look like? To answer that question, we need to understand the habits and values of the next generation of professionals: Generation Z (born between 1997 – 2012).

Gen Zer’s Digital Habits Reflect Their Values

LinkedIn was known to encourage traditional professionalism among all social platforms by enabling users only to share highly curated content related to business and personal success. However, this has begun to change, as Gen Z’s online habits reflect their values: authenticity, collaboration, and social responsibility. Here’s a closer look at how each of these values manifests itself in Gen Zers’ digital habits:

1. Authenticity

Gen Zers are looking for brands that are genuine and transparent. They want to see behind the scenes, know the brands they support, and share their values. To appeal to this generation, brands need to be authentic in their marketing efforts.

2. Collaboration

Gen Zers are used to working in team environments and value collaboration. So when they see brands working together – through user-generated content or influencer marketing – they take notice. Collaborative marketing efforts will help your brand stand out to this generation.

3. Social responsibility

Gen Zers are socially conscious and want to see brands taking social responsibility seriously. They want to see brands supporting causes they care about, being transparent about their business practices, and making an effort to reduce their environmental impact. Brands that can show they understand and care about the issues that matter to Gen Zers will be in a better position to build lasting relationships.

Brand Transparency and Gen Z

I sat down with Danielle Farage, Linkedin’s Top Voice for Gen Z, work futurist, and collaborator, to better understand how Gen Z navigates LinkedIn. How can brands build trust with Gen Zers? Farage recalled learning about greenwashing and rainbow washing in college and how they impacted her view on brand transparency. She noted that brands must establish an active relationship with the social causes they support.

“As a socially responsible brand, did you contribute anything meaningful? Were you a part of the conversation?” These are questions Danielle states brands should ask themselves when building a strategy around trust. Instead of only showcasing support during a specific time frame, a brand must show its support all year round. Otherwise, the lack of commitment will generate a lack of integrity, thus minimizing trust with Gen Zers.

“Knowing your values as a brand is essential in resonating with Gen Z. Establishing how your brand is showing up and knowing if you are maintaining these values proves that you are being transparent with your marketing efforts,” stated Farage. In addition, studies around Gen Z consumer patterns describe Gen Z as a generation that conducts more research comparatively than other generations.

As a result, Genz will spend more money on brands that align with their values, and brands that prioritize establishing an authentic and transparent brand identity ultimately reap these benefits.

Gen Z Values Brand Integrity From The Inside Out

We’ve seen a shift in how businesses treat employees in recent years. In the past, companies were more focused on profits and growth than on the well-being of their workers. However, that’s starting to change, particularly among popular brands with Gen Z consumers. These so-called “Gen Z value brands” put their employees first, invest in their development, and offer them competitive benefits.

This focus on employee experience is paying off: Gen Zers who work for these brands are more engaged and productive and more likely to advocate for them. What does this say about a brand? It shows its commitment to its employees, staying authentic, and supporting social causes.

B2B Marketing for Gen Z in Leadership Roles

As the founder and Director of Growth & Marketing for Café, a social hub for hybrid teams, Danielle Farage is now facing the challenge of navigating marketing in a B2B landscape herself. How should B2B companies adapt their marketing strategies as GenZ begin to take on leadership roles?

Danielle believes brands that want to improve their strategy can take two different approaches. The first approach is to focus on the language they are trying to communicate with their brand voice, and the second is to seek out diversifying who represents them actively.

1. Communication is Key

Despite the growing number of Gen Z’ers filling leadership roles, many businesses are still run by Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials. With this in mind, Danielle’s strategy when targeting Gen Z in leadership is to identify what language to use when communicating a specific message. This includes modern colloquial terminology without abandoning traditional professional terminology.

2. Diversify your Brand Voice

After being invited to speak for various organizations, Farage noticed the lack of diversity among panelists. Granting Gen Z leaders the authority to become a brand’s voice increases brand relatability and authenticity. Incorporating newer and younger voices to deliver your brand identity is essential in adapting to a new generation of leaders.

In Conclusion

All in all, there’s no question that Gen Z is transforming how we think about LinkedIn marketing. It’s vitally important to understand the site, but understanding its users is equally as important; this will allow brands to create more effective campaigns and interact with Gen Z more meaningfully. Gen Z is a generation that wants to be guided. What better way to maximize this opportunity than by reimagining your brand voice and values?

Using Short-Form Videos in Your Content Strategy

October 25, 2022

By Daniela Alba

With the continuous rise in popularity of TikTok, investing heavily in short-form video content is vital. Studies have shown that Short-form videos rank #1 for lead generation and engagement and 54% of marketers surveyed, stated that their companies leverage short-form videos for maximum conversion. As an important element of your content strategy, understanding short-form videos and how brands are using them is key.

Next, we will dive deeper into what short-form videos are, their benefits, why you should include them in your content strategy, upcoming news, and how this will affect short-form video platforms.

What are short-form Videos?

Short-form videos are a type of video content that is typically shorter in length than traditional videos. They can range in length from a few seconds to a few minutes. Often used as a way to share quick, snappy content on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube. Short-form videos tend to be more informal and personal than longer-form videos. They regularly feature everyday people rather than professional actors or celebrities.

This makes them relatable and easy to consume. This has helped to make short-form videos extremely popular among social media users. While they may not be suitable for every type of content,short-form videos can be a great way to connect with your audience and build brand awareness.

Benefits of Short-Form Videos

If you’re not already convinced that short-form videos are worth your time and investment, here are a few benefits that might sway you:

1. Capture Audience Attention

Short-form videos are more digestible than longer videos. With the limited attention spans of most social media users, you need to make your point quickly and effectively with a short video. People are more likely to watch and retain information from a short video than from a long one. As a result, businesses and individuals are turning to short-form videos to communicate their message effectively and efficiently.

2. Cost-Efficient

When it comes to cost efficiency, short-form video is the clear winner. Unlike traditional television commercials or web videos, short-form videos can be produced quickly and easily without needing a large crew or expensive equipment. They are shorter and less complex. Short-form videos are typically less expensive to produce than their longer counterparts.

Finally, due to their viral nature, short-form videos often have a much wider reach than other marketing materials, resulting in a lower cost per view. For businesses looking to get the most bang for their buck, short-form video is the way to go.

3. Versatility

Short-form videos are versatile. You can use them for everything from product demonstrations to customer testimonials to educational content and beyond. And because of its versatility, short-form video is perfect for just about any purpose. For businesses, short-form video is an excellent way to promote products and services. It’s also great for creating awareness and building brand identity. And because it’s so shareable, it’s a great way to reach new audiences.

When it comes to entertainment, short-form video is also extremely popular. Whether it’s funny clips or catchy music videos, there’s no shortage of content to enjoy. A well-executed short video will help you grab attention and stand out from the rest.

How to Implement Short-Form Videos into your Content Strategy

There are a few different ways you can use short-form videos in your content strategy. The first is by using them to introduce a new product or service. A great way to pique someone’s interest is a quick video showcasing how your product benefits the viewer. You can use short-form videos to give your audience a behind-the-scenes look at your company or product.

This is a great way to humanize your brand and show viewers. You can use short-form videos by using them as part of a larger marketing campaign. For example, launching a social media challenge encourages people to create short-form videos using your product or service. Not only will this get people talking about your brand, but it will also give you a ton of great user-generated content (UGC) to repurpose on other channels.

Meta and Google: Updates and Changes

1. Algorithm Changes

Meta executive in charge of Facebook, Tom Alison, announced in late April of this year, that Meta will be changing the way people are recommended posts in their main feed. Instead of prioritizing those from accounts they follow, Facebook’s new algorithm is going to start to heavily promote posts regardless of where they came from.

Combined with an increasing emphasis on Reels, the planned changes show how forcibly Meta is responding to the rise of TikTok. TikTok has quickly become a legitimate challenger to its dominance in social media. Instagram is already well ahead of Facebook in its push to show more Reels from accounts you don’t follow, or what the company calls “unconnected” sources.

2. Meta’s Post-Loop Ads & Google’s Youtube Shorts Ad Monetization

Youtube and Facebook have been trying to compete with TikTok’s platform’s popularity. A key challenge Meta and Google face is TikTok’s algorithm strength.

In an effort to combat this, Facebook has introduced a new ad format that forces viewers to watch 4–10 second videos after every few minutes of content. These post-loop ads will be incorporated into both Facebook Reels and Instagram reel’s for creator monetization.

For the last 2 years, YouTube has developed Youtube Shorts. Youtube’s strategy replicated TikTok’s creator fund and created a similar one called the “Youtube Creator Fund”. Youtube realized creators did not fully benefit from the fund and decided to incorporate paid ads in between videos to help monetize and shared among creators.

How Will Meta And Google’s Ad Changes Affect Your Short-form Video Content Strategy

Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok have been the favorite channels among consumers when purchasing goods through ads according to a recent study by Digital Information World. And who do consumers trust the most when exploring products? They trust influencers.

The study by Oracle and CRM Essentials illustrated how social media influencers have become a trusted source for consumers. With the capped amount of monetization a creator can make on TikTok, it is possible that Facebook’s post-loop ads and Youtube Shorts will slowly lure Influencers onto their platforms.

The generic format of ad placement between scrollable videos caused a disconnect between influencer buyer trust and branded ads. Utilizing Facebook and YouTube updates are crucial for ads.

Takeaway

Curating ads to translate the same trust as Influencer content will build brand trust with your target audience. However, this will depend on how genuine your content is along with the Influencer you hire to promote your brand.

In short, effective short-form videos are an excellent way to connect with audiences on various levels and can be used for a wide range of content marketing objectives. When creating your strategy, consider how you can best use each social platform’s capabilities to your advantage to maximize the impact of your content. And if you need help getting started, our team is always here to offer guidance and support.

Poll results: which foodie Reel or TikTok is the favorite?

June 13, 2022

By Seth Bronstein

It’s one thing to talk about great social media strategies, it’s another thing to live them. We polled a few of our office foodies for their favorite food accounts, specifically for their Instagram Reels or TikTok appeal.

This isn’t your typical “top accounts” list full of great brands everyone knows, these accounts have made the feeds of some of the pickiest social media munchers. These Flightpath foodies don’t follow just any brand, so we were especially keen to know the “why” behind who they follow too.

The foodiest foodie

Denise may have the most food accounts of our whole group, seeing as to how she herself is into posting food, recipes and all around good eats on her own social channels. So what appeals to someone who has a keen eye for food influencers?

A top favorite: Laura Live Well

Reason to love: The aesthetics of it all. The reels are pleasant to watch and the recipes all look yummy!

I’m allergic to spam

Carolyn loves getting variety in her diet and her feed, so something she enjoys is following accounts that give her a mix of content as she scrolls. This applies not only to recipes, but also creating a mix of content that ensures her feed doesn’t feel “too spammy” or ad-like.

A top favorite: Max the Meat Guy

Reason to love: He shares the products he uses more as a “here’s the info” rather than “you need to buy this.”

@maxthemeatguy Tajin and Citrus Dry Age #newyorkstrip #tajin #dryaged #steak ♬ Hokus Pokeus – HipHop Beats

Taste the rainbow

Emily is all about the colorful accounts well stocked with eye candy, and an occasional dose of satire. It’s more about looks (enter her obsession with purses that look like food), and entertaining videos.

A top favorite: Kim-Joy

Reason to love: Her bakes are always so fun, and she shares her “oops” moments too so we see things aren’t always perfect.

Can you smell it?

I have a soft spot for cooking tools and recipes I can actually try later. Does it smell good just looking at it? Does the perfectly cut steak produce ASMR? If so, the account just might make the cut.

A top favorite: Derek Chen

Reason to love: Every video starts with him trying it out—is there a better way to make you want to try it too?

@derekkchen Burnt the roof of my mouth eating this 🤕 #kimchijjigae #kimchistew #kimchisoup #easyrecipe #easyrecipes #cooking #food #mukbang ♬ original sound – Derek Chen

Honorable mentions:

Branded vs. influencer: what’s better for social media?

May 16, 2022

By Emily Smith

All around us is talk of social media influencers. Whether it’s a brand wanting to mimic trends on TikTok, shifting budgets to accommodate influencer partnerships, or meetings about what makes content “authentic” or not.

Oftentimes in the marketing space the largest question for a brand is how much of their content should be influenced by the influencers. The truth is, like any good marketing strategy, it depends on the company, the audience and the marketing objectives. So let’s break it down into a few major topics that should be considered for thought-starters.

What do you have to offer?

Ask yourself this question, but go beyond products and services. Yes, it is important to get your company offerings out there, but a whole feed of videos that look like ads is where we draw the line for any brand. Too much branded is just that, too much.

Let’s think more about what your brand has to offer beyond the products. Another way to think about this is by asking, “What makes the brand unique?” So instead of saying: we sell clothes, it’s a matter of saying, “our clothes are the best products for outdoor activities.”

When you’ve established unique attributes, think about what you can offer to the community that enjoys your products. If the brand offers luggage this could be providing travel advice, packing tips, beautiful images of places to add to a bucket list… There are so many possibilities to share useful, enjoyable content that is still on brand—and provides plenty of opportunities to share your brand.

One of the biggest brands who has embraced “what do we offer” beyond products is Apple. Technically they offer phones, computers, headphones, etc. But their Instagram is all about providing photo tips for followers.

What does your audience want to see?

This may be where influencers vs. branded content weighs most heavily on the conversation. When you consider topics and individual posts that are relevant to your brand and audience, think about:

Who is best equipped to share the info?
What will resonate with the audience?
What kind of formatting makes most sense?
Should it change based on the social media platform?

The answers can change depending on what’s happening. The brand itself may be the best to post deep insights about a specific product, but a review from an influencer could be a better way to share an overview that followers can resonate with.

Check out organicgirl’s answer to balance—a mix of studio-made recipes, influencer content and audience reshares.

How can you stay authentic?

There is no completely wrong way to go when determining how much influencer vs. branded content—unless you’re trying to do 100% of one of the other.

As we mentioned earlier, too much branded content will often come across as an ad. But too much influencer content can take away from your main goals: interest in your services. Authenticity is finding a balance that is true to the brand.

Let’s take Summer Fridays as an example. Almost every single post is about a product, yet many of them mix product with influencer-feeling content—and with amazing follower results.

One of the biggest mistakes brands make on social media is trying to be everything to everyone. What makes you unique as a brand is also what makes your audience like you. Stay true to this and you can remain authentic through both branded and influencer posts.

Looking for more great branded vs. influencer examples? Stay tuned for our next post with a recap of Reel favorites, and why they resonate.

What’s New With Twitter Super Followers

September 9, 2021

By Emily Smith

Last Wednesday the Twitter world was abuzz with their newest updates, mostly aimed at larger accounts. Among privacy updates to help reduce abusive comments, they also added a Super Followers option for accounts with over 10,000 followers that post at least 25 times in the last 30 days (this feature is also reserved only for those over 18 years old).

So just what is Super Followers, and how does it compare with other social options creators are utilizing?

The Super Followers Facts

In short, Super Followers allows high-profile users a way to monetize their content. As we stated earlier, there are some stipulations for who can do this, and even if you meet all the qualifications you currently need to add your name to a waitlist for Twitter to approve.

Is this an end to free Twitter content? Not at all. Even if an account decides to employ the Super Followers feature, the idea is that they will only gate off “exclusive content” beyond what they normally share.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because this type of idea is already used by many creators through other platforms.

How Does This Change Paid Content?

As many news outlets have assumed, Twitter is adding this feature, among other privacy options, to help keep the big fish using their platform—and by extension the 55.6 million users that are on Twitter following the big accounts.

But being paid isn’t new to Twitter. Like many platforms, including Tiktok, Instagram, YouTube and others, Twitter creators have long been paid by the platform itself to generate content.

The difference with this feature is that it allows creators more control over what content they want to generate revenue. And isn’t that a portion of what’s made social media thrive? Starting trends, sharing something new, standing out with ideas others haven’t thought of.

With this new option Twitter joins other platforms like Discord, Patreon and Clubhouse in allowing influencers a new way to gain revenue for the work they put into their content. While this may not mean much right now for advertising, it does have the potential to add another shift in the way influencer marketing works.

How to Best Incorporate Short Videos into Your Social Media

April 19, 2021

By Michelle Morales

There is no denying the popularity of TikTok among viewers of all ages. And while not every consumer is on TikTok, nor is it the place for every brand, there are many things that can be gleaned from it’s popularity. Like why it grasps users’ attention, and how principles used can inform content on other platforms.

The Basics of TikTok

While TikTok is the clear leader in short-form videos, it doesn’t have all of the capabilities many brands need to more thoroughly connect with their target audience. But what it does have is short, interesting content that is easily watchable on mobile.

Videos are often engaging in themselves, or joining in popular trends. At the onset of TikTok videos could only be 15 seconds long, although there are ways around that time limit now.

Animated Posts on Social Media

So just how does the TikTok format translate to other platforms? From organic posts to paid advertising, we’ve seen a significant increase of views and interaction when using movement in content. Best practices are to keep videos short, with special attention to ensuring the first three seconds will captivate your audience.

The easiest rule of thumb for this is to simplify the ad/post to the single most important message; something you would put if all you had was space for a static banner ad. That should be your first three seconds.

After that, keep the length to no more than 15 seconds unless your content really deserves something longer. Examples of longer content would be how-to videos or occasional announcements that need more in-depth explanation. The likelihood of your audience watching past the first 15 seconds of a standard ad or post is very low.

Best Ideas for Social Posts

Knowing what to post on social is really all about your audience. When you think about videos though, take another cue from TikTok. Not everything has to be high budget, but depending on your brand the level of refinement and company tone should be reflected.

It also doesn’t have to be a literal recorded video to watch. Animated illustrations, effects applied to still images, or other types of movement can all bring the same amount of engagement. Content can also vary, from product highlights or service information, to influencer content or shared videos from followers.

The best way to find out what works best for your brand? Start creating and sharing, and see what sticks. A major plus to social media is the ability to track successes and react quickly to feedback and data.

Is Facebook Worth Your Ad Dollars?

April 8, 2021

By Emily Smith

We’ve all heard people try to predict what the next big social platform, chat service or phone app might be. Or which current ones are losing steam. A big question from companies new to the social media game is which platform is best for their brand. And Facebook always finds its way into the conversation, and for good reason. But before you choose whether or not to direct advertising dollars towards Facebook, or any other platform, it’s good to weigh some basic pros and cons of doing so.

What social platform is best?

The social platforms that are best for your brand can often differ depending on who you’re trying to connect with. Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter…the list can keep going, but what we know for sure is that not every platform is needed for every company. Take a look at what you want to share, and who you want to share it with, before you commit to a platform that won’t fit your needs.

That said, Facebook is not a bad bet for most companies. Although some may argue that it’s losing its place at the top, a recent survey shows that it’s still number one—and with a pretty good lead.

Plan, test and reassess

Even seeing this chart, we’d never encourage the strategy for every company to spend most of their digital marketing budget on Facebook. Really the best plan for allocation is to make a plan based on strategy and knowledge of typical audiences on each platform. Then to test that strategy with ad dollars spread amongst the chosen platforms.

The benefit of most digital channels is being able to more quickly assess and address any outcomes or outliers to the budget. Digital advertising should not be something that is left unchecked for long. If something isn’t working well, factors can be adjusted to try something new for both the communication method and platform being used.

Facebook advertising and tracking

The bottom line is, Facebook is a platform just like the rest of them. While it is often a recommended platform to advertise on, knowing your audience and objective should outweigh blindly spending a chunk of your media budget on a platform just because a survey told you so. Instead, set goals and track them properly to find the answers specific to your company and needs.

Through initial tests and tracking it can be easier to create organic content and paid media that will attract more viewers. And this can lead to more true connections and better-spent ad dollars for future campaigns.

Facebook Ad Rejection? Find Out What to Do Next

March 1, 2021

By Michelle Morales

Recently the New York Times ran a story about a new adaptive clothing company that had its ad blocked from Facebook, even though it didn’t violate the policies Facebook said it did. Although in the end the issue was resolved, it got us thinking about ads we’ve placed on Facebook on behalf of clients, and hoops we’ve occasionally had to jump through to get them accepted by the platform.

Have you ever had problems with Facebook’s marketing platform? Have you wondered why your seemingly non-controversial Facebook ads have been rejected? We’ve looked into some of the recent issues that brands have faced, especially with the iOS14 update.

Is Facebook rejecting more ads?

In the case of the above story, the photo in their ad was for a popular sweatshirt, but Facebook’s algorithm flagged it for promoting “medical and health care products and services including medical devices.” And they aren’t the only adaptive clothing brand that has run into this problem.

From a non-AI standpoint, it’s easy to see where the automated algorithm Facebook has made a mistake. Yes, these mistakes have always occurred, which is why Facebook allows you to appeal the rejection to have it reviewed by another party. The difference in rejections now is that the algorithm seems to be checking things more thoroughly, and including a longer list of why you can be rejected.

One of the reasons for this can be traced to the iOS14 update, and the subsequent changes that were made to Facebook Ads Manager to work with that Apple update. If Facebook is being held to stricter standards, reason would follow that they are upping their standards for others, and being quicker to act on the flagged items.

How can you avoid Facebook ad rejection?

One of the downsides of how Facebook rejections work is that they don’t give very specific feedback. Yes, they may tell you what part of their rules you violated, but they don’t tell you what part of your ad violated those rules. So it can feel like a guessing game when you’re trying to avoid future rejections.

For our clients, we always advise following the known rules as closely as possible. One of the simplest things to start with is to read Facebook’s ad policies thoroughly before starting any strategy or advertising plans.

Ask yourself some of the following questions:

What topics about my company could trigger ad rejection?
Are there images we use, or products we feature, that could trigger ad rejection?
Is our account set up correctly (including verifying domain and setting up two-factor authentication)?

Understanding where your sore spots could be can help with strategizing how to say what you want without wasting time creating marketing materials you can’t use.

What can you do if your Facebook ads are rejected?

As a digital agency, we have created and posted ads within many different business sectors. From our experience, there is no 100% way to guarantee your ad will not be rejected, simply because the AI used to judge them is completely capable of making mistakes. Just like it did with the clothing brand in the NYT story. Just as important as mitigating ad rejection is having steps in place if rejection occurs.

The first step is typically to appeal to get your current ad running. Check your account for the message from Facebook first. Reaching out to a Facebook representative is the most ideal way to appeal. If you don’t have someone to reach out to, Facebook chat can also help you start an appeal process.

Through the appeal process you will typically learn more details about what caused the ad rejection. If it isn’t approved as-is, you’ll be able to pinpoint what needs to be changed for the ad to be accepted.

After finding out what needs to be changed, the next step is deciding what to do about it. It may be an easy fix, or it may be more strategic to use a different ad altogether. This can come down to budget and timing as well. How you proceed with a new or altered ad is all up to what choice will best support your brand and marketing targets. And like any other marketing or advertising out there, learning from mistakes can help further avoid ad rejection in the future.

Are Animated Social Posts Worth Your Time?

February 18, 2021

By Nicole Musto

On a daily basis we work with clients to support their marketing objectives through different social media platforms. While there are best practices and platform focuses, some of this can vary depending on the client. We recently did internal research for a company going through a brand refresh to determine what was working best to connect with their current followers and potential customers.

Our goal in all of this was to understand how audiences were responding to different types of ad formats across different content topics.

What we analyzed

Our first step was to gather data on three months’ worth of paid media across three different sub-brands within the same company. This resulted in data from advertising across Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn for three separate social media accounts each. We then categorized this data based on ad format and content type, specifically focusing on movement and production amount.
Static images: no movement
Standard animation: simple use of product or text, typically using still images
Advanced animation: custom animations and longer production schedule
Videos: clips of longer client assets, usually cut to an average of 15 seconds

Once categorized, we analyzed performance by the following metrics: click-through rate (CTR), thruplay rate, conversion rate and cost per click (CPC). Using multiple metrics helped pinpoint if ad format value varied by conversion type.

What we discovered

For all three brands that we tracked, standard animation posts were the top performers. It was also noted that specific content topics could sway the performance of these posts as well. On average, CTR was higher on standard animation and video posts, with CPC under one dollar.

In some cases, advance animation performed slightly better from one brand to another, again based on content topic. Although this type of finding sounds generalized, knowing which topics performed better for each brand will be helpful insight for future marketing.

From the outcomes received, we were able to evaluate holes in the data, such as content types that did not have ad formats to test. With this realization we have moved on to A/B testing certain content types as standard and advanced animation ads.

Takeaways for future strategy

With all brands, audiences can have distinct personalities and hidden motivations within their viewing and interactions. While this case study helped us find data to better serve a client in the midst of a brand pivot, data collection and analysis is something we are constantly reviewing for every client and social account we support.

Seasonality, personal preferences, outside trends…all of these things can contribute to a shift in what your audience responds to at any given time. The pro and con of social media is that it is always changing, always allowing for new ways to connect to your customers. Keeping on top of these changes with similar fluidity is necessary to keep your metrics performing at their best.

Updating Facebook Ad Performance for Apple’s New iOS

January 20, 2021

By John Lee

Apple’s upcoming advertising changes are rolling out soon, and along with that is Apple’s Private Click Measurement (PCM), giving users more options to opt out of the data-tracking methods that Facebook has been using to target audiences.

While some parts of this rollout are seen as a step in the right direction for privacy, it can mean different things for advertisers like us, and the companies that are aiming to reach the right audience with their ads. Because of these shifts, it’s important to strategize updates and changes that ensure ad dollars are still being used wisely.

Upcoming Roadblocks

Two of the biggest problems Facebook has pointed out are app-to-web conversion measurements and cross-domain measurements. For app-to-web, the problem we’ll start to see with conversions is that tracking within the app can no longer be recorded. For example, if your user clicks on a link within an app, like Instagram, it typically opens a browser window still within the app. This type of user experience can no longer be recorded on an iPhone because it is within another app.

The other experience that will no longer be tracked is for companies that have a URL redirect. If a user clicks on a link, but that link redirects to a different webpage, that will be the end of tracking.

While this may seem like only two small situations, ultimately it can become a huge issue if not addressed properly. Performance will be harder to achieve due to lack of data, current Facebook algorithms may not be as strong, leading precise targeting to become a concern.

Solutions for a Smooth Transition

Because Facebook feels these types of experiences are important to ensure users are given ads they care about, they are building their own Aggregated Event Measurement (AEM) to work within Apple’s new protocols.

Although this will allow advertisers to access user data for better targeted ads, there are limitations and updates that need to be made. Members of Flightpath’s marketing team recently participated in a Facebook webinar that outlined these new protocols:

Eight-event limitations for pixel setup
Conversion window updates
Reduction in custom audience sizes
Value optimization within Events Manager

While Facebook did not give point-by-point instructions for how to adapt to all of these changes, we are developing strategies to compensate. One thing we will be doing is making required updates in a timely manner to mitigate any foreseeable bumps in user data. As with all advertising, it’s very imperative to us that these changes are watched closely as they roll out, and that we are making swift adjustments as necessary to ensure the best ROI for all ad dollars spent.

For anyone working within Facebook’s platform, here is a quick to-do list to make sure you are on top of any pending changes with the new Apple iOS program.

Verify your domain in Facebook Business Manager
Prepare to only have 8 events per domain, prioritizing events as needed
Anticipate changes to attribution windows, and update automated rules if necessary
Identify campaign optimization strategies that may require testing (alternative audience options or bidding strategies) as needed

As we said at the start, many of these changes aren’t ideal for the ad targeting we have been able to do to this point. But with proper strategies in place, and the ability to adapt to new updates as needed, we can all continue with useful ads targeted to the right audiences.

Goals for Better Collaboration in 2021

January 8, 2021

By Gin Shieh

It’s a new year, and that brings a great opportunity to assess workflows to better serve company objectives. There could easily be an article dedicated to each step of a project’s process, but this take is more of an overview to getting the best results and design executions.

Many mistakenly try to problem-solve from the start. To put it simply: companies often fall in love with the wrong solution. For example, a company could come to us and say, “We need to create an app to grow sales.” But is an app the best solution? Could something else come from collaboration?

Assessing past workflows

Our company, as with many worldwide, was forced to pivot in our collaborative process when offices shut down due to the pandemic. What was working with our workflow in February could not entirely be applied to any workflow we’ve had the remainder of the year. For us, that meant our collaborative thinking and whiteboard scribbles within a brainstorming meeting had to be processed through more cloud-based systems.

Fortunately for our teams, we had already been working in many useful systems, including Google Drive, Invision and Slack. Assessing, and changing, workflows can be a delicate balance. At one point it is good to let your team get a feel for a system and how it works best for them, but if something new comes along that works better it’s important not to ignore new processes or programs because you’ve fallen into comfortable habits.

Finding new processes

This isn’t just about programs or cloud-based needs. Although we’ve looked into other creative ways to share, like Jamboard or Microsoft Teams, we have also evaluated and updated the types and frequency of meetings to allow for a collaborative environment while we work remotely.

The end goal of your process should be to create an open space for the strongest collaboration. This leads to more creative thinking and better strategies overall. Thinking in this way, it’s also important to use cloud-based systems that are easily accessible to everyone, be it your internal team or clients that are part of the initial process.

Even within programs, taking advantage of all that is offered can really boost collaboration. Don’t just use Google Spreadsheets to track projects, take advantage of the comments feature to tag and assign tasks, track changes, or update notifications so everyone is aware of new and changing ideas.

Collaborating with clients

Client collaboration can be very impactful, but is not always within scope. This may be due to client needs, project timelines, or other reasons. But whether or not a client is included, it’s helpful within the process to hone the big ideas into one focused direction.

If a client is included, this can mean analyzing feedback internally to find that focused direction. Or it could include simple artboards or design concepts to allow everyone, including the client, to be on the same page with next steps.

In the end, better collaboration begets better strategy. And both of those lead to the best outcomes, designs and executions for every project.

How to Get More Views on YouTube

November 3, 2020

By Seth Bronstein

YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world after Google itself, and caters to 2 billion monthly users. This makes it the second most-preferred platform for watching among 18-34 year olds, with 70% of views determined by YouTube’s own recommendation algorithm. Sure, not everyone has the need to start a YouTube channel, but the numbers are pretty compelling if you want to get your brand in front of that audience.

While search priority can be divided into two basic factors, engagement and SEO, there is a lot that goes into the YouTube algorithm to push videos in front of viewers. Understanding these needs can put into place a strong strategy for your channel, and help determine what videos should be created and shared for maximum return.

Your audience & competition

One of the first things for any advertising platform is to define your audience. Although YouTube is no different in this aspect, because it is a social platform the landscape of competition can vary.

Take for example a food brand. While they may be competing against other food brands during a TV commercial or magazine ad, on YouTube their videos are competing against thousands of professional cooks and at-home makers who are all vying for more viewers and subscribers. Researching and understanding every type of competitor for your business can help you understand what content is already out there, and what part of that engages your audience the best.

Analyzing ranking & engagement

As we mentioned earlier, ranking can really come down to two things: engagement and SEO. YouTube wants to give fresh, exciting content to viewers that they’ll want to watch, and using a complex algorithm is how it is determined. While views is the top determination for their algorithm, followed by likes and subscribers, every element can play a part. Here is a breakdown of things to consider:

Engagement

Individual videos: While video views is the number one factor, YouTube also takes into account likes/dislikes, comments, video duration and estimated watch time.
Full channel: Other factors include overall channel views, average views per day (channel and video), subscribers and channel comments.

SEO/Technical

Keywords: Research should be done to ensure the best keyword match and amount for titles, descriptions and tags.
Length: Length of any copy areas, including descriptions, tags and titles for channels and videos can also play a role in determining ranking.
Power in numbers: The number of domain links, embedded links, channel videos and days since publication are all accounted for in YouTube’s algorithm.

Increasing subscribers & views

While video views are the most important factor for YouTube, for new players in the game other things need to stay in focus to get that viewership up.

Things like paid media, contests, website embeds, links from other social platforms or partnerships can all help push viewers to your videos without YouTube’s algorithm helping out. Once on your channel or video, it’s good to crosslink to your other content with end cards and thumbnails; or simply asking viewers to comment, like and subscribe can increase viewership organically.

Another important aspect is to stay engaged as a brand, to really build a community with your viewers. Viewers and subscribers will notice if you’re always asking for comments but never giving responses in return.

Here are some questions to ask to keep engagement top of mind:

Do we have a face for these videos?
Are we communicating with our audience/asking for feedback in comments?
Do we ask viewers to like/subscribe?
Are we talking about future content to get subscribers coming back?
Have we found partnerships with other channels/influencers?
Are we consistent with content/showing things subscribers want?

Nurturing engagement requires developing a community of loyal return visitors, meaning that strategy and questioning should be constantly reassess. Top YouTubers don’t stay at the top without keeping attune to their audience needs, analyzing their channel and video analytics, and making changes as needed. Keeping on top of these things will help your brand presence grow on YouTube, keep subscribers engaged, and help the platform share your content with new audience members.

Facebook Brand Lift Overview

October 22, 2020

By John Lee

If you advertise on Facebook, or plan to in the future, you may have considered doing a Brand Lift test to see deeper results of how that advertising is supporting your initiatives. But it’s important to note that not all brands need or have access to Brand Lift studies. Our experience working with brands who have done them has given us useful insight into how they work, and who they work best for.

Brand Lift Basics

The point of a Facebook Brand Lift test is to use polling, aimed randomly at Facebook users who have seen your ads, to learn more about ad recall and effectiveness. It can be done for one specific campaign, or across a breadth of advertising within specific dates. The test will run within the dates of the campaign, or after it has completed, but not both.

After determining the audience group, Facebook will randomly create test and control groups, polling them with quick surveys asking questions ad and brand recall.

Who They’re Useful For

Brand Lifts are useful for companies planning to run one campaign for a single brand or product. If you have multiple offerings or products within your company, and advertising is mixed or crosses products, this type of study may not produce clear enough data to make it useful.

Another thing that is required for these tests to work is that creative and budget remain the same throughout the campaign. Again, switching things or testing messages on a campaign can be valuable for other results, but would not yield the data that a Brand Lift is meant for.

Facebook has also set company requirements for a Brand Lift test. One is that in order to run this free test you need to already be working with an Account Representative, and possibly meet certain budget requirements for the advertising you are testing. If you’re not sure if you qualify for a Brand Lift test, we can let you know!

Outcomes to Expect

A well-planned Brand Lift test will be able to help you understand if your advertising is memorable, how aware it has made people of your brand or product, and if potential customers are considering purchasing what you offer.

The results can be very effective in planning future ads and messaging strategies to best reach future customers, grow an audience or increase sales.

How COVID Has Changed Brand Messaging

August 28, 2020

By Emily Smith

Back around March there was a moment when everyone thought COVID-19 would be an inconvenience that lasted possibly a few weeks. Businesses closed temporarily, people began to stay home, and the advertising industry seemed to spin new ads overnight for companies that wanted to keep their voice heard during a confusing time.

Initial Messaging

With time constraints, budget considerations, and a whole lot of unknowns, these ads started to sound a little similar. Someone took notice, and created a parody ad that could have easily ended with almost any brand logo and still made sense.

Commercials weren’t the only place similarities existed. We helped our clients craft messages for their websites, emails and other digital platforms to address the situation and ensure their customers that they were doing everything they could to keep everyone safe.

The strategy wasn’t focused on originality, it was to get a straight-forward message customers could quickly see to ease stress or worry. And it worked. Customers needed to find information quickly, understand how the brand was affected and what they were doing to continue forward–and that is exactly what they found.

Current Messaging

Now that we have all come to understand this pandemic is lasting far beyond those first few weeks, or even months, messaging is shifting again. Things like social distancing, mask wearing and hand sanitizer are infused into pretty much every person’s daily life. In addition to the “new normal” we’re growing accustomed to, brands have had more time to stop and think about messaging that can be more tailored to their company and their customers.

The result shows just how nimble the advertising world can be, and the need for companies to shift and adapt quickly. For some brands that has meant cheeky campaigns or clever ways to present their content–while still being something that can be quickly produced and budget-sensitive.

Take this most recent KFC commercial. Sure, it doesn’t address all the seriousness of the coronavirus, or even really make literal sense, as some viewers point out in the comments. But it does give KFC a way to join the conversation, and to make you stop and think about their brand slogan (and finger-lickin’ good chicken).

Another more guerilla tactic is the one Burger King Belgium implemented: face masks printed with your order when you place a pick-up through their app. Again, this idea hits a number of markers, but mostly it’s giving their customers a little extra something of interest, while also leaning into the norms we’ve come to know.

Or a more subtle, yet strong, approach to the current times, Nike released an ad for their Nike Membership with the slogan, “You can’t stop sport. You can’t stop us.” The ad is so typical Nike, with all the emotion and buildup that comes from sports, but weaving in the most current feelings: cleaning bleachers, playing sports with masks, without crowds, and inside your home.

Thinking about these same strategies, and what makes them successful, can help lead timely and impactful messaging no matter where your brand is speaking to customers. Emails, social media posts, digital or traditional advertising…the truth is simple: people connect with messages that resonate. And what resonates right now are the current events that encompass us all.

As you think about what you’re putting out there, or about to put out there, first ask yourself how this pandemic has affected your customers. Not in general terms, but specifically how your company being affected has trickled down to them. That is how to leverage creative in a thought-provoking way. As Burger King showed us, it’s not just about wearing a mask–it’s how wearing a mask affects ordering their food. Or in Nike’s case, how social distancing won’t stop the sports you love.

Create Stronger Connections with LinkedIn Live

July 6, 2020

By Rebecca Zedeck

LinkedIn Live has been around for a little over a year, but it has remained an underutilized platform for many businesses. Now, with companies getting more comfortable with digital experiences, and looking for more meaningful ways to connect with their audiences online, LinkedIn Live is getting the second look it deserves.

While the name implies a lot about what it does, this feature shouldn’t be seen as only for live videos. Pre-recorded and edited videos are just as easily shared through this feature as live conferences or webinars.

Live events and live videos allow for another facet to connect with professional users in a way that resonates with them, and provides more opportunities for two-way conversation and brand loyalty.

Find Your Level of Professionalism

Keeping with the professional atmosphere, LinkedIn Live uses professional partnership services to stream your videos to viewers. These third-party services range from free options to paid tiers depending on what your company needs. Services include things like multiple filming angles, professional editing and customer support for your attendees.

Engage Your Audience

To get the most out of LinkedIn Live we really push strategy. Asking questions like: who is the intended audience, how can we reach them, and what is relevant to them? Answering these will help layout a plan about how to market, connect and speak to relevant users to make the strongest connection with potential viewers.

For example, if you are only promoting your LinkedIn Live video through organic posts and to users who already follow your brand, this cannot be thought of in terms of conversion-based KPI’s. The topic can maybe be more specific, since you know more about what they want.

On the other hand, if you’re looking to reach a new audience, your marketing plan needs to reflect that. This is a good time to utilize LinkedIn advertising, or create a LinkedIn Event that people can join and easily share with others.

No matter what way you choose, it is paramount that you get the word out effectively. This means multiple posts or ads building up to your LInkedIn Live stream. Additionally, engagement early on helps people have time to share and remember so they don’t miss out.

Connect, Follow-up, Repeat

Just like any in-person event your company attends or develops, it’s important to follow up with your attendees to keep that connection going. Share on LinkedIn and other platforms post-stream, email attendees with additional information, and continue to invite them to connect with your brand in meaningful ways. This strengthens the bond and keeps them excited for future events, live streams, or other opportunities you develop and share.

Social Listening Amidst Disorder

June 16, 2020

By Michelle Morales

To maintain and grow your brand on a digital level, social listening can be one of the most important tools you deploy. Social listening is crucial for a brand that is trying to connect with current customers, especially during events like we’ve been experiencing these last few months.
Here are ways to use social listening to help your brand better understand:

Analyzing Sentiment

Reviewing and analyzing current conversations on places like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram can help in understanding what customers are currently feeling towards your brand. This can be useful in two ways. First, it can provide valuable insight into keywords and topics you can use to connect with existing sentiment and need. It can also help you quickly react to consumers. Especially in a situation we are in now, where brand conversations can shift quickly, it’s important to know what people are needing and wanting.

Understanding Conversations

For first-time analysis, it is recommended to do social listening for the full prior year, if the brand has conversation volume to do so. Beyond that quarterly review is typically advised, although more updates can help if the conversation is changing rapidly.

Reviews look for main keywords, top mentions (such as influencer conversation), and which social platforms have the majority of the conversations. Analyzing these, in correlation with daily mentions, whether sentiment is positive or negative, and demographics of the topics/keyword mentions. It can also be useful to target groups like Millennials, etc. if that’s where you know the conversation is happening. For global brands, looking into language or country separately can be necessary too.

Filter What’s Important

Scouting keywords and tracking quantitative data is one thing, understanding the quality of the data is another. To best utilize social listening you need to have strategy and discernment for which conversations to follow, and which to leave behind. For example, a brand we do social listening strategy for recently launched an IGTV channel, prompting a spike in conversation. It’s important to relate the spike to the event to know why the spike occurred to respond accordingly.

Some of this can be found by specifically finding keywords that fit your brand, versus more generic terms that can throw off findings and results. It also helps to read context into conversations, looking for spikes and patterns of conversations/keywords, and analyzing the data in relation to things like new product launches, company updates or current events within the community.

Understanding all aspects of social listening can help with organic content creation as well as advertisements in both digital and other channels. As quickly as conversations and sentiments can change, so can the digital platforms you’re listening on. Every day hashtags shift, platforms add services to entice brands, and the volume of conversations is altered. Truly connecting with your audience, and responding to their current needs and wants, can bring stronger brand loyalty, recognition and drive more meaningful conversations in return.

Guide to Social Media Platform Selection for Brands

December 6, 2017

By Tess Bartnicki

Guide to Social Media Platform Selection for Brands

A lot of clients and potential clients inquire about best practices for social platform selection and how to determine posting frequency. With a clear picture of your target audience, we recommend that you ask the following questions: What are you using the platform for? (i.e. Brand Awareness? Referral Links?) What are our goals? Is this […]

A lot of clients and potential clients inquire about best practices for social platform selection and how to determine posting frequency.

With a clear picture of your target audience, we recommend that you ask the following questions:

What are you using the platform for? (i.e. Brand Awareness? Referral Links?) What are our goals?
Is this platform relevant to the selected target audience?
Is the target audience active on this platform?
How do your competitors currently use the platform? What are their strengths and weaknesses?
Does your budget allow for optimization of the platform’s capabilities?
What is trending?

Post frequency varies by platform and is closely related to content strategy. Here’s a good chart from Hubspot about post frequency for CPG, Retail and Ecommerce Brands:

And here are few rules of thumb that we’ve honed over time at Flightpath:

Facebook: Posting 3-4 times a week has been proven to be successful, assuming that all posts can be boosted. Posts that are not boosted will not be visible to most of your fans.
Instagram: It is important to post daily since organic reach is still significant for this platform. The success of Instagram Stories makes testing this option important and will allow for new key learnings about how things are evolving.
Twitter: This varies from 3 to 30 times a day. Tweets have a short shelf life, so it’s important to spread your tweets at different times. Twitter has evolved as a niche platform for industry news, PR, events, customer service and more specific content that works well “in real time” or in a more supportive role.
Snapchat: Recognizing that the majority of users are under 25, it’s wise to consider that they’re up later, and on their phone frequently throughout the day. We recommend testing various content series’ and monitoring ongoing engagement to see what works best.
Customer Service: Consistent monitoring and community engagement is an indispensable piece of any social strategy.

The most important rule of thumb is to test, test and test some more. Platforms and consumer behaviors are constantly evolving and what works for one brand at one time may not be true at for someone else or at another time.

Cultivating and Utilizing UGC

February 10, 2016

By Francis Fuster

In this day and age, people are constantly taking and sharing photos. Thanks to their 8-megapixel smartphone cameras and built in filters, it’s easy to take a glorious picture. But the real moneymaker moment happens when someone shares a photo involving a brand. This is what we call: User Generated Content. UGC is any form of content such as a, video, image or blog post created by a consumer or end-user and is publicly available. Social media mediums have proven to be continuously reliable sources for UGC. This is due to the simple fact that platforms such as Instagram and Twitter are hashtag based and easily searchable; vice versa, users are able to tag brands on posts, sometimes eliminating the need to search at all. Not to mention, everyone’s on social!

UGC posts become a kind of endorsement for brands; with the proper permission brands can repurpose these posts and show them off on their own social media page. “User-generated content as a media channel comprises an increasingly significant share of time that consumers are spending with content overall- indicating that consumers are ever more receptive to it. (Crowdtap)”Here’s how top brands go about acquiring and utilizing UGC.

The first step is always getting permission

A big name like Starbucks has so much UGC at their fingertips (literally), but they still need to take the appropriate steps in order to share a consumer’s photo.

Often times brands will create campaigns encouraging users to create content

In August 2015 Modcloth launched a contest on Pinterest “Be Our Pinspiration,” asking users to create a Pinterest board filled with inspirational images and named after the Modcloth campaign. The winner received a gift card and clothing pieces named after them.

For brands, hosting contests on Facebook is a simple and easy way to get UGC

Dove’s “Share Your Beautiful Self” promotion asked users to upload a photo of themselves and a friend. Dove turned each entry into an e-card that could be shared with Facebook friends.

But even a simple hashtag search can reveal a plethora of UGC

Our client, Interlux Paint, receives a lot of UGC from Instagram

You can cross promote UGC on other social platforms, like Facebook

The biggest content drivers are people between the ages 25 and 54 and contribute to 70% of all UGC (SparkReel). UGC continues to dominate the majority of web content, with Pinterest creations up by 75% (Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers). Everyone with a smartphone is a potential content creator and this gives marketers and companies alike a huge pool of content to choose from. Content curation is a vital part in telling the story of your brand, so it’s important to see to what your consumers are saying/posting and being receptive to them. Sharing their posts is a great way of doing just that! Not to mention it’s easy and cost-efficient!

Who Won 2015?

December 23, 2015

By Beck Delude

With 2015 winding down to an end, we just have one question on our mind… which social media platform won 2015? We’ve lined up our top five channels, compared the numbers and weighed the results. While Facebook currently presents the highest amount of active users, Snapchat appeals to a younger generation that isn’t necessarily as active on Facebook. Twitter allows for real time updates with a chance of “going viral.” After only being around for five years, Instagram is currently the fastest growing major social platform, while Pinterest has taken off with the growing ‘do-it-yourself crowd.’ So with all this in mind, who won 2015?

Continue reading “Who Won 2015?”

A Look at the New Facebook “Reactions”

October 12, 2015

By Gabrielle Robbins

On Thursday, Facebook gave us a look at their new “Reactions.” Unfortunately, the Reactions are just being tested in Spain and Ireland for the time being, but will add to the limited “like” button, introduced back in 2009. Hitting “like” on Facebook is a way for users to give positive feedback, and to ensure that they are updated with regard to a […]

Hitting “like” on Facebook is a way for users to give positive feedback, and to ensure that they are updated with regard to a topic or post, without all the commitment and effort of actually writing a comment. Although we don’t yet have an official release date, Facebook has responded to the overwhelming desire for a “dislike” button with their new spectrum of one-click responses, called Reactions.

Meet the new Reactions:

https://youtu.be/gJUfA-vCpWM

Facebook’s Reactions include the classic “Like,” along with Love, Haha, Yay, Wow, Sad and Angry. While this promises a much more articulate way of presenting input on posts for the average user, it will also serve as a diverse and emotional set of data for marketers and businesses using Facebook ads. As of now, Facebook’s newsfeed ranking algorithm will be calculating the reactions as likes, but they hope to learn more over time about the different ways marketers can use ‘loves’ versus ‘angries,’ and so on. For instance, a company might target people who’d marked “angry” on a competitor’s post, or double down on users who ‘loved’ a post, rather than ‘liked’ it.

With the recent change from billing marketers per ‘like’ and interaction, to focusing on product sales and app downloads, Facebook’s new feature will be able to provide a broader array of diverse data to advertisers, allowing them to mold their ads even more specifically.

These new emojis will do more than just allow you to “love” your friend’s new apartment; it will allow users to receive more ads targeted to their desires, and help advertisers to create content that makes you say “Yay!”

Ten Millennial Marketing Tips from AdWeek

September 30, 2015

By Denise de Castro

Millennials are adults ages 18 to 34. There are roughly 80 million Millennials in the United States alone, and each year they spend approximately $600 billion. In marketing, the group has been described as high influencers with a heightened awareness of marketing schemes. According to AdWeek, marketers are constantly working multiple social media platforms and […]

According to AdWeek, marketers are constantly working multiple social media platforms and tweaking digital ads to target elusive millennials who don’t respond to traditional advertising. While it is a challenge to market to this ‘elusive’ segment, here are some key tips on engaging Millennials.

Break through the noise by utilizing the tools that are available.
Get the consumer excited with engaging content.
Millennials look for instant gratification. Allow them to personalize/customize their experience.
Be authentic. Fans can detect BS.
Consumers base their purchases based off their perception of the brand.
Mobile first. Two-thirds of Millennials view content on mobile. 70% tweet while watching television or other shows.
Create something people want to watch, and they will share that content.
Be culturally relevant. For brands, find something that is interesting and fits into the cultural space.
Content is designed to engage the consumer regardless of platform.
Listen to your audience. If your content isn’t working, pivot.

Social Media Builds Hype for #MayPac

May 1, 2015

By Denise de Castro

I’ll admit I’m Flightpath’s biggest boxing fan. I attend weigh-ins and fights. I’ve had the opportunity to interview famous boxing personalities. I even have a collection of autographed boxing gloves. Heck, I’ve got boxing gloves on my business card (It’s quite a conversation starter).

Continue reading “Social Media Builds Hype for #MayPac”

5 Things We Learned at SXSW Interactive

April 9, 2014

By flightpath

Hard to imagine it’s been 30 days since the Flightpath team set our sights on SWSW 2014. While the SXSW glow slowly fades, what remains is the energy and excitement about the work we do, the clients we serve and the enduring lessons we learned:
1. If we’re too focused on the technology, we lose sight of the psychology
In this evolving digital world, nearly every IPO heralds a new tool that promises increased engagement (ooh!), better functionality (ahh!) and less ads (ohh!). But when we get so excited about the medium, do we lose sight of what we’re trying to share with consumers? That’s when campaigns fall flat.

During Jonah Berger’s session, What Drives Word of Mouth, he highlighted a need for marketers to gain understanding on why people talk and share. True understanding of human psychology will help us create the right message to reach our brand advocates and get them talking. We were so jazzed after the session. We grabbed a copy of the book at the SXSW bookstore and have plans to reinstate our Flightpath book club with Berger’s Contagious as our first selection.
2. Never underestimate the importance of strategery*
We’ll admit, we first went to this session based on its title: Go Home Marketing, You’re Drunk. And we weren’t disappointed. Kristina Halvorson broke down the importance of a clearly defined strategy in the content marketing space. If our goal is to create and distribute valuable, useful content to our audience, we need know what we’re saying and why we’re saying it. Without a smart strategy? We don’t have focus and will find ourselves working hard but not smart. Smart strategy provides us with the guardrails to know where we’re headed. If we do it right, we end up doing great work with both substance and integrity.
3. We’ve seen the future, and it’s the debate over wearable technology
Walking around SXSW, we saw our fair share of Glassholes. But as these “explorers” lead us toward a new frontier of wearables, society is asking more questions than the experts are providing answers to at this stage.

During Glassholes: The Cultural Dissonance of Technology, panelists debated wearables as ushering in the next phase of human augmentation (or how we expand our own capabilities with technology). The biggest concern levied by the panelists and the audience was how wearables separate us from the physical world. The Google Glass enthusiasts argued (persuasively) that Glass allowed them to be connected without interference. Those on the other side of the issue felt that the very nature of the wearer using them was interference since unsuspecting bystanders would be drawn into the digital world without their consent. While nothing was solved by the end of the session, it made us think about the digital personas we spend so much time cultivating versus how to live an authentic life where we benefit from technology but aren’t ruled by it.
4. Use social media for social good
What is a conference without free swag? The notorious stuff we all get was abundant in the exhibit hall. Hordes of people clustered around booths in hopes of securing a shirt, a tote or other tchotchke. But thanks to Twitter and the #SXSW hashtag, we discovered that all those random goodies that we didn’t really need (but couldn’t say no to) could go to a good cause. It made the exhibit hall experience a grab-bag game — how many tees (that you would never wear) could you snag for Austin’s Foundation for the Homeless? Finding the volunteers outside the Convention Center and dropping the goodies into their outstretched arms just felt right.
5. The true lessons are revealed when you return
Sure, waiting in line for a chocolate chip cookie shot can be a fun way to spend an hour or two, but the real fun? Spending time with colleagues and learning from thought leaders and experts who are pushing the envelope and bringing new technologies forward, left us looking for connections on how we can harness the latest digital trends on behalf of our clients — to help them reach and engage with consumers in a meaningful way.
Until 2015…

*Kristina Halvorson even gave a shout out to Will Ferrell’s hilarious George Dubya character from Saturday Night Live.

SXSW Sessions: The UX of Realtime Site Personalization

March 27, 2014

By flightpath

The static website is dying. We are at an age where having a website just isn’t good enough any more. With our attention spans constantly shortening, and typical web users multitasking, no one wants to dig through content to find what they’re looking for. Your site needs to know your user, and deliver them the […]

Currently the only major player that has come close to mastering their users needs is Google. I type in a search for “brunch”, and I am immediately presented with restaurants in my area, their user ratings, a map of their locations, and sites listing the top 10 best brunch spots in New York City. The utility navigation underneath the search bar, even rearranges itself making “maps” my second option right after search. I didn’t have to tell it I was in New York, or that I would be looking for the best brunch spots. Google simply knew what content I was looking for, and delivered it right to me.

While all companies may not have the engineering geniuses at Google, let alone their budget, there are still accessible technologies available that can make your site more personalized for your individual users. Geolocating, media queries, and cookies are all technologies that we have at our disposal now, but I feel that the simplest method that can be implemented almost immediately is utilizing hard user data. Most sites are built now with some kind of analytics, tracking page views and click throughs of different users on different devices. That information can, and should be utilized in the design of your product.

There are certain assumptions can already be made about mobile, tablet and desktop users, and understanding their different needs and limitations is the first step in creating a more efficient experience for each device. Desktop users are typical stationary, they are in one place, and will be connected to a stronger internet connection, thus have the time to click through more pages, and the signal strenght to load them. A mobile user on the other hand, may not be stationary, or even connected to wifi, so they will not want to explore your site, or have the capacity to load additional pages. If we take that basic information into consideration, it is easier to create an experience catered to their specialized needs.

Hard numbers are also a great way to understand how your user is interacting with your site, and how to cater to them accordingly. For example, if you see your mobile users frequenting the “our location” section of your site, it may be a smart move to have the information at the ready when they visit your mobile homepage, rather than making them look for it. Your desktop user may have the time to sit and click through two pages to find your address, but your mobile user is possibly on the go, and may not be connected to a wi-fi hotspot. Making a change as simple as that gives your users a better experience, without using seemingly advanced technologies.

As long as we can learn from our users, and iterate accordingly, serving up a personalized web experience may be entirely within our reach.

Impressions from attending a SXSW session by Jesse Friedman

Do Blogger Outreach? 6 FTC Guidelines You Must Understand

May 22, 2013

By flightpath

…if the FTC takes action it will be against a brand, most likely not a blogger. As a marketer this could not only cost you thousands in fines from the FTC, but would jeopardize your relationship with your client. Understanding FTC guidelines is essential to protecting your agency, your client and also the consumers who you are marketing to.

The FTC released an update to their Endorsement Guidelines in March and while there have been a lot of open discussions about the FTC guidelines in the blogging community, there are far fewer within the marketing space, if the FTC takes action it will be against a brand, most likely not a blogger. As a marketer this could not only cost you thousands in fines from the FTC, but would jeopardize your relationship with your client

This past weekend at BlogPaws (a social media conference for pet bloggers) an FTC rep was on hand to disseminate the information to publishers, but this information is extremely valuable to those of us in marketing who conduct blogger outreach.

Understanding FTC guidelines is essential to protecting your agency, your client and also the consumers who you are marketing to.

1. When does a blog post need to have a disclosure?

Whenever there is a material connection between the post’s author and the brand. If a blogger happens to purchase a product that they love and then write a post detailing the product’s virtues, there is no material connection between them and the brand.

A material connection is established when an agency or brand reaches out to a publisher and offers product, gift cards, payment or other items that could be considered a transaction (a free dinner, trip etc.)

So, if you work in-house or at an agency and are conducting blogger outreach you need to be familiar with FTC guidelines. If you chose to ignore them, you are running a risk that your agency and your brand will be the subject of an investigation and possible action by the FTC meaning fines.

Who has been subject to these investigations? The speaker mentioned Porter Novelli, HP, Ann Taylor Loft, and Hyundai.

What were they giving away? As little as a $50 gift card. So, whether you are offering cars or carnations to bloggers you need to know the FTC guidleines.

2. Direct bloggers to use the #ad in any tweets, pins or Instagram images they share to promote product review or sponsored posts. DO NOT use #Spon

The FTC would like to see bloggers on Twitter and other microblogging platforms discontinue the use of the hashtag #spon (which means sponsored post in blogger speak). The meaning of the #spon hashtag may not be apparent to consumers, and the mission of the FTC is to ensure consumers understand the material connection between the blogger and company. It is the responsibility of the brand who did the outreach to communicate this as a necessity.

#Ad is much more clear to everyday people that what they are seeing is an ad of some sort, whether the post is paid for which cash or stems from a product review of items sent free of charge to a blogger.

3. Disclosures should be placed as close as possible to the claim they qualify.

This means, that instead of a blogger writing 4 paragraphs about the nifty gizmo they received and then waiting to the end of a post to mention that the above post was paid or that they got said gizmo for free, bloggers should disclose their material relationship to the brand in the heart of the post, close to where they detail the product.

What language should be used? The important thing is that a normal person can understand the disclosure. Legalese need not apply. So, ask bloggers to disclose that the product was provided free of charge by your company right when they start discussing it. For instance: “Gizmody Co. just sent me GizmoXY free of charge for review and I think it is super nifty.”

Asterisks and other weird symbols that refer readers to the bottom of a post for disclosure just don’t cut it in the eyes of the FTC. With an increasing number of mobile users who are viewing content in small bits and bouncing fast, they realize the number of people who read posts in their entirety is small.

4. If you are a marketer, you are not allowed to leave positive reviews for your clients on Yelp, Amazon, iTunes or anywhere else.

Especially if you do not disclose that you are a representative of the company. The FTC rep was very clear that this would not be tolerated and highlighted a case in which the FTC investigated a PR company who left numerous positive reviews for a client’s video game app in the iTunes store. So, just don’t do it.

5. Don’t use hyperlinks for disclosures that are integral to a claim

Linking off to information that the consumer needs to make an informed decision about the value of the opinion stated in the post or for important information like safety or cost. The speaker did add that hyperlinks are permissible if a disclosure is expecially long or has to be repeated over and over on the same site.

6. Make sure your agency or brand has a social media policy that includes mandating disclosure from bloggers you work with.

The speaker said some investigations against agencies and brands ultimately were closed without action because the agency or brand had a social media policy in place and showed that the outreach for the campaign being investigated was done by a “rogue” employee. Having a policy documented and in place could help your agency or brand in the event that an FTC investigation is launched.

Blogger outreach is a great way to build word of mouth, backlinks and to seed a new product with consumers. Just do it responsibly.

Additional resources for brands, agencies and bloggers can be found at www.business.ftc.gov

Pinterest Best Practices for Brands 2013 – How to Get Consumers Pinterested!

May 8, 2013

By flightpath

We just released our best practices for brands on Pinterest! Here is a sneak peak at the whitepaper, and top tips to ensure your brand is getting the most out of Pinterest.

We just released our best practices for brands on Pinterest! Here is a sneak peak at the whitepaper, to view it in it’s entirety download it here.

If you have an interest in marketing online, then you have an interest in Pinterest. Pinterest provides an opportunity for brands to reach consumers in the golden moment when their intent to purchase is forming- as their boards of product images are growing.

Announce your arrival

Pinterest does not offer promoted content or advertising to brands yet. So how can a brand announce their arrival on Pinterest if not through ads? Here are 3 sure fire ways to jump start your Pinterest presence:

A magic formula that is 2 parts Facebook and 1 part Pinterest. Create a Pinterest app on your brand page and support it with Facebook ads aimed at Pinterest users within your brand’s target demo.
Email! What happens when you take an old fashioned email and insert ready to pin images? BOOM- pinning a plenty!
Add Pin It! buttons to images on your website to remind visitors to share their fav pics on their own

Use awesome images

Want to be repinned? A perfect Pinterest image is 600 pixels wide. There is no maximum length on Pinterest, so aim for pins that are long. Images, taller than 800 pixels will stand out in the crowd.

Fill your brand’s boards with images beyond everyday product shots. Funny, beautiful and touching images have better odds at being repinned. Whether you are creating images for your pinboards or scouring the Internet for cool, repinnable images, chose high contrast images. Break out of the photo mold and create pins that include text, just make sure it is brief and bold.

Read the rest of our tips for marketing on Pinterest by downloading our latest white paper: Pinterest Best Practices for Brands 2013.

Still using stock photos on social? It’s really time to stop.

April 24, 2013

By flightpath

If your grandparents looked like they crawled off a Clairol box, then congrats on hitting the genetic lottery. For the rest of us, stock images showing perfect people in perfect families just aren’t relatable. They also just don’t work well on social and here is why…

What is one of the worst things brands can do on social media? Use stock photos! Stock photos and product shots on social make us cringe, but the practice is all too common. If your social media marketing strategy involves stock imagery and products shots we have rounded up the top reasons to convince you to change it up.

Here are the top reasons not to use stock photos in your social posts:

1. Who are these people anyway?

Showing images of real people using your products, who are truly enthusiastic, are going to go much further with your target audience. Your brand’s likes, share and overall engagement will go up.

2. Cans lack soul.

It’s a can of cat food. Yes, if you are a cat owner you probably have a brand of cat food that you like. And, if you are the cat food company then you probably paid thousands for a photo shoot in which each piece of niblet of meat in this can was arranged.

But, chances are if you saw this can of cat food pop up in your newsfeed accompanied by copy like “Like this if your cat eats this”- you would not even pause for a second look. Even if it had the most gorgeous label in the world. It’s still just a can.

On the other hand….

If you are a cat food company and post a pic of a real cat a user shared on your wall or on another social platform, who is super cute, and put your branding on it, BOOM. Magic happens…

People will share. Fancy Feast rocks this tactic all the time on Facebook, and their images get a lot of love. Always think about your brand’s content from the user’s perspective- not just the brand perspective.

If your brand is posting cans, bags and other product shots- not matter how lovingly poised that product may be, it will never have the soul of a user generated image.

3. Stock photos aren’t funny, smart or interesting

Think about it for a moment. You went to school for photography. You have to make extra cash. So, you create the most generic images possible like the above “couple brushing teeth” and add a million random tags to the photo in the hopes that your image will be downloaded enough times that you can buy groceries this week.

The result: Boring images.

This image was posted on Colgate’s wall. A consumer is proving the whitening power of their toothpaste with a photo taken in black light.

That would be a very funny post from the brand as well, but instead Colgate responded “HAHAHA” and let the post wither on the “Recent Posts by Others” vine, instead of using the image in a post on their own wall with thanks to the user who submitted it.

Instead they use images like this…

I don’t mean to pick on Colgate or their agency or in-house person tasked with picking stock photos of perfect people with perfecter teeth.

They are just typical of the way brands use images to little effect on social.

So, use real user generated image on your wall and consumers will see that you are paying attention to them, and even better that you are celebrating their relationship with your brand. They may also post a pic in the hopes that they will get a star turn in your brand’s posts.

Have you made the switch from product beauty shots and stock images to user generated on social? Leave a comment and share your thoughts!

In the Wake of Tragedy What Should Brands on Social Do? Be Quiet.

April 16, 2013

By flightpath

In the wake of tragedies, people turn to social media for instant information, to fulfill our human need to connect. This is when social media really shines, when it’s promise as an instant means of communications and information comes true. Brands on social seem to struggle with tragedy. PR agencies, ad firms and digital shops […]

Brands on social seem to struggle with tragedy. PR agencies, ad firms and digital shops are filled with people who are affected, even if indirectly when tragedy strikes. Everyone struggles with coming up with the right thing to say. There is a very human need to say something.

But brands are not humans.

Even though the people who staff accounts have the best intentions, creating a post in the vain of “We Remember…” or “Our thoughts are with…” is inappropriate. People are turning to each other for comfort, for news outlets for coverage. They are not turning to consumer package goods or B2B companies for solace.

In the aftermath of tragedy, brand posts do two things:

Clutter up newsfeeds when people are looking for instant information.
Give the perception that a brand is leveraging a tragedy for their own benefit.

So, if you manage social media for brands what should you do? Halt all posts, especially in the hours after the tragic event. By staying quiet, your brand will be doing something important- giving people space to find news, connect and find solace in their friends.

Infographic – How 14 Top Brand’s Performed in a Social Media Customer Service Test

January 7, 2013

By flightpath

Myself and three of my colleagues used our personal Twitter accounts to send customer service tweets to 14 leading consumer brands in seven industries. Each company received one tweet per weekday for four consecutive weeks. The goal was to evaluate which messages were prioritized and how consistently they responded.

The following guest post comes from Rachel Ramsey, Editorial Coordinator at Software Advice, a research and advisory firm.

In today’s Yelp-obsessed world, consumers are interested in marketing but only if it matches what their family and friends say about your brand. Social media is a perfect avenue for impacting these conversations. That being said, providing effective social support is just as important to this mission as sharing promotions, blog posts and deals.

However, providing strong customer service on Twitter presents a formidable challenge for companies that receive thousands of tweets per day. It’s impossible to expect them to respond to everything. Instead, they need a strategy for finding and prioritizing the most important messages.

How the Race Worked

Myself and three of my colleagues used our personal Twitter accounts to send customer service tweets to 14 leading consumer brands in seven industries. Each company received one tweet per weekday for four consecutive weeks. Half of the time we used the @ symbol with the company’s Twitter handle, the other half we didn’t. Using the @ triggers a notification to the account owner that they’ve been mentioned in a tweet

The questions fell into one of five categories:

Urgent
Positive
Negative
FAQ
Technical

The goal was to evaluate which messages were prioritized and how consistently they responded. This included messages with an @ symbol and brand name, as well as others where simply the brand was mentioned. We sent the tweets every day from four different personal Twitter handles, for four consecutive weeks. We tested 14 brands in seven industries.

Some lessons learned included:

Keep the customer informed. Coca-Cola and McDonald’s committed huge errors when two of their replies came several days after the questions were sent. For the instant-gratification customer, this is the same as not responding at all.

Don’t be a robot. Customer service expert, best-selling author and speaker Micah Solomon told me recently that being human in your engagements with customers on Twitter is one of the most important considerations. Twitter is a social platform, your responders need to talk and act like they would interact with their real friends and family. Say thank you. Be personal.

Important keyword triggers are your friend. When we designed questions for the race, we specifically included questions with important intent, sentiment or risk of switching brands. Social listening software can be programmed to send service messages to the front of the line if they contain keywords such as “help,” “mad,” “thank you.” These rules are imperative for brands that need to automate tweet prioritization.

Listen for your brand, @ or no @

The social customer service innovators watch and respond to non-@ mentions because they see the opportunity to really surprise and delight. Most social listening software can be programed to listen for mentions without the @, with the @, and #brandname.

Still Not the Norm

These brands responded to a mere 14 percent of the 280 tweets delivered during the race. Whether the issue is one of strategy or technology, brands are still far from meeting customers’ expectations on Twitter.

Facebook’s EdgeRank Algorithm – What Brands Need to Know

December 17, 2012

By flightpath

Unless you’ve been living under a buzzword-free rock (and if that’s the case, please share your location so that others might seek refuge), you’ve undoubtedly heard about EdgeRank, the algorithm that Facebook uses to determine what users see in their News Feeds. While the method itself remains elusive, there is solid information that brands can […]

The Algorithm :: What is it?

Every piece of content or interaction on Facebook is known as an “edge,” from uploading a photo to joining an Event or Liking a status update.

EdgeRank accounts for three determining factors, known as “signals,” regarding posts themselves: affinity, weight, and time decay. Affinity reflects how friendly you are with your fans. Weight is a basic formula that is used to determine what types of content are more likely to be shared. Time Decay is a simple measurement of which content is the most fresh.

While there have been hints that Facebook may be introducing a new signal (or more) into the equation, this trifecta currently makes up the mix.

The Latest :: What’s the word?

In late September, Facebook announced an update to the EdgeRank algorithm, sending the digital marketing world into a tizzy as organic reach levels dropped suddenly and dramatically across the board. Phrases like “pay to play” flew across our screens rapid-fire, and brands began to panic over losses in revenue. The algorithm still remains elusive, but there are a few key changes that have become apparent.

Negative Feedback is now weighted more heavily. Users are now equipped with simple controls at the forefront that allow them to hide, block, and report posts. Because the objective of the updates is to combat spam pages, there is far more attention paid to this type of feedback from users. In addition, if pages have received a substantial amount of negative feedback in the past, they may have been hit even harder by the update.

The Popular Post Paradox creates new opportunities for negative feedback. Yes, that’s right. We’ve coined a new paradox. (While no one at Flightpath fancies himself or herself a philosopher, we’d argue that critical thinking skills and a love for alliteration go a long way.) Thanks to EdgeRank, the most popular posts make their way into the News Feeds of many a Facebooker who isn’t necessarily a fan of your content. While this is a great opportunity to make new friends, it’s also an easy way to get your posts hidden in the case that we don’t like what we see.

Status Updates Are the New Black. Once the updates went into affect and widespread suffering was reported from the depths of editorial teams across the globe, there was a single glimmer of hope: Status Updates. The oft-forgotten content type actually showed improvement in performance as a result of the algorithm, and brands that have strategically revitalized the status update have seen positive EdgeRank results.

Optimal Post Frequency hovers around once per day. Talk about high stakes-statuses. Many an analyst agrees: the most engagement is garnered when a brand posts once per day – and interactions begin to decrease substantially as frequency increases. It’s up to you to determine the best time of day to hit “Post,” as well as the ideal type of content to share. The good news? There’s plenty of room for experimentation.

The Implications :: What’s it to you?

EdgeRank exists to further personalize the experience of logging in to your virtual world by weed out irrelevant content and promoting pieces of interest. The fact is, except for the rare occasion on which a rapper launches a video game, we aren’t generally clamoring to canoodle with brands. EdgeRank recognizes what we are clamoring for, however, and rewards those pages who are posting killer content, at the right frequency, at the ideal time of day. If you’re not using EdgeRank Checker already, create your account and get moving – many of the optimizations that can be made are easily measure and reported within the tool, which also allows for real-time monitoring.

At the end of the day, I’m still subjected to far too many baby pictures (and when will we start punishing college buddies for gratuitous sorority poses?), but technology has only come so far.

Notes from the Intern – What I learned interning at Flightpath

September 18, 2012

By flightpath

Find out how it’s like to work with the Flightpath team from our very own Social Media Intern, Beck Delude.

As every college student and recent graduate knows, interning is how you get your foot in the door and learn how it’s like to work in the real world. Essentially things they sometimes forget to mention in school. With that being said, our very own Social Media Intern Beck Delude shares her experiences at Flightpath below.

I have been so lucky to be the Social Media Intern at Flightpath in NYC and learn from their brilliant employees. My time spent at the agency has allotted me a vast array of opportunities. Since being here I participated in building social media strategies for several brands, attended BlogHer12, researched relevant news about digital media and went to IFBCon!

Here are some key things I’ve learned here at Flightpath:

Think critically about who the brand’s audience is
Double and triple check everything you do and then have someone else look over it
It’s important to be aware of what others in the industry are doing but to always be original
Research is a very important aspect of being prepared

Aside from all the amazing opportunities and all the great things I learned the best part of interning at Flightpath was the people I worked with. Everyone is extremely talented and willing to take the time to teach you what they know.

Flightpath not only offers internships in Social Media but also in Design and Web Production! Check them out and apply here: http://www.flightpath.com/careers/

5 Reasons to Try YouTube Ads & Setup Tips

August 20, 2012

By flightpath

In online advertising, Google search, Facebook and Twitter get most of the press, but if you’re a brand with quality videos that you don’t think are getting the views they deserve, YouTube ads are a viable option.

While everyone who posts a video to YouTube holds out hope that their video will go viral, the truth is, the odds are slim of that ever happening. (Unless you specialize in Cute Cat Videos. Then, you’re basically guaranteed 18 bazillion views. That’s a scientific fact.)

The same is true for brands with video content (in a post earlier this summer, we documented the failed Men in Black III YouTube channel). Sometimes, you need to get out there and push. In online advertising, Google search, Facebook and Twitter get most of the press, but if you’re a brand with quality videos that you don’t think are getting the views they deserve, YouTube ads are a viable option. Here are five reasons why, along with some tips on how to optimize your ads.

Reason #1: Setup Is Easy
YouTube is owned by Google, and setting up a YouTube ad campaign is very similar to setting up an AdWords campaign. In fact, YouTube ads have been incorporated into AdWords, and that’s where you’ll create your campaign. The first thing you want to do, if possible, is link your YouTube account with your AdWords account. This gives you more robust analytics for your YouTube ads right in your AdWords dashboard. You can run ads without linking the accounts, but you’d be missing out on lots of data, and since you run the ads through AdWords, you might as well link them. Here’s how.

Click on the “New campaign” box in the Campaign section of AdWords, as seen below, and then select “Online Video”:

You’ll be taken to the “Create new video campaign” screen, but don’t fill it out yet. First, on the left hand “Shared library” menu, click on “Linked YouTube Accounts”:

Next, click on the blue “Link YouTube account” box in the window that pops up.

Even if your YouTube account has a different login and password from your AdWords account, they can be linked. Once this is done and the accounts are connected, you’re ready to set up a campaign.

Go back to the main setup for a Video Campaign:

Here you can name your campaign (we suggest going with something more descriptive than “Campaign #1,” because if you run more than one campaign over time, it’ll get confusing), set your daily budget and choose locations. You’ll also get to select a video from your just-linked YouTube account to use in your ads. Next, you can set your max CPV (cost per view), groups you want to target (say you have a comedy short you want to promote, you can target “Humor” and then the “Spoofs and Satire” categories in YouTube), and include any keywords you want your ad to show for.

And then you’re ready to make an actual ad. In the “Ads” tab on your dashboard, click on the “New Video Ad” box. You’ll first have to choose a video you want to advertise:

Once that’s done, it’s time to write your ad. This is done exactly as you would with an AdWords ad. Write a Headline, two Description lines, a Display URL and a Destination URL (you can have the ad take the viewer to the video’s YouTube page or to your YouTube channel). You’ll get to pick a still from your video to act as the ad’s image, and can preview it in real-time.

Reason #2: They’re Not Crazy Expensive
In the world of pay-per-click advertising, a campaign can get expensive as keywords become more competitive. It can obviously be worth it, and sometimes it’s a necessity – but average cost-per-clicks (or CPVs, in this case) are relatively low with YouTube ads, meaning you can drive visits to your videos for less money on a per-click basis. And if you have quality video content that can spread the word about your brand or services, YouTube ads can be one of the more cost-effective ways to spread your message.

Reason #3: Free Link To Your Website
You know those pop-up ads that overlay a video you’re watching? They’re actually free to the owner of the video and video advertiser. The call-to-action overlay, as Google calls it, takes you to an external site, and features a headline and short copy. So while someone is watching your video, you can get an ad pointing to your website at no charge. It’s a real, quantifiable bonus to running a YouTube ad campaign. (Note: Call-to-action overlays are only available if you’ve linked your YouTube and AdWords accounts.)

After you’ve created your ad, click on “Videos” in your dashboard:

You’ll see all your videos related to that campaign. In the first column, called “Video,” you’ll see this underneath the link and description of the video:

Click on the plus sign, and you can create (and later edit or delete) your free call-to-action overlay, which will appear when your video is played. You write it the same way you would an AdWords or YouTube ad, with a Headline, Description, Display URL and Destination URL:

Click-through-rates for these aren’t huge. But to get a free ad and link to your site in such a visible place is a real added value.

Reason #4: Have It Your Way
YouTube offers four different Ad Formats: In-search (your ad appears above YouTube search results), In-slate (users have the option of choosing your ad and watching some of your video, amongst others, before viewing their video), In-display (your ad appears as a suggestion to the right of a YouTube video) and In-stream (your ad shows as a preview before another video). When choosing a format, you’ll get to preview what each will look like in action:

You can choose one or all of the options, and experiment as you wish. It’s a great way to cast as wide or small a net as you want with your ads, and see which format works best for your content and target audience.

Reason #5: They Work
While there are no guarantees of success in online anything, there are enough options within YouTube’s advertising mechanism that you can really make them work for you and drive views of your videos. The real question is, is it worth it to your business to pay for video views? The answer will be different for everyone. But if you do have video content that you want people to see, that will make a difference for your business, then YouTube ads are a great tool to make it happen.

Progressive Vs. Matt Fisher & Social Media

August 16, 2012

By flightpath

We’ve talked about this phenomenon before, when it happened to Netflix and other companies, but a new social media revolt that has emerged in the last couple of days is particularly interesting: Progressive Vs. comedian Matt Fisher and Social Media. Fisher wrote a blog post called, “My Sister Paid Progressive Insurance To Defend Her Killer In Court,” detailing how his sister, Katie, died in a car accident and the ways Progressive has tried to avoid paying the balance of her policy – such as providing legal assistance to the other motorist during the resulting trial. (This is is something Progressive disputes.) As a result of the post, Progressive was bombarded with social hate mail. It’s hard to blame people for reacting the way they did; it’s an ugly story.

But this whole issue, from the brand side, raises real questions about social media. Should all types of businesses have a social presence? Is there a quantifiable value in having Facebook and Twitter pages? Are you only on Facebook because your competitors are, and is that reason enough? Social has created a new dynamic in customer service and relationships, as things can get very public very fast, and the more damning the experience, the bigger the story is likely to get. And most brands are still figuring out how to manage public relations issues in the digital landscape. It’s not easy, and it just goes to show what powerful tools these channels are, for both brands and customers.

Today, Progressive announced a settlement with the Fisher family. Would it have happened this quickly without the pressure brought about by social media? Probably not. Will the whole ordeal do lasting damage to the perception of the company? Hard to say, but these things do tend to fade away over time. But if ever there was a cautionary tale about how social media has changed the way we interact with each other and with the companies that play a role in our lives, it’s this. Ultimately, the one basic truth about social media is that it amplifies conversations and is empowering, for better or worse. For better, because it gives people like the Fishers a chance to get things done and speak their minds, and maybe enact real change; and it does give brands a chance to really engage with their customers, in good times and bad. For worse, because of the anonymous pile-on element that social seems to provoke in people. And you have to be prepared for both. Progressive learned this the hard way.

Pinterest Brand Pages: Our Favorites

July 20, 2012

By flightpath

Pinterest is all the rage these days, and for good reason: it’s a social platform that actually offers something new and unique. If you are a brand rep looking for Pinspiration, here are some of the best examples of brands on Pinterest.

Pinterest is all the rage these days, and for good reason: it’s a social platform that actually offers something new and unique. And unlike Facebook or Google+, it really allows brands to get creative with their pages, from layout to content to overall purpose. If you are a brand rep looking for Pinspiration, here are some of the best examples of brands on Pinterest.

Coolest Design: Uniqlo

A quickly growing fashion retailer, Uniqlo only sells through its brick-and-mortar shops, which makes its digital acumen all the more impressive. Their website is great, their Facebook updates are fun, and their Pinterest page is staggeringly creative. If you scroll down their page, it animates a la a cartoon flip book, making logos spin, shirts move, and giving off an overall wow factor:

Funniest Use of Pinterest Boards by Brands: Oreck

So… you are a vacuum company and you want to create a Pinterest board, what do you do? Pin pics of messes of course, but how to make a pinnable mess? If you are a pet owner you will appreciate Oreck’s Furry Friends board filled with adorable pics of dogs and cats who fill hearts with happiness and floors with fur:

Best Non-Profit Brand on Pinterest : ASPCA

Of course it helps to have an endless supply of adorable and highly pinnable pet photos at your disposal, but the ASPCA on Pinterest does more than just post cute pics of pets.

They are using Pinterest as a tool to promote pet adoption and further the cause of closing puppy mills. By creating Pinterest boards that balance cute pics with highly shareable text based images, pinning from the ASPCA page is like slapping an end animal cruelty bumper sticker on your Subaru- it let’s everyone who follows you know where you stand.

Most Interactive: Bauble Bar

Social media, as we all know by now is not supposed to be a soliloquy but rather a conversation. This is always tough for brands. One brand doing a great job is Bauble Bar. This online jewelry retailer scours Instagram and Twitter for fans of their collections who have posted photos. Bauble Bar then pins the fans photo to their Pinterest board, which is the highest form of compliment on Pinterest and goes a long way to building community and customer loyalty.

Best Celeb Brand: Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart’s Pinterest boards look like what Stewart’s refrigerator would look like, if she allowed magnets on it. As the most followed celeb on Pinterest, Stewart is one to watch.

Leave a comment and let us know what Pinterest brand pages you like.

(Dan Brooks contributed to this post.)

3 Awesome July 4th/Summer Email Marketing Campaigns

July 3, 2012

By flightpath

One of the most important marketing tools going today is email, where the stakes are perhaps biggest: brands have to strike the right balance between spammy/informative, fun/cloying, design smart/confusing. If people sign up for your email list, they’re more-or-less willing to at least hear you out, so a poorly constructed email is truly a missed opportunity. Here are some July 4th/summer email campaigns (all clothing related, just to narrow the playing field) that we think are doing it right.

Around almost every holiday, brands and stores launch marketing campaigns with the goal of promoting sales, generating buzz and reminding the world that, “Hey – we still exist.”

Uniqlo
For a clothing retailer without an online store, Uniqlo’s mastery of all things digital (its Pinterest page is awesome, if you haven’t seen it) is all the more impressive. The “Summer Festival” email campaign matches the visual style of Uniqlo’s stores and logo with a clear red and white color scheme, elegant design, and sale items easily laid out. It contains a lot of info – a calendar, product images, even an in-store drum show schedule (!) – but is successful because no single element detracts from any other, and it’s all easy to understand and navigate. Not easy to do.

SuperHeroStuff
Starting with the intentionally-cheesy Photoshopped sunglasses on Wolverine, which conveys a welcomed sense of humor about comics and superheroes, SuperHeroStuff’s email grabs your attention. And the imagery flows nicely, from Wolverine to the “Save 13%” banner and back again. From there, it’s all messaging, as their summer sale is successfully driven home with nicely placed copy above the main image, inside it, and below it.

Original Penguin
Original Penguin’s campaign is among the best we’ve seen in email design aesthetics this summer. The smart incorporation of the Original Penguin logo into a vintage-looking American flag lets you know what this email is about even without copy (of which there is little), and it matches the brand’s tone effortlessly. These things can be easy to screw up – the font color is too close the background color, the logo looks tacky on the flag, etc. – but Original Penguin’s email hits every beat perfectly.

What Should We Call Social Media: The Flightpath Edition

June 1, 2012

By flightpath

After discovering the Tumblr site ‘What Should We Call Social Media’ we couldn’t resist and create a Flightpath version. Enjoy!

We couldn’t resist! After stumbling upon What Should We Call Social Media and sharing a few laughs around the office, we had to create a Flightpath edition with submissions from the different departments of our little ol’ agency. Those of you in digital agencies and involved in the social media world can relate to the everyday hustle to get the job done right, as well as, staying on top of the ever-changing trends. With that being said, sit back and enjoy the show.

“When my email campaign still doesn’t look right in Gmail after 15 tests” – Nick Roach, Email Marketing Associate

GIFSoup

“When I get another dumb game or app request on Facebook” – Dan Brooks, Digital Marketing Manager

GIFSoup

“When the number of ‘likes’ on a post keeps going up without looking back” – Michelle Kelarakos, Social Media Strategist

GIFSoup

“When Photoshop crashes on you and two hours of work goes down the drain” – Casey Kaliszewski, Interactive Designer

GIFSoup

“When you’re prepping for a big meeting ” – Cavol Forbes, Project Manager

GIFSoup

“When you share this post” – The Flightpath Team

GIFSoup

Summer Movies 2012: New Highs in Viral Marketing

May 25, 2012

By Dan Brooks

Viral and social media marketing are commonplace for pretty much everything now, but have become essential for summer movies. Whether it’s a Facebook presence or a sly viral campaign, getting people excited about your movie now happens in the digital space more than any other. Here are two movies with the most creative viral campaigns […]

Prometheus

There’s been a steady release of Prometheus (the maybe it is, maybe it isn’t Alien prequel by director Ridley Scott) trailers that have been whetting the appetites of sci-fi nerds everywhere. Yet the marketing team has done a lot more. There’s the fun Facebook app, “Discovering Prometheus,” which allows you to click on floating orbs, added each week, that contain new info such as images, character bios and more. There’s the unprecedented Prometheus Viral campaign, featuring online-only videos with major characters and special effects. But nothing is perhaps better than Ridley Scott’s short film introducing major Prometheus/Alien character, Peter Weyland, that debuted/took place (in 2023) at the TED Conference. It’s art, it’s social commentary and it’s also a nifty piece of movie marketing. Brilliant.

The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises has taken another path in getting people excited (as if they weren’t enough already): audience participation. In a really fun campaign, Warner Brothers announced a new trailer on TheDarkKnightRises.com, but to see it, fans needed to help the Gotham City Police Department in tracking down the Caped Crusader. (Remember, at the end of The Dark Knight, Batman is on the run from the police.) It started with an arrest warrant posted online, and then fans were asked to track down bat-signal graffiti from all over the world. Warner provided the addresses, and the fans found them (perhaps unsurprisingly, they did so pretty quickly). Deceptively simple, but engaging.

Above: One of the first graffiti finds by Twitter user @Yashasmitta.

The “Gave It A Good Try” Award Goes To:

Men In Black III

The Men In Black saga has been gone a long time, but with its conspiracy/secret-aliens-among-us themes, it’s kind of perfect for today’s viral and social trends. And that’s exactly the route its marketing has taken. A YouTube account under the name Bugeyes126 popped up, in which a kid (Bugeyes) discusses his conspiracy theories about government agents in black suits and the aliens they track. It never really caught on (there are 45 (!) videos under the account, with most only getting a couple hundred views), and probably for a couple of reasons: the kid seems like he’s acting, which kinda spoils the fun, and there’s not enough of an incentive to really invest any time with the videos. Could’ve been fun. Maybe next time.

Top 3 Things We Learned at Tech Munch

May 22, 2012

By flightpath

The Tech Munch conference hit the streets of New York and shared insights from both the bloggers and brands on how to work together and how to succeed in the social media space. Here are the top 3 things we’ve learned from Tech Munch.

Last week, we had the pleasure of attending the Tech Munch conference in New York, where food bloggers, writers, editors, foodies and brands unite to learn about the ins and outs of food in the social media space. (And get to enjoy good food and check out a cooking demo or two. Perks!)

The relationship between food and social media is getting stronger and bigger than ever before. We previously wrote about the growing trend of food trucks and how they utilize Twitter to build their voice and communicate directly with their consumers. With events such as Tech Munch show how the two are becoming more and more intertwined.

At Tech Munch, panelists including Food Network, Bake Space (founder and organizer of the conference), Martha Stewart Living, J.M. Hirsch of The Associated Press and more stopped by to talk directly with bloggers about best practices, trends and how to survive in the social media age.

Above: A cooking demo with Alejandra Ramos of Always Order Dessert…and the delicious results.

With a whole day of discussions, there are 3 key things we’ve learned:

PSA for Marketing Executives reaching out to Bloggers

This was a topic that was brought up multiple times: Get to know your bloggers. All you have to do is read their blog since they typically share their personal experiences and latest finds. NEVER start an email with “Dear Blogger” or “Dear Miss or Sir,” because they will immediately hit the delete button or – even worse – the SPAM button. Make sure you have an understanding of what they are writing about, and approach them with your product accordingly. If you’re not sure, it doesn’t hurt to ask; they are human after all. The more personal you are in the approach, the easier it will be to form a relationship for potential partnerships.

Food Bloggers in the Making

Before you start your blog, make sure you have a clear and concise plan and a voice you want to portray to the public. The one piece of advice that holds true is to find your specialty and create a niche. When editors are looking for sources to cover a new trend, they are looking for those that specialize in that specific category. Make yourself stand out and become a brand so that they can come to you as an expert.

Pinterest, Yay or Nay

Pinterest is still on everyone’s lips and is growing rapidly. It allows the user to showcase his or her personality and ideas through imagery, and the perk is that the pins drive traffic back to the original source. Kate Gold, Social Media Director of Food Network, discussed how they share recipes, beautiful food images and even have curated boards from the community that dictate trends, such as comfort foods. Pinterest adds an element to your site and/or blog and allows the user to get a better picture of your personality and voice. Do you have to be on all platforms to appeal to everyone? No, but get to know your audience and where they are and you can decide from there if it’s the right move for you or your brand.

Pinterest – 5 Tips to Get Your Brand’s Pins Repinned

April 20, 2012

By flightpath

80% of pins on Pinterest are repinned, while only 5% of tweets on Twitter are retweeted. The challenge is to fill pinboards with content that will get repinned. Here are our top 5 tips to get your brand’s image repinned:

Pinterest continues to grow and grow. Many brands are jumping on Pinterest looking to build brand awareness and drive traffic back to their sites. Pinterest can be a easy platform to gain spread brand messaging and product images quickly, as opposed to other social media platforms. 80% of pins on Pinterest are repinned, while only 5% of tweets on Twitter are retweeted. The challenge is to fill pinboards with content that will get repinned. Here are our top 5 tips to get your brand’s image repinned:

Don’t Upload, Pin: When you upload content to a pinboard, you are missing out. If your goal is to get people from Pinterest to your site, they cannot do that without a link. Always pin images from your site instead of uploading. If you want to pin photos that are not on your site, start a blog to hold your photo content and pin from there. This way not only will your site’s URL be featured at the top of the pin which helps with awareness, but users can click through to your site.

Be Bold & Brief: Whether you are creating images for your pinboards or scouring the internet for cool, repinnable images, chose high contrast images. If your image includes text, make sure it is brief and bold.

Pin Faster: By highlighting the text and image you wish to pin and clicking the Pin It bookmarket, the text will automatically be incoporated into the comments of your pin. For pinners pressed for time, this is a valuable tool to use.

Use hashtags: A tip for social media marketing that seems to work everywhere. Hashtags work on Pinterest just like they do on Twitter, adding hashtags to the comments on your pin makes them easier to find in search. Contests are also being conducted on Pinterest using hashtags.

Price it: If you represent an online retailer, always be sure to put a dollar sign in front of your price. This way, your pin will be pulled into the Pinterest gift section, which has a button in the navigation bar on the Pinterest homepage. The price will also appear in a banner across the left hand corner of your image.

Email Marketing: Building Your Email List

March 23, 2012

By flightpath

This is part of a series of blog posts aimed at raising awareness of email marketing, its advantages, and its best practices — from designing your first eblast to deploying your newsletter to millions of customer inboxes, and beyond.

All email campaigns start with a subscriber list. With email marketing so popular, most of us are on at least a few of theses lists. You may even be wondering how to build one of your own. Of course, there are plenty of ways, both bad and good, to do this. As I mentioned in my last post (“Email Marketing: More Relevant Than Ever”), federal law requires the informed consent of all your email recipients.

So, if you can’t just buy a list from marketers, what are you supposed to do? You make one from scratch. With the right tools and tricks at your disposal, you won’t just have a simple subscriber list, you’ll have a fully engaged email legion of fans for your brand.

Mailing Lists Callouts

Got a popular website? Build a mailing list component. Make it highly visible. Going “above the fold” increases the chances people will happen upon it. Also, make it easy to use. Place as few fields in the component as possible. In the snapshot below, Groupon has a large, intuitive, and simple mailing list callout. The user has to only designate an email address and a city and they’re in. No difficult questions, no invasive requests, no intimidating forms that send their users running for the hills.

By contrast, the Steve Madden mailing list below feels like you’re filling out a tax form.

Social Media and Email

There’s been a lot of talk of social media competing with email as the dominant form of digital communication. In reality, the two are better complements than rivals. If you have a Facebook fan page or Twitter feed with a lot of followers, use it as a platform to encourage them to sign up for your eblasts and enewsletters.

You can even use emails to drive your mailing lists. Include “forward to a friend” links in your enewsletters. Give calls to action to sign up for your list in your company’s email signatures.

Offline Methods

Get in the habit of bringing up your mailing list in 1-on-1 conversations and phone calls with business contacts, but be tactful. In your pitch, make it clear what special offers or value they’re going to get out of your emails. It couldn’t hurt to incentivize them with a free gift upon signing up. For networking events, put a link on your business card to your company’s email signup page.

Welcome Emails

Once you win over email recipients, make them feel valued. Send them a welcome email, thanking them for signing up. Use it as an opportunity to better acquaint your clients and future customers with the goods and services you offer. And of course, let them know what’s in store for them in terms of email content.

And Once You Get Your List…

Email represents another channel to keep the conversation going with customers and/or clients, but once you have them, don’t take your recipients for granted. It only takes one click of the “Spam” button in their email client to end the conversation for good. If you want to keep your subscribers on your list, it is also important to have meaningful, engaging, relevant content for them. Catch my next blog post for best practices on email campaign content.

How Google+ is Being Integrated With AdWords & Other Google Products

March 8, 2012

By flightpath

With Google+, Google’s fledgling social network, one thing is clear: The search giant is determined to make it a success, incorporating Google+ into many of its other products and services that impact brands. Whether this is a tactic to force Google+ adoption or a way to improve its other products is debatable, but ultimately, Google+ is becoming a part of several core Google services, and agencies must take note.

Google AdWords

When starting a campaign in AdWords, advertisers now have Google+ integration as an option.If you opt in to associating your ads with your Google+ page, any +1 click attributed to the ad will also count towards your Google+ brand page. As Google pushes Google+ to play more of a role in search, this could be a beneficial feature on both an SEM and SEO level. In the past, paid search and organic search were neatly separated; now, the line is blurring.

Google Organic Search

Google+ pages are slowly being included in organic search results in a special sidebar. Below is a screenshot of a Search Engine Results Page (SERP) I received after searching for “music.”

This is valuable space dedicated solely to Google+ pages – having your page show up in these results could be a huge driver of traffic. Moreover, note the link at the bottom, which tells you how to get your page to appear there. It takes you here:

Again, just as Google is enticing AdWords advertisers to use Google+, they’re doing so with brands here, banking that the extra visibility in search results will encourage adoption and usage. If it sticks, it could be a huge change to how we approach search.

Google Latitude

I know what you’re thinking: What the hell is Google Latitude? (That was the question I most received after inviting friends to join the service.) For those who don’t know – of which I suspect there are many – Latitude is Google’s Foursquare-esque app: go somewhere, check in. Recently, it was linked exclusively to Google+. This popped up on my Google+ profile, after a check-in at a local restaurant:For Android users, a recent update to Google Latitude has added leaderboards, awarding users points for check-ins, with promised Google+ integration in the near future. What implications might this new game element on Latitude have on search, or the Google+ pages of places users are checking into?

Integration doesn’t end here, of course. We’ve seen Google+ functionality pop-up in Gmail, Google Maps and more. The lesson: while most of the industry has watched Google+ from a distance, excited by the high early adoption numbers but dismayed by the lack of usage, it may turn out to be an essential marketing tool. As Google continues to integrate Google+ across its product line – especially organic and paid search – it would be unwise to ignore the social network.

Facebook Timeline: Brand Pages Launched

February 29, 2012

By flightpath

Brands have one month to monitor their competitors’ adoption of Facebook Timeline and figure out how to make Timeline work for them. Here’s an early look at the approach taken by brands who embraced the conversion to Timeline today.

Facebook Timeline for brand pages was announced this morning on the new platform for breaking tech news- The Today Show. Brands have the option of using Timeline starting today, and all brand pages will be converted to Timeline on March 30th. So brands have one month to monitor their competitors’ adoption of Facebook Timeline and figure out how to make Timeline work for them. We thought we would take an early look at the approach taken by brands who embraced the conversion to Timeline today.

Coca-Cola didn’t remove the post from their Timeline when they updated their cover photo to the new larger image required for the transition to Timeline. The Timeline cover photo was updated at 5:06 am EST, which could make Coca-Cola the first brand to make the switch. Coca-Cola has posts going back to the companies founding in 1886, using Timeline to show off the company’s lengthy history. Timeline makes perfect sense for brands who have been around for a long time, but how are brands who haven’t been around for 120+ years using Timeline?

Magnolia Bakery is the New York bakery made famous in Sex and the City. Their approach to Timeline is to make you hungry. By using the Timeline cover photo to show the breadth of the bakery’s line of goods and artistic presentation, they are a great demonstration of how a small business can use Timeline to visually engage consumers.

Apps used to reside in tabs along the left hand side of Facebook pages. With the unveiling of Timeline, tabs are a thing of the past. Apps have moved to the front and center of brand pages. Each app is displayed with an image underneath the cover photo, similar to the old pre-Timeline photo strip.

Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong foundation unveiled a cohesive approach to Timeline. Each app’s image coordinates with the Timeline cover photo. Livestrong also puts their message first. Unlike Coca-Cola and Magnolia Bakery, Livestrong opted out of using space within their app bar to promote the number of likes their page has. Instead they are using the space to promote apps where people can invite friends and become involved in the Livestrong cause.

Facebook Timeline for brand pages is just hours old, it will be interesting to see how brands roll out innovative uses of Timeline over the next 30 days.

Email Marketing: More Relevant Than Ever

February 24, 2012

By flightpath

Email Marketing: More Relevant Than Ever

With each new social network hitting the limelight, social media becomes a sexier force on the web. Email, by contrast, remains a largely unchanged technology since Ray Tomlinson sent the first email in 1971. Yet email still remains a highly profitable marketing channel. Here’s the reason why.

This is the first in a series of blog posts aimed at raising awareness of email marketing, its advantages, and its best practices — from designing your first eblast to deploying your newsletter to millions of customer inboxes, and beyond.

Why Email?

Facebook. Twitter. Pinterest. LinkedIn. With each new social network hitting the limelight, social media becomes a sexier force on the web. Email, by contrast, remains a largely unchanged technology since Ray Tomlinson sent the first email in 1971.

Over the decades we got carbon copy recipients, file attachments, and HTML-based emails, but that was it. No “like” buttons, status updates, or share functionality. Just some text, images, links, and a subject line.

That being said, email is a marketing channel your business can’t afford to do without.
Why? First, it’s profitable. As Felicity Evans of Smashing Magazine points out, email still has a very high ROI — an estimated $44 for each $1 spent in 2011.

Evans also reminds us that more Americans have been introduced to email than social networks. It’s simply been around a lot longer. Finally, the Smashing article makes the point that email is a unique identifier. In other words, most people have a couple addresses to their name, but are members of many different social networks.

Additionally, your email campaigns can help leverage a stronger social media presence and vice versa. “Share” buttons at the top of your enewsletter can raise visits to your company’s Twitter feed. Newsletter signup callouts on your Facebook page can bring in new subscribers for your eblasts and special offers.

Assuming you’re sold and you want your first email campaign out the door by the end of the week, where do you start? The best place to begin is logistics.

What system is the most efficient for communicating with your customers? What kind of system even sends out thousands, even millions of emails at once? The answer lies in something called an email service provider (ESP).

Finding the Right ESP

The Interactive Advertising Bureau defines an email service provider as, “a business or organization that provides the Email campaign delivery technology. ESPs may also provide services for marketing, advertising and general communication purposes.”

Deciding which ESP to use can be a daunting task. There are many ESPs out there. They vary in size, functionality, and features. Do you go with one of the big names, like ExactTarget, Constant Contact, Lyris, or Experian CheetahMail? Or maybe one of the numerous smaller ones?

It depends on what you need. If you’re a big company that already has a large email list, one of the larger ESPs might be right for you. The costs may be higher, but you’ll get additional perks. Some ESPs offer helpful features like image hosting, round-the-clock tech support, and marketing data on your customers’ viewing habits.

In terms of the larger ESPs, I would recommend ExactTarget. We use ExactTarget in campaign deployments for many of our clients. In addition to the analytics and great technical support offerings I mentioned above, they offer email automation (sending entire chains of emails with the click of a button), triggered sending (automatically sending an email when an end-user performs an action on your website), and more.

On the other hand, if you don’t need all these things, you’re operating on a smaller budget, and you only have a few hundred or thousand subscribers, a smaller ESP may work better for you.

Analytics

Detailed analytics isn’t just for your website and Facebook page. There are a variety of ways to get large amounts of data on how your subscribers will react to your email. As mentioned before, many of the larger ESPs will offer an email-tracking package right out of the box. These will usually give basic statistics. Things like how many subscribers opened your email, clicked a link, unsubscribed from your list, or hit the “Spam” button.

ESPs will also offer statistics on “bounces,” or emails that fail to reach a recipient’s email address because they were undeliverable for whatever reason. Bounce reporting is a very powerful tool as it can sometimes help you diagnose larger issues. If a lot of your subscribers use the same Internet service provider (ISP) and a lot of them suddenly bounce, it’s usually the canary in the coal mine indicating that ISP has blocked your campaigns. In a later blog article, I will detail what to do if this happens.

There are also a lot of free or low-cost analytics vendors out there that can help you get even more information on your subscribers’ habits. Google Analytics shows how visitors arriving at your homepage via your email’s links travel through your whole site. It even has conversion tracking, offering a great chance to see what percentage of sales are due to your email marketing channels.

Litmus, another helpful analytics vendor, tracks what programs and devices your users check their emails with. Do most of your customers view emails on an iPhone, or their office desktop? Do they use Microsoft Outlook, or Gmail? Litmus also gives information on how effective your campaign is in engaging your subscribers. It gives such helpful metrics as the average time your subscribers have your email open for. Are they scanning? Are they reading your every word?

CAN-SPAM Compliance

One pitfall to avoid if you’re just starting out in email marketing is CAN-SPAM. Signed into law in 2003, the CAN-SPAM Act makes it illegal to send unsolicited email, or spam. What this means is that you cannot market your services or products over email unless the recipient has opted in to receive your promotions or newsletters. This concept is also known as permission marketing.

But it’s not enough to let your users opt in. They also have to be able to opt out. Unless you are sending a transactional email (the email equivalent of a receipt), you must place a link somewhere in your communications to a page where your users can unsubscribe. It’s not just the law, but it’s also a great way to avoid customer service nightmares. Think about it. We’ve all been there. We signed up for a service on the Internet and absently left the checkbox clicked for “Please send me your free monthly newsletters and special offers!” Before you know it, you’re getting 10 emails a week that you really don’t care to read. The unsubscribe link at the bottom of that email gives subscribers who got on your list by mistake an easy way out.

Another thing that CAN-SPAM requires is an address. All your marketing emails, transactional or promotional, must contain your company’s physical mailing address. This also helps the consumer in that it shows you’re a real company in a real location somewhere in the world.

If that’s a lot to keep track of, don’t worry. Many larger ESPs have features built in that allow to automatically place your mailing address and unsubscribe link in all your emails. Some even have safeguards that prevent your email from going out unless it is fully CAN-SPAM compliant.

Next Time — Building Your List

It’s easy to see how difficult it is to send emails only to subscribers who opt in, especially if your email campaign list numbers 0 subscribers. The temptation might creep up to go out and buy a subscriber list. Don’t. None of these users have opted in. Not only would sending to them be illegal, but it will also earn you a bad reputation. Users who hit the “Spam” button on a given email address frequently enough will get blacklisted by ISPs. This means all emails you send will bounce.

Besides, there are more ethical, legal, and organic ways to build a subscriber list. In my next post, I will go over the basics of list building and list health. You will be surprised at how easy it is to generate opt ins with some of the resources you already have. Don’t miss it!

Pinterest vs TheFancy: Social Media Marketing for Brands

February 17, 2012

By flightpath

Pinterest has grabbed the attention (and free time) of women and a lot of interest from social media marketers, but there is another quietly emerging player in the social bookmarking space. TheFancy is a visually stunning collection of the coolest images and products from around the web.

Pinterest has grabbed the attention (and free time) of women and a lot of interest from social media marketers, but there is another quietly emerging player in the social bookmarking space.

TheFancy is a visually stunning collection of the coolest images and products from around the web. Instead of adding images to boards like on Pinterest, users “fancy” images and add them to categories for others to view and “fancy” as well.

Users share images the same way on both sites. Retailers can add Pinterest and TheFancy buttons to images to encourage users to share, but since both sites are relatively new most images come through users clicking a “Pin It” or “Fancy It” button in their browser’s toolbar.

Pinterest and TheFancy differ in the flavor of what is shared. Pinterest has an undeniably feminine Etsy-esque feel. The majority of Pinterest users are women, and as a result there are a lot of home décor, recipes and children’s product shots shared on the site.

TheFancy has a more unisex, urban, minimalist, high-design feel. The differences between each site’s content are obvious when you look at the brands that have a presence on each. Brands currently on Pinterest: Cabot Cheese, Lands’ End and Paula Deen. Brands on TheFancy: Brooklyn Industries, Williams-Sonoma, and Yves St. Laurent.

If you represent a luxury fashion, home décor, or tech brand then adding products to TheFancy is a smart marketing move, because unlike Pinterest- TheFancy is openly working with brands to drive sales through the site.

On Pinterest, if a user (including the brands that have set up Pinterest accounts) posts a price within a pinned image’s description, the price will appear as a banner in the corner of the image. Pinterest will then automatically pull the pinned image into the gifts category on the site. This is great, however Pinterest wants to keep users within Pinterest and is not at this time making it easy for users to leave the site.

In order to reach the original site to make a purchase, Pinterest users have to click pinned images twice. Some users I have talked to were unaware that they could even do this, since when an image is clicked once users are taken to a page where they are encouraged to like, repin or comment on the image within the Pinterest site. There is no prompt or link for Pinterest users to leave Pinterest and visit the original site. Pinterest has been designed as a social media destination.

TheFancy on the other hand, has been designed to easily move users to original sites for product purchase. When an image is clicked in TheFancy, users are presented with a “Buy It” link on the right hand side. Clicking this link will take the user to the original site where that product may be purchased. This is a great feature since the whole focus of the site is discovering products that you may never come across in a retail store.

Users can also unlock special deals from retailers by clicking “Fancy It” on their product photos. These special deals are typically discount codes that can be used at checkout on the retailer’s site. Current deals offered to TheFancy users are featured within a Deals tab at the top of the page, which makes it easy for TheFancy users to find. There is also an easy to find list of retailers on TheFancy, something which is missing on Pinterest at least at the moment.

TheFancy also seems to be here to stay. With significant investment from the French fashion firm PPR, who owns brands such as Gucci, Alexander McQueen Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga, as well as Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey who is also on the start-up’s board. Yves Saint Laurent announced on Jan. 30th that Fancy buttons will be on every page of the brand’s website.

For social media marketers looking to ride the surge in social bookmarking site popularity, especially to promote luxury and boutique brands- TheFancy is one site to hop on.

Social Media, the Super Bowl and Planned Parenthood

February 14, 2012

By flightpath

So, within more or less a week, we all got to see the full breadth of living in the viral, social media “activist” world of 2012. Three unmistakable cues to the times we occupy. Madonna pulls off a stunning Super Bowl half time event complete with historically compelling “people as props” staging and her co-performer […]

So, within more or less a week, we all got to see the full breadth of living in the viral, social media “activist” world of 2012. Three unmistakable cues to the times we occupy.

Madonna pulls off a stunning Super Bowl half time event complete with historically compelling “people as props” staging and her co-performer M.I.A. flips the bird and mouths off verbal no-nos. The drama didn’t end at halftime, as NBC totally blamed NFL Productions (and vice versa) in a kind of “Human Malfunction” and You Tube is getting page views like crazy – quickly approaching 2 million.

But as Dustin Hoffman’s character in Wag the Dog said, “That’s nothing.” That’s nothing compared to Gisele Bündchen, wife of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, calling out her husband’s teammates for dropping a few too many passes. Yes, she was egged on and yes, it was captured as content and also uploaded to YouTube, where it gained traction. I think the big winner of Giselegate (we know who the losers are) is the guy who got her to make those comments and video it all. He gets drinks for life at any New York bar by just saying “I’m the guy that…”

When Susan G. Komen for the Cure went public with its intention to stop grants of $700,000 to Planned Parenthood because of a “congressional investigation,” Planned Parenthood launched an articulated, highly mobilized and coordinated response that included traditional media tactics – like giving the lead to the Associated Press, ensuring blanket coverage – direct mail to supporters, and a rigorous social component.

According to Opposing Views, “More than 2,000 supporters shared the above email they received immediately on their Facebook wall and on Twitter. Planned Parenthood wrote, “ALERT: Susan G. Komen caves under anti-choice pressure, ends funding for breast cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood health centers.” More than 500 Twitter users retweeted that message.” The numbers and support over social media is astounding: On Facebook, Planned Parenthood has added more than 32,000 fans since last Tuesday; Twitter users sent more than 1.3 million Tweets referencing Planned Parenthood, the Susan G. Komen Foundation and related terms and hashtags, according to a Twitter spokeswoman. This pressure got Komen to change its funding position and gave the VP/strategist behind the move no way out but to resign.

I wrote this blog from the point of view that all three stories couldn’t be more different, yet are similar given the social media forces. People get emotionally into “issue driven” content that is provocative, unscripted, unintended or random – just ask M.I.A. or the now reclusive Gisele. But people really get into content that is agenda based or political (or seemingly so) when it is about people we love or emotional connect to.

Ferris Bueller Super Bowl Commercial & Social Media: Honda Fumbles the Snap

February 7, 2012

By flightpath

When the mystery teaser for a Matthew Broderick/Ferris Bueller Super Bowl commercial dropped last week, the Internet’s collective head almost exploded. Could it be? Finally, a sequel to Ferris Bueller, one of the most beloved movies of the ’80s? And we’d see the trailer at the Super Bowl? Not even a Clockwork Orange-style forced viewing […]

When the mystery teaser for a Matthew Broderick/Ferris Bueller Super Bowl commercial dropped last week, the Internet’s collective head almost exploded. Could it be? Finally, a sequel to Ferris Bueller, one of the most beloved movies of the ’80s? And we’d see the trailer at the Super Bowl? Not even a Clockwork Orange-style forced viewing of the abysmal Ferris Bueller TV show could dampen the excitement.

Then, the full ad was posted online before the Super Bowl. And the air was let out of the Internet’s balloon.

It was revealed to be an advertisement not for a Ferris Bueller sequel, but for the Honda CR-V. In the new advertising environment created by social media, Super Bowl ads are now being teased with previews, then released online before the game (see Volkswagen’s Star Wars themed commercials from this year and last, as well), making the actual airing during the Super Bowl a kind of non-event. The point is to drum up more interest, more hype, and make it last. But what about if it backfires?

I argue that it did backfire with the Ferris Bueller ad, because people were genuinely let down when they learned there was no sequel coming. This isn’t to say that the ad is not successful or people don’t like it – there are just as many positive comments as negative ones (thousands) on YouTube, and it is really well done (special props for the “I Am the Walrus” callback). But instead of being surprised or delighted by seeing this for the first time during the Super Bowl – as would have happened in years past – the general consensus after the online reveal was basically, “Oh…it’s a car commercial?” And then no one really cared about its airing during the actual game at all.

If there’s a lesson, it’s that presenting things in the right context and at the right time is more important than ever thanks to social media. Since the teaser did not even show a car, it could only disappoint people to find that there was no new Ferris Bueller movie coming. And would the ad’s shelf life have been longer if they didn’t tease it and didn’t release the entire thing online before the Super Bowl? For brands, knowing when to push things via social is essential to sticking the landing in modern advertising.

Pinterest for Brands and Marketers: Opportunity Awaits

January 25, 2012

By flightpath

If you have an interest in marketing to women online, then you have an interest in Pinterest. Pinterest is a site that allows users to create and share “pinboards”. Pinboards are photo collages of images users find around the web or create themselves all focused around a certain theme. Users typically create multiple pinboards which […]

If you have an interest in marketing to women online, then you have an interest in Pinterest.

Pinterest is a site that allows users to create and share “pinboards”. Pinboards are photo collages of images users find around the web or create themselves all focused around a certain theme. Users typically create multiple pinboards which are shared with their Pinterest followers. Users can comment on photos within pinboards and also “repin” photos to their own pinboards.

Visits to Pinterest surpassed Google+ and MySpace in the week ending 1/21/2012 making it the 7^th most popular social networking site, though Pinterest is invite-only.

Screen Shot 2012-01-25 at 12.56.53 PM — Source: Hitwise US

The site has grown organically as users are allowed to send invites to friends and family. There is also a months long waiting list on Pinterest for people who do not have a friend with an available invite.

One indicator of Pinterest’s popularity is their Facebook page. Pinterest created the Facebook page, but never posted any content. Instead the Facebook community has used the Pinterest Facebook wall as a place to post pleas for Pinterest invites which are fulfilled by other Facebook users. Without a single post from Pinterest, the Facebook page has garnered over 680,000 likes.

Pinterest has been embraced by women. According to Hitwise Pinterest users are 58% female and has a large representation of users who live in states that don’t usually lead the way in early adoption of social networking platforms like Utah, Idaho and Alabama.

Visits Share by State 12222011 — Source: Experian Hitwise

Pinterest has gained a following among women ages 25-44 around topics of food, DIY, fashion and crafts. This is the elusive “household decision maker” demographic, the consumers who brands are working hard to connect with on Facebook, Twitter and through blogger outreach.

Marketers are always trying to reach consumers in the moment when their intent to purchase forms. This is what Pinterest does best, allowing people to create photo collage boards of their aspirations and intentions such as products they want to buy or recipes they would like to cook. However, there are very few brands using Pinterest to market their products.

One of the earliest brands on Pinterest was Nordstrom who has created seasonal wishlist boards and trends boards. Nordstrom has over 7,000 followers on Pinterest. Lands’ End Canvas has also jumped on Pinterest. During the holiday season, they created one of the first brand sponsored Pinterest contests called “Pin It to Win It”. Lands’ End posted rules and put out the call for entries on their Facebook page for fans to create boards of their products and then submit the link to their board via email.

Pinterest has a list of guidelines called “Pin Etiquette” that requests users not use Pinterest purely as a tool for self-promotion. However, there are no specific guidelines for the use of Pinterest by brands. This is a great opportunity for brands to experiment and find what resonates with this audience without the restrictions they find on more established social networking sites like Facebook.

In addition to creating a contest or Pinterest account on behalf of a brand, there is another way to encourage users to share brand messaging and products on Pinterest. The “Pin It” Pinterest button can be added to a brand’s website to encourage sharing of product images on Pinterest. Instructions for doing so can be found here on the Pinterest site.

Pinterest is the site to watch in 2012, it will be interesting to see if the site’s traffic continues to grow and how brands use the site for to promote products and messaging.

Interview: Ethan Nicolle, Co-Creator of Axe Cop – Part 1

January 17, 2012

By Dan Brooks

Axe Cop, Avocado Soldier and Uni-Baby. They don’t sound like the names of traditional comic book characters, but then, there’s nothing traditional about the bizarre-yet-brilliant webcomic in which they appear. Launched in 2010 to massive viral success, Axe Cop stars, true to its name, an axe-wielding police officer in adventures featuring vampire ninjas, a T-Rex with Gatling guns for arms, and a female Abraham Lincoln. It is crazy, hilarious stuff, making for one of the most original and downright fun comics in years – online or in print. And if it sounds like it comes from the mind of a child, that’s because it does: Axe Cop is written by 7-year-old Malachai Nicolle and illustrated by his older brother, the Eisner-nominated artist Ethan Nicolle, whose gifts for straight-faced humor, action and storytelling help make the comic so effective. In part one of our two-part interview with the elder Nicolle – also creator of the excellent new Bearmageddon horror/comedy webcomic – we discuss how Axe Cop came to be, how it quickly went viral, and the origins of some particularly strange story details.

Flightpath: I know you were doing creator-owned print comics like Chumble Spuzz before Axe Cop. What led from that to launching a webcomic with Axe Cop?

Ethan Nicolle: Well, I got into comics before the Internet was a big thing. I was in high school still, and the Internet hit when I was around 15 or 16. So, I always thought the way into comics was through a publisher. You gotta get them to print your book, and then they gotta sell it for you. I was always working towards that goal, and I finally accomplished it with SLG Publishing, with my book Chumble Spuzz. I realized that after all that work, they finally print your book and they put it back on a little shelf in the back corner of a comic book store, and very few people are willing to go back and spend the money to actually buy that book and check it out. And I started realizing that my goal wasn’t to make money off that bat like that, my goal was to build an audience; and if I just want people to read it, why not just put it on the Internet? I had planned to do my next book that way, which was Bearmageddon, but then I wasn’t sure how to go about doing a webcomic.

So I wanted to do a practice run first, and I had these Axe Cop comics that I created over Christmas with my brother. We were playing and Malachai wanted to play “Axe Cop,” because he had been given a toy fireman axe but wanted to fight bad guys. As we played, the first episode of Axe Cop happened and it was so funny, I drew it. I ended up drawing the first four episodes during that visit. We were like, “Well, we’ll just throw these up online and make kind of a quick website.” Just to test the functionality and see how people react to the way that we lay it out and everything.

I could never have foreseen the success. Basically, in about two days, it exploded and became my job overnight.

Flightpath: That’s amazing. You did have a lot of critical success though, with Chumble Spuzz. You were nominated for an Eisner.

Ethan Nicolle: Yeah, a little bit. I had an Eisner nomination, it got some great reviews. It’s just that hardly anybody actually read them. The people that did read them loved them, but that was the thing. I was going, “Man, people that actually read this love it. But I can’t get anybody to read it. They don’t want to spend 10 or 11 bucks on it.”

Flightpath: So you had some Axe Cop stuff in the can that you did with your brother, and you decided to put it out there. Once you posted it online, you said it became a success in just a couple of days. Did you do anything to actively promote it, or did people somehow find it?

Ethan Nicolle: You know, I had a small amount of fans that followed me at that time from Chumble Spuzz, from the rock band I used to be in. So there was like a handful of fans that any time I posted something, they’d check it out and share it with their friends. We put all the sharing buttons on it, as you usually would do. StumbleUpon, Digg, a Facebook button, all those things. The best I could do, tracing back how it went viral, it was through sites like Reddit and Meta Filter and these sites where a lot of people go on and share stuff. It was just all over those websites, and it all happened kind of in one night. Entertainment Weekly [named it Site of the Day], that was a big one. It was just a really fast climb.

Flightpath: Did you log back in and check the visits? Were people emailing you? What was the signifier that something was going on?

Ethan Nicolle: Well, that night I was actually not even at my house [or] at my computer. I just had my phone, which was receiving emails, and emails started coming in like crazy. “Ask Axe Cop” questions just starting rolling in really fast, and I had my Twitter account set to notify me when a new person started following it, and I just started getting rapid amounts of Follow, Follow, Follow. [Laughs] It was just going crazy. And every time I checked my email, a bunch more emails would be in. It was just rapid fire emails all night. I fell asleep for like three hours that night, and when I woke up there were like another 100 emails in my inbox. It was crazy.

Flightpath: Going into your technique for creating Axe Cop – how exactly does it work with your brother? Do you sit down and guide him through story construction, or do you draw what he’s telling you, as he’s telling it to you?

Ethan Nicolle: There’s lots of different ways that we do it. It really comes down to playtime and kind of an interview. It’s almost like I’m a cop at a crime scene and I’m interviewing him because he’s a witness, and I’m trying to get all the details I can and piece it all together. [Laughs] He tells it to me out of order, and the story constantly changes here and there. So I find the pieces that fit.

The first few episodes, I credited him as “creator.” The first few episodes I never even planned on publishing, it was just something for the family. So I just decided to call him “writer” and me “artist.” But my bigger job beyond just drawing it really is piecing it together, especially as we’ve gotten into these bigger projects, where [there’s] a full-on big story. It’s the part of the project that’s, I don’t want to say a headache, but it’s a real struggle, you know? [Laughs]

Flightpath: Do you see his storytelling chops evolving as you do more and more of these?

Ethan Nicolle: Yeah, he gets the hang of certain things. Earlier on, I would have to try and explain, “For it to be a good story, we need something bad to happen, so that something good can happen and we can be happy.” So I’ll try and find out, “Do any good guys get killed? Does anything bad happen to the good guys?” One thing I just started doing was have us pretend to be bad guys, so that we’d actually start inflicting lots of damage on the good guys. So if I keep switching sides of Malachai, because a lot of it’s role playing, he’d give me what I wanted. It’s not that I want him to come up with a specific outcome of the story and repeat it back to me, but I just look at the story and go, “This needs a big fight here, it needs some kind of conflict.” Just a general idea. And I ask him questions until I have a full story, basically.

Flightpath: There are a couple of recurring themes or motifs in Axe Cop, and I wanted to get your opinion on them and where they come from.

Ethan Nicolle: [Laughs] Okay.

Flightpath: I noticed there are lots of decapitations.

Ethan Nicolle: [Laughs] Yeah. If you think about kids playing with toy swords and just fighting each other, they’re fake fighting, swinging the swords, going, “I cut your leg off! I cut your arm off!” They’re not imagining that guys have blood shooting across the room. [Laughs] They’re not reveling in the gore. What makes Axe Cop funny to me is you take that kind of innocent look at [violence] – I wouldn’t even call it violence, in the context of what Malachai’s playing, because he’s not thinking violently –

Flightpath: It’s like Looney Tunes violence.

Ethan Nicolle: Yeah. And so you take that, you put it in the world of Axe Cop, you illustrate it out and you put that dead serious look on his face, and it’s comedy gold. [Laughs]

Flightpath: There’s another one, which is someone getting something on them, like blood from a dinosaur, or they eat something, and then they become that thing. Where does that come from?

Ethan Nicolle: [Laughs] I don’t know where he got that. All I know is, that [while writing the] original Axe Cop, that first episode, we were playing together and we’d just cut off some dinosaurs’ heads. I love horror movies, over-the-top gore Peter Jackson kind of stuff, and I was like, “Oh man, I just got blood all over me!” And then Malachai goes, “I got dinosaur blood all over me, too! I’m turning into a Dinosaur Soldier.” [Laughs] He decided right there that if you get something’s blood on you, you turn into it. And it just became a running thing.

Flightpath: It’s funny because it kind of established the rules of the Axe Cop universe, in a weird way.

Ethan Nicolle: Yeah, and it’s funny ’cause when we started playing together, he assigned me to be Axe Cop, and he was Dinosaur Soldier. And since for the story I needed Axe Cop to stay Axe Cop and not keep changing, it worked, because he gave me that control. So I keep Axe Cop as Axe Cop, and he kept transforming. [Laughs]

Flightpath: You were talking before about how you wanted to break into comics, you got published, but you ended up going to the Web, where you could reach a lot more people. Do you think that’s the future, especially as the print industry changes? Will webcomics take up more and more of the comic book landscape?

Ethan Nicolle: Yeah, I think that the Internet is effecting all forms of media, for sure. I don’t foresee in my lifetime the printed book dying off completely. I think most people that have held a book are going to want to hold a book later on, but that’s because I’m ignorant of what technology may come down the road. There could be a device invented that’s a great replacement. They’ve got the Kindle now, but I don’t think that’s a great replacement for comics. The iPad is kind of cool, but I don’t feel like I own the book until I have it in paper form.

People are now used to getting to sample things more because of the Internet. They’re used to more interaction. They’re also ordering things online now more, so you’re getting less people walking into stores and flipping through pages to buy your book. Things are just changing, so you have to have an online presence. It just doesn’t make sense not to. I’m interested to see where it goes with comics and books myself.

Flightpath: If you had decided to self-publish Axe Cop in print, do you think it could have possibly reached the level of popularity that it has as a webcomic?

Ethan Nicolle: No. Number one, I don’t think I ever would have, unless I’d gotten a bunch more done. I’d only done four of them [when we launched it]. At the point that I had those four done, I was only thinking that every time I’d visit Malachai for a holiday, I’d do another couple of them with him. I wasn’t thinking that it was gonna be what I did all the time. [Laughs] And it wasn’t because I didn’t want to, I just didn’t think that was the reality. It was like, “I can’t spend all my time playing with my little brother and making these goofy comics. I gotta work.” [Laughs]

Be sure to come back this Thursday for part 2 of our interview with Ethan Nicolle!

The Flightpath Roundtable: Facebook Timeline

January 11, 2012

By flightpath

Welcome to the latest installment of The Flightpath Roundtable, where we gather various Flightpath employees for a discussion on the hottest topics in digital. Today, we discuss Facebook’s latest change, Timeline. Unlike some of the minor cosmetic alterations Facebook has made over the years, Timeline significantly changes the look of one’s profile and the presentation […]

Welcome to the latest installment of The Flightpath Roundtable, where we gather various Flightpath employees for a discussion on the hottest topics in digital.

Today, we discuss Facebook’s latest change, Timeline. Unlike some of the minor cosmetic alterations Facebook has made over the years, Timeline significantly changes the look of one’s profile and the presentation of its information.

The participants in this discussion:
Dan Brooks, Digital Marketing Manager
John Lee, Director of Digital Marketing and Analytics
Wesley Martin, Interactive Designer
Cliff Medney, Chief Creative Strategist
Betsy Smith, Senior Social Media Strategist

Dan: Betsy, I thought we’d start with you. Maybe you can give an explanation of what Facebook Timeline is, for those who don’t know, and what you think about it.

Betsy: So, whereas Facebook used to have segregated content – your photos would be in one place, your status updates would be in another – now it’s all in one cohesive timeline that can go all the way back to your birth. Unless you’re a toddler or a preschooler, Facebook wasn’t around [early in your life]. And so, what Facebook would like everyone to do is to pull out their photos and upload them. Now the danger, I think, that people see, is that this is another way for Facebook to know absolutely everything there is to know about you. And I think that kinda freaks people out, but I think if you manage it correctly, it could be a really interesting tool.

Dan: Do you think it was a necessary change?

Betsy: Well, for one thing, Facebook has never been a particularly beautiful site. And Timeline is visually really interesting, and it is sort of like the voyeuristic fun part of Facebook. Like, going in and looking at somebody you haven’t talked to in 10 years. Now you can see who they married, and yeah, they divorced like you thought they would. [Laughs.] And all that fun stuff.

Dan: Wes, as a designer, what do you think of the look of it?

Wes: As a designer, I think it’s not very UI friendly. There’s a lot going on, and if you want to keep up with your friends’ stuff, it’s showing you too much at once. What I don’t like about it is there isn’t a filter for it. It would be cool if you could do a Timeline of just people’s images, but instead…

Dan: It’s everything.

Wes: Yeah, it’s everything. I’m not the biggest fan of the left-right-vertical view of Timeline. I would have preferred if they did horizontal and kept everything on one plain. [Demonstrates on computer.] So you see, they do this left-right thing. And I can’t tell what’s the order. Is the left the newest? Is the right the newest?

The photos is where Facebook grasped the older generation. And now I feel like it’s so hard to find [them] and find what’s important. I feel like they went so far, and then they pulled back. If you can narrow a Timeline just by photos, that’s the story itself.

John: I see what you’re getting at, Wes. You have to go through the Timeline to find stuff, as opposed to it filtering out.

I can’t really speak about the UI, but I think it’s a step in the right direction, visually. Just the way sites are, it seems that Facebook in the past forgot about the visual elements. Betsy, as you said, it was pretty boring before. But here, they’re trying to be a little more modular. They’re trying to break things up and organize the content, make it more easily scannable. Did they have to call it Timeline? I don’t think so, I think this is sort of like the new Facebook, or what’s it going to be.

The thing that I find interesting is the fact that they’re opening this up to the development community and allowing them to build apps. And I think it’s gonna be interesting to see what kind of cool apps are going to be available.

Betsy: And supposedly this is going to roll out for [brand] pages in September, so it’ll be interesting to see how they handle that.

John: Yeah, that was kind of the question I was thinking about. How do brands utilize this?

Betsy: Right. Do you want to go back a year and see when Red Bull changed its ingredients, or whatever they added to the Timeline?

John: Yeah, that could be really cool. I think there’s a lot of potential there.

Dan: One of the things that struck me was that when I converted my profile over to Timeline, is that there’s a demo/commercial that shows you what Timeline is. And it’s almost exactly the same as the Google’s “Sophie” commercial for Chrome. The tone is the same, and the content – taking you through someone’s life – is the same.

John: Well, they all kind of copy Apple’s emotional appeal. I mean, you never really think of Google as being an emotional company. I was surprised to see Google come out with a commercial like that.

Wes: What I do love about it is they’re staying true to their 2012 strategy campaign, which is, they’re bringing it back to the human. Because Facebook did get sort of taken over by corporations and businesses, and Timeline does bring it back to emotion. Facebook was originally made for people.

I just feel that it’s weird to continue to show everything. Because after a few months, no one’s going to care about people’s posts.

Dan: Unless you’re doing Facebook Stalking, which people tend to do. [Laughs.]

John: Like you, Dan. [Laughs.]

Wes: Posts become irrelevant after a day. After 10 minutes, posts can become irrelevant. From a user standpoint, I would love to see them filter it more by category as opposed to time. Everything’s in chronological order by the last month.

Dan: One of the reasons why I think Facebook became popular, I thought, was because it was so clean and streamlined compared to MySpace and Friendster. And now there’s a lot of stuff on there.

Betsy: I think people need to go in and clean up their Timelines. Because this can be an issue. People always say, “You have to be careful about what your employer might see!” You might have said something four years ago that – you went to a party and got trashed, or something – and because there were so many likes and comments, that’s gonna pop up on your Timeline. And so you have to go in and make sure that stuff isn’t there.

Dan: There was a Mashable article saying that Timeline is really like your resume now. Do you think there’s any truth to that?

Betsy: One of the political things about Facebook and Twitter is when you joined. Especially if you’re in [the digital] space, how long have you been on Facebook and Twitter, and do you want people to know that, is an issue. Also, you need to control whether or not people can tag you. That seems to me to be an issue for people who are not 23 years old. You’ve had a lot of past relationships, and when there’s a “dumped the loser” kind of post, and you’re tagged as the loser, do you want that in your Timeline for the whole world to see? But you can change in your privacy settings that you get the chance to preview any tags that are back in your Timeline.

Wes: It’s becoming a chore. Facebook is becoming a chore. It’s becoming too much to update.

John: With the privacy settings, they make changes and they don’t necessarily notify you. The defaults aren’t always in your favor. But that’s been the thing with Facebook since the get-go.

Betsy: But now I think it’s so mainstream and something people almost need, that I think they’ll put up with it. You know, my mother, who’s on Facebook, is never gonna go in and curate her Timeline. It’s just all gonna be out there, and that’s gonna be the case for most people. And they might go in and add life events that, as a marketer, I might find very interesting. You know, that you have three children, and these are their ages, and that you’re divorced, and that you’re converted to a different religion, and that you had a major illness. There are all things you can add to your Timeline, which as marketers, is really interesting.

Dan: Wes was saying something interesting in that they’re bringing Facebook back to “human,” and not so much a corporate identity. Cliff, do you think they’re successful on those grounds? Or is it too early to tell?

Cliff: I think this is as much a marketing ploy as it is a human ploy, because brands are followers of the human condition. And clearly this human condition of 2011, 2012, is that it’s easier than ever to have a pictorial account of life. And I think they’re just on the front end of what companies want. They want more story selling through pictures and words.

Betsy: Marketers always want to capture people in that moment where they’re making a decision. “If we could just know their intent, we could leverage that into a sale.” Timeline is like a reverse look – what may determine your future actions may be what you’ve done in the past, so that’s interesting for marketers.

Facebook Timeline: Add Life Events and Marketers Could Thank You

January 6, 2012

By flightpath

Facebook Timeline was released last month as an invitation for all of us to share our whole lives (including pre-Facebook lives) on Facebook. What Facebook wants you to include in your Timeline isn’t restricted to your newborn picture. When you click on a point in the past on your Timeline, you have a number of […]

When you click on a point in the past on your Timeline, you have a number of options many of which are familiar. You can add a comment in the form of a status update to a point in your past, photo from your 1^st grade class picnic or check into the dorm you lived in freshman year of college. These are all variations of the options that users are used to seeing when they create a normal present-day status update. However, there is one new option- “Life Event” that is very different than the rest.

Clicking the Life Event button brings up a list of events that are common to a lot of people’s life stories. Marking the day you had a baby, broke a bone, lost a loved one or changed your religious beliefs are just some of the options Facebook presents.

Social media is supposed to be about transparency and honesty. Although it seems people would be reluctant to share major illnesses they have had in the past, divorces long settled and weight gained or lost in reality this is what Facebook does best. In Timeline Facebook has created an even better space where we can feed the human need to connect and learn more about people we care about, though maybe not enough to actually call.

From a social media marketing point of view, “Life Event” could be a game changer.

Currently advertisers can target Facebook users for ads based on the basic information user’s provide as well as their likes and interests. If Facebook allows advertisers to display ads to users who have had certain life events, or even better- users who have had certain life events within a select time frame, this could be very exciting for brands.

Car insurance ads could be displayed to parents of children they had 16 years back on their timeline and orthopedic surgeons could target those who have broken a bone in the last few months. Ads could be even more highly targeted, which means higher click-through rates for advertisers and more revenue for Facebook.

Facebook has yet to allow advertisers to target users based on their life events, however if they do look for even more relevant Facebook ads coming to your Facebook profile.

Inside the NHL’s Innovative Use of Social Media

January 5, 2012

By flightpath

After the 2004-05 lockout, NHL popularity dropped significantly: TV ratings were low, attendance was down. While many rule changes and innovations post-lockout – most notably, the fantastic Winter Classic outdoor game – have helped the league recover, it’s the use of social media that has taken that recovery to another level. With the rise of social, the NHL has been able to reach fans directly, and that direct contact was integral in repairing the damage from the lockout. But more than just using social media, they’re using it well.

The Rangers and Flyers just completed this season’s

Currently Viewing Posts in Social Strategy

Influencers are Effective at Engaging Customers

Key Opinion Leaders in Pharma

FDA Advertising, Regulatory and Promotional Requirements

Key Takeaways

Maximize Engagement with Distinct Media Preferences

Make the Most out of Email Marketing

Focus on Niche Content

Engagement & Retention

Key Takeaways

Covid’s Effect on Pharma

Data, Analytics, and Technology

Customer Expectation

1. Prior Omnichannel Engagements with Hospitality, Retail, and Financial Industries

2. Multi-generation customers, comprising digital native and digital immigrants

Commercialization Cost

1. Wider Customer Reach Of Treatments For Rare Diseases And Small Patient Populations

2. Selective, Targeted In-Person Engagements For Such Treatments

Key Takeaways:

Gen Zer’s Digital Habits Reflect Their Values

1. Authenticity

2. Collaboration

3. Social responsibility

Brand Transparency and Gen Z

Gen Z Values Brand Integrity From The Inside Out

B2B Marketing for Gen Z in Leadership Roles

1. Communication is Key

2. Diversify your Brand Voice

In Conclusion

What are short-form Videos?

Benefits of Short-Form Videos

1. Capture Audience Attention

2. Cost-Efficient

3. Versatility

How to Implement Short-Form Videos into your Content Strategy

Meta and Google: Updates and Changes

1. Algorithm Changes

2. Meta’s Post-Loop Ads & Google’s Youtube Shorts Ad Monetization

How Will Meta And Google’s Ad Changes Affect Your Short-form Video Content Strategy

Takeaway

The foodiest foodie

I’m allergic to spam

Taste the rainbow

Can you smell it?

What do you have to offer?

What does your audience want to see?

How can you stay authentic?

The Super Followers Facts

How Does This Change Paid Content?

The Basics of TikTok

Animated Posts on Social Media

Best Ideas for Social Posts

What social platform is best?

Plan, test and reassess

Facebook advertising and tracking

Is Facebook rejecting more ads?

How can you avoid Facebook ad rejection?

What can you do if your Facebook ads are rejected?

What we analyzed

What we discovered

Takeaways for future strategy

Upcoming Roadblocks

Solutions for a Smooth Transition

Assessing past workflows

Finding new processes

Collaborating with clients

Your audience & competition

Analyzing ranking & engagement

Increasing subscribers & views

Brand Lift Basics

Who They’re Useful For

Outcomes to Expect

Find Your Level of Professionalism

Engage Your Audience

Connect, Follow-up, Repeat

Analyzing Sentiment

Understanding Conversations

Filter What’s Important

The first step is always getting permission

A big name like Starbucks has so much UGC at their fingertips (literally), but they still need to take the appropriate steps in order to share a consumer’s photo.