Think Differently
What if you turned right when you should have turned left?
You might drive into oncoming traffic, which would be bad. Or maybe you’ll end up somewhere you never expected. Sometimes doing the unusual, unnatural or unexpected thing will help you see something new and possibly inspire an idea for your next digital strategy.
Some of the most popular social media networks were built with an intended purpose. They have features and functions that allow users to perform intended tasks. For example, you’re suppose to post 140 character messages on Twitter. You’re suppose to upload videos to YouTube. You’re suppose to upload photos to Flickr. You’re suppose to pin images on Pinterest. You’re suppose to create a Facebook Timeline Business Page.
But what if we re-imagined how we used these networks?
What if you used Twitter solely for taking customer food purchase orders?
- Users would send an @reply to your account saying, Combo A, Combo B, etc.
What if you used Twitter to publish a collection of photos?
- Publish links to photos hosted on Instagram, TwitPic or YFrog.
YouTube
What if you used YouTube to conduct focus groups?
- Publish 3 videos, each with a different idea. Ask participants to like the video/idea they like best.
What if you used YouTube to as a customer service tool?
- Publish a video of the customer service representative describing himself/herself and his/her responsibilities. Ask customers to post inquires in the comments section. Monitor and respond to the comments.
Flickr
What if you used Flickr to publish a comic strip or a picture story?
- Each photo will act as one box in a comic strip. Different photos sets and photo galleries can be created for each story.
What if you used Pinterest to create a instructional manual?
- The step by step manual will have a picture and written instructions. Users can even comment on a specific step if they need clarification.
What if you used the new Facebook Page Timeline to post a fictional story?
- The story will be display chronologically along the timeline. Status updates with text can be added and photos can be added.
Victor Chan
Digital Strategist
Photo Credit: nestor galina
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Tags: facebook, flickr, pinterest, Twitter, youtube
5 Tips Digital Marketers Can Take Away From KONY2012 Campaign
Unless you were asleep through the week of March 5th, 2012, you really could not have missed the campaign by Invisible Children that took the Internet by storm: KONY2012. Invisible Children is a non-profit organization, with the mandate to use “film, creativity, and social action to end the use of child soldiers in Joseph Kony’s rebel war and restore LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) affected communities in Central Africa to peace and prosperity.” The organization launched a 29 minute video and social action campaign that went viral, in an effort to make Joseph Kony famous to the world. And they did just that. Although, the organization has been under critical scrutiny over the period of the campaign and has been questioned for their motives, and use of funds, one thing that no one can argue is that they did successfully launch the most viral video campaign in the history of the Internet, according to Visible Measures. The video has generated over 100 million views on YouTube and Vimeo, and has been cited in over 6,200 blog posts.
There has been a long debate about whether there is a formula for viral campaigns, with most “experts” stating a viral video needs to be under 2 minutes and comedy based. However, the KONY2012 video was approximately half an hour, and definitely not funny. So why was it that this video captured the hearts, minds, and time of 100 million people? Here are 5 tips we as digital marketers can take away from the KONY2012 viral campaign:
- Create content that evokes emotion. Whether that is laughing or crying, content that generates an emotional response from the viewer is more likely to be shared. In this film, most people were moved to tears by Jacob, a Ugandan boy who’s brother was killed and captured by the LRA.
- Make it personal. Content that is personal creates a human connection that most people can relate to. The filmmaker used his son.
- Create urgency. A timely call of action creates urgency to share. This film expires December 31, 2012.
- Be simple. Although this campaign was highly criticized by its simplistic approach of a rather complex situation, it may be one reason why the video resonated with so many people across the world. Simple messaging is easier to digest across many cultures, and languages.
- Use celebrities. We have seen time and time again that celebrity endorsements work. This is no easy task; however, it goes to prove that if celebrities endorse your message online and share it with their millions of followers then it is more likely for your video/campaign to become a trending topic.
If you haven’t seen the video, click here. We would love to hear your thoughts!
Maryam Mehrtash
@socialmaryam
Tags: celebrities, facebook, invisible children, joseph kony, kit, kony, Kony2012, share, social action, Social Media, Twitter, uganda
Why It’s Important to Share Non-Industry Related Content – Happy International Women’s Day!
Today, March 8, 2012 is International Women’s Day, and we wanted to take the time to share why we feel it’s important for companies to take a minute out of their usual business affairs online to show appreciation and care for events, and issues that are celebrated around the world that they believe in. International Women’s Day has been observed annually since the early 1900′s as a form of celebration of respect, appreciation, and love towards women and their political, economic, and social achievements. Women have come a long way since the inception of this day. On the digital front, women are represented across all disciplines on advisory boards, executive management roles, and consulting teams, in addition to being investors, and entrepreneurs for some of the largest online companies, including Facebook. As a digital media company, founded by a woman, with mainly a female executive and management team, we at Magnify Digital wanted to take a moment out of our day to celebrate our achievements and say Happy International Women’s Day to all the amazing females who have helped shape the digital landscape.
As businesses, we often get caught up tweeting, liking, commenting, and sharing only industry specific content, however, sometimes it’s important to show your audience that your company, made up of individuals, also care about issues and events that are celebrated if it makes sense for your organization. It can also be a nice release from all the serious digital content out there! We wish you all a fabulous day.
Maryam Mehrtash
@socialmaryam
Tags: digital campaigns, facebook, female, International Women's Day, March 8 2012, Social Media, strategy, Twitter, woman
5 Tips To Help With Your Transition to Facebook Timeline
Every week we hear of changes happening on the social media front whether it’s a new feature being added, a merger and/or an acquisition happening, or a new application being developed. Okay, who am I kidding it’s more like everyday. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with it all while trying to keep your job, raise your children, spend time with your friends, exercise, etc… you get the point! As part of my Human Impact series, I want to help our readers keep up-to-date without feeling left behind, or doing a ton of research, by leaving you with a few helpful tips. On March 30, 2012 Facebook is launching the new Timeline feature across all Pages and Profiles automatically. Currently you have the option to transfer to Timeline earlier if you wish to do so. Here are 5 tips to help with your integration to Facebook Timeline for your Pages Profile:
- Be Creative. Create a meaningful Cover Photo that represents your company and your brand and is more than just your logo. Find an image, a quote, or a picture that tells a story about your brand. This is an opportunity to show your company’s personality and tell a story. The company logo can go in the smaller box overlapping the cover photo, similar to where a profile picture would go, or can be integrated into your Cover Photo.
- Update Your Info. With this new layout there is prominent real estate for text just below the profile picture where it says About. Make sure to use this space to write something meaningful about your company since it’s front and center. Also, consider going through your Timeline to check out what pops up from the past. Make sure to hide anything that you feel is completely not relevant to the brand anymore or if you feel that company milestones are missing, this is your chance to add them, such as founding year, acquisitions, office locations, and important travels.
- Utilize Your Apps. Since your apps are at the top of the Page, in visible square boxes, they are kind of hard to miss. Facebook makes it mandatory to have Photos as one of the 4 visible applications, so choose the other 3 wisely. Use this opportunity to showcase your products and services. Create customized apps that advertise your company or attract fans to engage. In total, Facebook will allow you to post a maximum of 12 apps.
- Pin Your Posts. Facebook allows you to pin the most important posts to your Page so that they are highlighted at the top of your Page. To pin a post, select the pencil icon, and click on “Pin to Top.” Pinned posts will appear on the top left side of the Page for 7 days, after which they will return to the original date of post.
- Stay On Top Of Your Engagement. View your activity at the top of the Page when you are logged in as an admin. This allows you to view how many people have “liked” or commented on your Page, read any new messages, and analyze your statistics via Insights. You can hide this section by hitting the Hide tab on the top right hand corner of the screen when you are done.
Hope your transition to Facebook Timeline is a smooth and stress free one!
Maryam Mehrtash
@socialmaryam
Tags: branding, cover photo, digital strategy, engagement, facebook, features, pins, Social Media, timeline, tips
5 Tips on How to Effectively Create a Social Good Digital Strategy
Many corporations are jumping on the social good band wagon in attempts to attract a more altruistic audience base. From the Pepsi Refresh Project to Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program, companies are spending millions of dollars towards social good digital strategies in an effort to show that they care about humanity and it’s not just about the bottom line. With anything, there are strategies and initiatives that get implemented very well and some that can become complete public relations disasters!
Here are 5 tips to effectively create a social good campaign, with all good intentions:
- Be transparent. There is nothing worse than cooking the social good numbers, not even lying to the tax man. Let people know exactly where the money is going, and how it’s effectively making a difference. Show the numbers.
- Be consistent. Do good that makes sense for the company. Whether it’s consistent with the messaging, the mission statement, the branding, or the actual products and services you create make sure the good you are creating is consistent and not just random.
- Think long term. Think how you can implement social good in your overall strategy, and not have it as just a one-off. Your consumer base will respect you more if you follow through on a long-term plan versus trying to create media buzz off of a one time campaign. People will take you more seriously.
- Be open to criticism. Have an open heart to criticism and embrace it with grace. Whenever corporations create a social good campaign, there is almost always at least one person who doesn’t like what you are doing. Have a plan that is constructive and not defensive. Really dig deep into why you are doing this, and what potential criticism you can get in order to be open to engage in effective dialogue surrounding the cause.
- Use multiple platforms. A social good campaign isn’t just a Twitter campaign or a Facebook campaign, it’s about spreading a positive social impact. Create a website, start a following on multiple channels, start a dialogue, and take action off-line. To create social good you must do more than just click a button, to be effective you must take action and empower others to do the same.
Next time you think about creating a social good strategy hopefully you’ll keep this 5 tips in mind!
Maryam Mehrtash
@socialmaryam
Tags: charities, digital strategy, facebook, kohl's, pepsi, social good, Social Media, Twitter
