Lesley Webster's Digital Media Blog

All companies have their own way of using media and creating a following. Taking a list from Simply Vesty about the Top 10 Social Video Brands, we can learn a few things from each company that are at the top. Here is what we learn.

1. Red Bull - Content! Content! Content! Did I mention content? Red Bull has over 470 millions views on their YouTube channel due to their ability to create top of the line sports videos. They’re biggest pull from their videos are their live-streaming videos. Now, to be able to do this one would need to have something to live stream that would be interesting to watch, so keep that in mind when creating your appeal. For Red Bull, it isn’t about the actual product it is more for advertising in different and awesome events.

2. Google - Use of distribution is why Google is at number two in Social Video. Google has created this stream through many years of setting up sites and creating a brand. So if you want to create a name, don’t expect it to take off immediately, just be consistent with content and how it is seen and be patient with it.

3. Disney - Similar to Google, Disney has created a brand loyalty. In contrast  Disney has created different channels for different sections instead of everything on one channel. There are music channels and shows and style, so if something is looking for a video in reference to a particular sector of Disney they can easily find it without having to sift through tons of other unrelated videos. 

4. Nike - Money and Content. Nike has created high quality videos and has created experiences that most companies wouldn’t put the time in for or don’t have the money for. Now I know, that one can’t just go buy a film production crew or create a game experience especially for just starting companies, but you can create an experience for your customers. You may have to invest in a higher quality camera but please, for the love of God, don’t use a camera phone. The quality just isn’t the same. Plus, be sure the content is useful and creates some type of experience.

5. Samsung - Demo. Simple enough. Samsung has a variety of products and they want to make sure people can use them. So if your company has a product that may not be so simple, explain it and demo. Customers will see it as an opportunity the company is doing to help the consumer.

6. Old Spice - An entertaining campaign and continuity. I think we all know their campaign with the black man in ludicrous scenarios to sell  product. All their commercials are different but have basically the same selling point “Believe in Your Smelf.” 

7. Prada - Cover everything that involves your brand. Prada is the only luxury brand and wherever the brand is mentioned, there will be a video posted. Although the article believes this brand will not last long on the top social video brands, it is doing something right to be there now.

8. Coco-Cola - Again, brand loyalty and a good advertising campaign. Coca-Cola has kept their online videos to a minimum but everybody seems to know about them.

9. Nintendo - Money and Content. That’s really all the article says about the brand as a social video brand

10. Adidas - Focus on product and have celebrity endorsements - Again this requires money and unless you know people, having a celebrity endorsement maybe one of the harder points to achieve without having a huge brand loyalty connection.

As we got down to the bottom of this list, a lot of the ideas became very similar but just keep these ideas in mind when creating a social video brand for yourself. The content, the campaign, and quality seem to be at the top of most of these brands lists.

In Digital Media Marketing, we must learn to get our information out there for everyone to easily access. One of the most under utilized sources of digital media is Google+. A lot of people have seen Google+ as just another social media, site and it is but there are so many things your Google+ account can keep track of, such as alerts on some of your favorite subjects, creating ideas for the future, and so on.

In an article posted on socialmedia.biz called “10 tips to take advantage of Google+ for SEO” Cyrus Shepard lists these tips to make sure a Google+ user utilizes this account. These tips are:

1. Optimize your Google+ title tags - when creating a post, use keywords

2. Use G+’s unlimited editing power - do with G+ as you want from anything to everything

3. Index new content lightning fast - G+ will do a lot of the work but if there is similar content, Google will link it together

4. Connect with Influencers - if you find someone that has influenced you in some way track them, tag them in things, talk with them. If you are a company that is using G+, follow supporters who are willing to provide information for you.

5. Optimize your author pic for traffic - have a catchy photo and more people may be willing to stop on your site

6. Test Drive a G+ social media dashboard - Use Google analytics to understand the people who are coming to your site

7. Check your Circle Rank

8. Follow your profile links

9. Embed post links

10. Be an awesome (late) early adopter - most people already don’t use it, so learn to use it.

These simple rules are referencing to the use of Google+, obviously, but a lot of these can be used else where. by providing a catchy photo, or using key words wisely or embedding links, all ways to boost one’s SEO. The biggest benefit that Google+ has, is the fact that incorporates the main aspects that are used on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr by providing a venue to post thoughts, ideas, get feedback, write blog posts but have the added up help of Google analytics and Google alerts incorporated into it.

Football games and commercials tend to go hand-in-hand but in the time of all this new digital age marketing, YouTube has created a whole new world of advertising. Recently, AT&T created an ad that exemplifies everything about Digital Media Marketing. This ad starts out with a video that was posted on YouTube, the earliest I could find, about a month ago of a high school football scrimmage where a kid front flips over another player and runs the ball in for a touchdown. Here is that video.

http://youtu.be/joNHwnqVcq8

Pretty awesome stuff just to begin with. AT&T takes it and they go through the whole process of how people have shared the video with other people using Facebook and sending it to one another, so on and so forth.

http://youtu.be/tZt2eVrvXXI

In this new digital world where a kid can get recognized for his talents, anybody can do it and may not occur to this extent but it creates possibilities. I know I’ve talked about creating a Digital Me and digital brand but it all still remains the same, by creating something unique and letting it be shared through all forms of the web, one can create something cray that you never thought possible. This kid, I haven’t been able to find a name, from Oklahoma may or may not have been psychically recognized like he does in the video by Stoops from OU, but he has created a viral hit that created a national commercial.

Just create something for yourself whether it goes viral or not.

Posted to a SalesForce Marketing Cloud, “How to use Social Media to Create Killer Content” uses real world companies to help create a strategy for this article, JetBlue and Avon. They have a pretty basic setup which seems to work out well for these two companies.

First, have a strong framework. Most of our lives are based on different social media sites. For a company to excel using social media, they need to know their audience, key points in time, and length of posts.

Second, trying different content approaches. Trial and error, you don’t know what will work and what won’t until you try.

Third, if it works, keep doing it.

It all sounds like a marketing class lesson, right? But it works! In the examples provided in the article, Avon did a spread where nails were painted according to the season, and it worked! It sounds simple enough and that’s because it is. Digital media is probably one of the easiest ways to expand a company’s marketing scope.

There are tons of social media outlets out there that can be used for this effect but it is only a large chunk of digital media. There are ads that can used all over the internet, there’s digital photography, digital art, and basically anything that can be an ad. Take your pick. Just do it.

I came across an article this past week that I found highly entertaining. The article is titled “Photo Project to Capture a Snapshot of the Entire World at One Moment in Time” posted on petapixel.com and it is exactly as it sounds, capturing a moment in time from all around the world but how? 

A company by the name of Montblanc has created the idea of “Worldsecond” which will become an app, at some point, that would tell people when to take a picture and actually take the picture for you. Sounds slightly intrusive but interesting at the same time. So how does this company get this idea moving? Digital media is always a good way to start.

First, they need to get the idea out there and see if people would even be interested. This can be done by posting videos of YouTube about the app, have bloggers post about it, and possibly even find a website that might run an article about it, like the article I found. There’s Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and basically any type of social media can be used to spread the word of an idea.

Second, see exactly what people are saying about the idea and whether they are interested or not. Read what people have said about the idea through those different venues. If someone offers criticism about the idea, maybe work with what they have said to make it sound even more appealing to more people

Third, research ways to get this idea around the world, especially if you do want it to be around the world. By understanding how other cultures work, can better understand if other countries are interested.

Fourth, create the app. Make it versatile for different operating systems. Create iOS, Android, Windows versions of the app to work with as many phones as possible. If you you want more widespread, create a website or an app for a computer. It sounds like a lot of work but if you can a find tech-savvy person who wants to join in your idea, work with them.

Finally, implement the idea. In this case, take the picture.

I know it sounds overly simplified but  if you have an idea that you want to share you need to start somewhere, right?

It caught my attention didn’t it?

I have recently started following a blog titled “Six Pixels of Separation” written by Mitch Joel. As the tag line says Mitch is the “Twist Image President…Brings you digital marketing and media hacking insights and provocations from his always on/always connected world.” Enough to already catch my attention. 

In his blog post titled “Self-Promotion and Self-Loathing in the Digital Age” he basically goes into how he feels about the social websites out there. He comes right out and says he doesn’t like the digital you or me and his reason why are pretty simple. He gives two. One, “We publish things in hopes that people will think our lives are more interesting than theirs.” Two, “We publish things in the hopes that people will think that our lives are actually more interesting than they actually are.

True story. The article proceeds to go on in how we need to utilize what is available through these social sites and make an impressive digital “me.” He gives simple reasons to do so: there is time for courage, something to always think about, no shame, and the Internet is a thing of beauty.

Similar to some of the conversations that I’ve had in my class, we talk about creating something that creates an image of who we are and create a type of presence. To create a digital “me,” you need to create a presence in different forms through Facebook with a Page, create an informative Twitter account. Hell, this Tumblr is a perfect forum to create that digital “me” with a little writing and a little creativity and BAM. There you are. Like Mitch says, there is no shame, take a chance and be courageous. If someone doesn’t like the digital “me” you have created, there is no harm in feedback, so take it.

All of this can be applied to a company as well, although there may be a little more restrictions as to what is allowed to be said and mentioned but that is for a ton of other reasons that I currently have no desire to delve into. Maybe later.

Bottom Line: Make yourself that digital “me” - no harm no foul.

Last week was the first of three debates between the Presidential Candidates for the 2012 election. For those who watched or heard anything about it, the candidates talked mostly about the policies they would set in place to help create a better economy, create jobs, so on and so forth. (I don’t know the specifics for either candidate and honestly don’t care)

In this age where everything is going digital and onto social websites, the need for a more diverse digital sector of jobs. In an article published on Forbes.com title “Three Ways the President Can Create Digital Jobs Now” by Zoe Baird, she outlines general basics to help create jobs in this economy that obviously needs jobs. The three ways she talks about are “scaling up the export of services over the Internet, utilizing the massive amounts of data now available, and deploying the collective power of social media.”

The first way of scaling up services is very essential. This way is basically saying that we already have plenty of ways (iPads, phones, etc.) to utilize, there are services to be created. Here is where she gets a little vague and I’m going to put in my two cents about digital media into it. If the President were to fund the search for new services to be used, that’s digital media in itself. Self-promoting, creating new apps and websites that are more compatible, or apps that do more things, all apart of creating that digital media.

In the second way, the massive amounts of data available, most is held by the government. This way, I honestly have no way to work this into digital marketing. On the political side, how would one do this? The data is available, how would they make this data available to the public? Just one of those things not completely thought through in the article.

The last and most important way is through the use of social media to create jobs. Do I have to say it? Duh! Everything now-a-days is ran by or supported by social media. The Presidential Candidates have utilized these this election the most to raise money for their campaigns, Obama being the most successful. Social media of any type creates digital marketing for anyone. It’s obviously raising money, so why can’t we make jobs from this? Simple enough.

So two out of three isn’t bad to help support jobs and the new digital world of marketing. It does need to be utilized, just need to figure out the best way. I would need to do a little more research to better support that.

In an article titled “Why Social Media Makes Consumer Better” by Harry Rollason, the purpose of the article is to tell the reader that most consumers are relying on different social media sites to find help or express how the product worked for them. It then goes on to describe some of the aspects of using social media for customer service: it affects current and potential customers and it addresses existing customer service needs.

In the first aspect, affecting current and potential customers, the author talks about different ways consumers would like to express their views. One of the issues that comes with this, is if the company will take advantage of the consumer opinions, 55% of companies gave no response on Facebook, and 71% ignored tweets on Twitter. In my opinion and in most of the books and classes I have been taking, those comments are vital to a company. They will provide honest and immediate feedback. If the company isn’t going to do anything about the comments, they may have just lost some of their customers. 

The next part of the article, addressing existing customer service needs, the author provides tips on how to improve a companies use of social media. These tips simply are: integrate social media into one’s existing customer service function, create a humanized response models to engender loyalty and build relationships, and monitor social interaction to spot issues and solve problems before they become crises. Simple enough. These view tips are great tips. They help lead the company in a starting place for using social media.

Although the article is rather short, the author was able to get his main points across but I personally feel like he is missing a few effects such as taking control of something that may be offensive someone, and social liberties that some people may take advantage of if they are given an inappropriate service. In digital media, if a company has a site out there with their name on it, they must take care of it and if someone is providing some type of feedback, the company must do something whether it would be to thank the consumer or apologize or help the consumer out. That is the proper thing to do.

Facebook, Money and Privacy?

In an article published on mashable.com by Todd Wasserman, “Facebook Now Tracks Consumers’ Retail Purchases” creates an interesting discussion between buying products, making a profit and privacy. The article talks about how Facebook is working with a company, Datalogix, which, from what I can tell, provides information for companies to match potential consumers by the things they like on Facebook. Statistics show, according to the article, 70% of the companies who worked with Datalogix earned a $2 profit for every dollar spent in their campaign on Facebook. Not bad. This whole system allows for marketers to create a connection with potential consumers making a huge tool. The big problem is whether or not this messes with people’s privacy. Facebook has released a statement saying they are only working with them to see how well the ads are working and privacy still remains intact. 

So where does that leave us? To be honest, it is a great tool for marketers. From what I can tell, Facebook only provides information on a person’s site, not personal information but likes ad interests and through those small things, marketing can occur. Plus it does make a profit. I do see why it could cause so many questions, seeing as how it is information being passed around but not sensitive information.

I personally never click on the ads that pop up on the sides of my screen. To me, they have no relevance to what I want to move towards. I keep getting ads on learning photography - I already know how to shoot. Looking for hot guys - I have one that i didn’t find through an ad. Stuff like that. I can see how this type of information would work for people who shop. So in essence, it would be a marketers dream since they would be able to get at anybody.

A Plan Without a Purpose

In an article found on mashable.com, “3 Stages of a Company’s Integration,” written by Nathan McDonald, gives a brief and rough outline a company should follow to create a mature social integration into a company. Now it is very brief and VERY rough. First stage he calls “develop channels,” essentially meaning to create a conversation about the product or company with people, and creating a process through people at the company to publish information and to align with marketing activities. This leads to the second stage, “streamline.” This stage requires creating a common strategy for the company to use, requiring set goals. It also creates a form of “weight” behind the process for social media, makes the company work together with other parts of the company, and creates tools not just a process for company to use. The third and final stage is “social becomes native.” It explains itself, really. The method or process spreads throughout the company and becomes apart of the normal process of a company.

Pretty simple. A few things that I first noticed about the article is the author mentions an “adoption curve” but doesn’t really go into much detail and it is only mentioned the beginning few paragraphs and not carried out through the article. Next, I believe he is missing a stage. Where is the setting goals stage? At the company I worked for over the summer, no matter what the project was, there needed to be a scope and goals set. In this process, it should be the first stage. Yes, he does mention there are goals but it needs to be a stage if a company wants to create a social media process or, in my opinion, it won’t work as well. Last week in class, we talked about whether a company should work with different forms of social media and whether it is appropriate for the company. I believe this would also belong in the goal and scope setting stage.

So for the most part, McDonald describes a process that is probably more in depth but these stages would be a great place for a company to start if they didn’t have a form of social media for their company.