Image courtesy of www.mysocialstrand.com
The Social Media team at MMC, is always on the lookout for the next big viral campaign. Yesterday, I was captivated by the launch of the National Bone Marrow Donor Program’s “Be The Match” infographic campaign and website. This is a great example of the use of social media to get people involved in a message by showing them how they fit into it.
By simply linking to your Facebook account on www.mysocialstrand.com and answering a few fun questions about your preferences, a personalized infographic based on your social graph and a number of other name/location analytics is instantly created. (See my photo included in this post.) The infographic shows how you match up against your Facebook friends in relation to updates, photos, number of friends and more! The system even pulls a Friends Hall of Fame so you can learn which of your friends is the most popular, talkative, supportive, etc. Who doesn’t want to know these quirky tidbits about their online presence?
But here’s the surprising part. This infographic also delivers the sobering messages of the Be The Match campaign: it tells you approximately how many of your friends will likely be affected by leukemia and includes the profile of a marrow transplant survivor who is “most like you.” The only active links in the infographic are those related to more information about Be The Match.
According to Mashable, here’s what Be The Match hopes to achieve with this campaign:
“Be The Match, a non-profit dedicated to building the National Bone Marrow Donor Program, didn’t create the project to teach people about the need for bone marrow donors for individuals suffering from leukemia, lymphoma and other diseases. Its hopes are, rather, that you’ll want to see your personalized infographic, and in the process will decide to register for the bone marrow database.”
I had fun with my customized infographic. I think others will too and will share it. But I do wish Be the Match has been more transparent about its goals. Housing the app on MySocialStrand.com vs a branded URL led me to believe this was simply a cool, new social media application that early adopters were buzzing about. It was a good 15 minutes into investigating the site before I realized there was an organization behind this activation.
Since this campaign is so new, we won’t be able to judge the success for a few months. It will be interesting to see if the initial buzz translates to an increase in bone marrow donor registrations or an increase in social followers.
What do you think of this execution? What other social media programs have caught your eye recently?
Image courtesy of Digital Trends
MMC was at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week and, as had been predicted, heard a lot of news about tablets and e-readers.
To compete against the dominance of the iPad, many companies are introducing tablets running on Android or Windows 8, and at a variety of price points. Even traditional e-readers (such as Amazon’s Kindle or Barnes & Noble’s Nook) are evolving to include tablet-like functionality. According to recent statistics, 65% of Americans are expected to own a tablet or smartphone by 2015. With a user base topping 82 million, the consumption of media through these devices will only increase.
Women purchase the majority of tablets. Nielsen said in August that 61% of all eReader owners are now female, compared to a mere 46 percent in Q3 2010. Tablet owners are also using other forms of media less: 39% of tablet users say they use their laptop less frequently, while 20% admit to not reading print magazines as often.
This quickly growing phenomenon gives marketers many exciting opportunities to spread the word about their brands and tie advertising and PR more closely to sales. Via their tablets, readers can share products and brands they love through Social Media, increasing word-of-mouth about the publication and the product. Tablet-only newspapers and magazines can enable direct links to purchase or provide geo-specific links that guide consumers to the nearest point of purchase. And there are probably endless opportunities to partner with retailers to offer promotions through location-based check-in.
MMC is embracing this trend with gusto. What about you?
Photo credit Samara Finn
When you work in public relations social media, you follow every incident of positive and negative customer service on the web. However, it’s rare that you actually find yourself in a situation where a company is observing your actions online and recognizing you for your patronage. In this case, I was the recipient of some acknowledgment and thanks that went above and beyond.
Last week I was traveling for business in Los Angeles. The event we were hosting was being held at the InterContinental Hotel so we secured sleeping rooms there. The morning after my first night’s stay I happened to check-in via Foursquare (yes, I’m still hooked on possible specials and the chance to unlock new badges). It wasn’t too surprising to receive a tweet back from @InterConLA asking me about my stay and offering to answer any questions.
I tweeted back once or twice and thought that was it. What happened next, though, did blow me away. I was about to jump on a conference call when room service was at my door with a complimentary tray of waters and Sprinkles cupcakes (the best cupcakes in LA). My mind immediately started racing – who could these be from? Were my colleagues back in NYC doing something special for me? Did my friends and family do some recon and find out where I was staying? I was at a loss until I opened the card.
The card was from the hotel. They referenced Twitter and wanted to thank me for sharing my thoughts online. The also offered me complimentary wi-fi for my stay – which for anyone traveling for business who specifically works in social media, is a pretty useful and appreciated offer. However, where the InterContinental really won me over is that they didn’t just send me cupcakes – ‘cause who doesn’t love cupcakes — they sent me cupcakes because the day before my stay (and fresh on my Twitter feed) I was tweeting about cupcakes I had made and decorated. They wow’d me with something that resonated with my interests and that they knew would get my attention. It was this customized and personalized approach that won me over. And of course, as a delighted customer I told my Twitter followers, Facebook friends, family, colleagues and just about everyone I came in contact with.
Here’s how I break down what they did right:
- Used social media to seek out customers experiencing their services via an established online presence
- Offered something complimentary proactively (not as a make good for displeasure customer complaint)
- Tied their thoughtful gesture to something personal and customized, making the guest feel even more special than pure acknowledgment
- Continued to engage and offer help throughout my stay
As a result of this experience, I’ve not only shared the story off and online, I have also recommended (and will continue to recommend) the InterContinental Hotel. Kudos to the social media people behind @InterConLA for using technology to win with customers! There are many companies out there who can learn from you.
While my last post was very focused on an important session I attended that I felt truly compelled to shed light on, I did want to take some time to recap the conference as a whole. Every year, the BlogHer conference focuses on inspirational stories of women making positive change online. The conference provides an open forum to highlight those stories to encourage the community to continue building their personal brands and using their influence to make the world a better place. While keynotes are focused on sharing these inspiring stories on the greatest levels, the break-out sessions do a wonderful job of breaking down the tips, tricks and skills needed to accomplish them.
Last year, the key themes that rose to the top for me were activism, community and partnership. This year, I could sum up the overarching theme in one category – “your voice.”
All the discussions I participated in truly elevated the concept of one’s online voice. Attendees (including myself) heard how to find and develop an online voice, how to use your voice to become a social media marketer, how to leverage your voice to gain the attention of brands, media and more. Even the session on Perfecting Product Reviews provided applicable techniques for recommending products and services in ways that keep an audience interested and stand out from the crowd.
My top two conference highlights were Exploring Inspiration and Leadership with Indra Nooyi (PepsiCo CEO) and the closing keynote on Women in the Media. With years of marketing to women under my belt at MMC, I still get completely charged up when I hear from powerful, successful women who have overcome adversity.
Did you know Indra took an overnight receptionist job at Yale business school for 35 cents more an hour because that higher wage made the difference in being able to pay her bills? Hearing about how she came here from India with nothing and how supportive her family, specifically her mother was, helped the entire room of women (mothers, writers, businesswomen) relate to her story. At the conference, she used her real voice to empower us all to pursue our dreams.
Similarly, as the CEO of PepsiCo, Indra uses digital communication to stay in touch with her employees. She writes a weekly blog for employees and said that she always reads reactions from the staff even if she doesn’t have the time to respond to every comment. She truly understands the importance of the evolving digital ecosystem and it’s clear that a prime focus for PepsiCo is staying ahead of the curve (as seen by their online marketing initiatives).
PepsiCo, a recurring sponsor of BlogHer, clearly understands the importance of women’s influence. Indra noted that “women represent 70% of the buying decisions around the world.”
The Women in the Media keynote was equally inspiring when it came to developing and using your voice. Ricki Lake and co-panelists Carol Jenkins and Fatemah Fakhraie shared personal anecdotes on how they’re using their online voice to raise awareness for issues important to them.
Ricki was honest about her newness to social media but as she teased, she’s a “quick learn.” In addition to Twitter, I found it most interesting that Ricki used Kickstarter to raise money for a series of follow-up documentaries to “The Business of Being Born.” Kickstarter is a funding platform that focuses on community fundraising specific to creative projects (music, film, art, technology, etc.). She’s now fully funded and looking forward to using social media to continue to amplify her voice when her new documentaries debut.
While Ricki recognizes that her celebrity status allows her to use her voice to educate women on their health choices, she encouraged others to do the same by taking a stand for what they believe in.
Ever since the conference, I’ve been asking myself these two questions:
- Have you re-evaluated your online voice recently?
- How can you use your influence and audience for good?
Have you asked yourself these things lately?
I’d love to know what your BlogHer ’11 highlights were. Leave them in the comments.
Each year I attend BlogHer I am reminded about the importance for online marketers to be in attendance at this conference. As a social media expert by profession, I am living and breathing the space 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, the majority of that time, I am engaging and experimenting with social media through the eyes of a marketer – looking for engagement opportunities, identifying true influencers, spreading news via multiple platforms online, connecting brands with their online advocates and ambassadors, creating valuable content, etc.
With all of those priorities, I regularly need to bring myself back to the core aspects of social media – community participation and connection, opportunity to express and share online in a public forum, information exchange right at your fingertips. The BlogHer Conference helps me do just that.
Social media is powerful. So powerful that it is important to be aware and educated on the downside of putting yourself out there and being accessible to anyone, anywhere. It could be a result of MMC’s recent work with Secret deodorant’s Mean Stinks program, but prior to attending BlogHer, the session I was most interested in attending was “Cyberbullying Isn’t Just Teens: What to do if You’re the Victim of Trolls, Haters…and Worse.”
The panelists and content blew me away. It was quite the reality check to realize the microscope so many of the fabulous writers and bloggers that I work with personally are under – how their strong and influential voices on the web have the potential to put them at risk.
Without going into the personal stories of terror and triumph of the panelists, I thought the most important takeaways from the presentation was being armed with the information and tips of what to do if you’re targeted on the Web with bullying, harassment or threats. As the space continues to grow, I can’t help but think that some of these negative effects will grow as well.
Here are the collective tips from panelists:
Tip 1: Report, report, report. The number one piece of advice was not to sit back and take this treatment. Stand up, use your voice and get the right people or authorities involved. 75% of the people in attendance raised their hand as having experienced cyberbullying, yet only a few actually reported their experiences. In order to change perception that this is acceptable behavior, victims need to stand up for themselves.
Tip 2: Document everything. A comment that goes over the line today, could be a person harassing you on Twitter tomorrow. Should a situation spiral out of control, having your own evidence in the form of screenshots of the abuse or bullying will be crucial.
Tip 3: Set guidelines on what is and isn’t acceptable in YOUR community. Being proactive in what is and isn’t acceptable on our site or blog helps set expectations up for the community in advance. One suggestion was to tell the offender “your action is unacceptable and I’m reporting your behavior.” Then continue to report until you’re taken seriously and action is taken.
Tip 4: Persistence. Social media is still new, which means all other professions are still learning how to navigate how their world and profession has changed given technology and digital advancements. It may take multiple complaints and a lot of time to see action against someone who has gone too far on the Web.
Tip 5: Use your community. Rallying your own audience and community to speak out and deal with an issue can be beneficial. Sometimes communities can act more quickly and efficiently than formal authorities. When it comes to Facebook and Twitter, you may be able to garner attention quickly and efficiently from these platforms with multiple complaints from multiple users, rather than your single complain or report.
Hi All, I’m Live-Blogging from this year’s BlogHer Welcome Address. Keep checking-back for updates throughout the presentation.
9:43 am: ”Speed date networking” is starting. Stay tuned to the blog for more updates and recaps from BlogHer. Leave questions in the comments and we’ll do our best to answer from the ground.
9:40 am: Just announced: BlogHer 2012 is returning to NYC August 2 – 5, 2012. Registration open now!
9:38 am: BlogHer’s focus on sustainability continues with the swag exchange suite, video screens to cut down signage, online only conference guide (not meant to be printed).
9:34 am: BlogHer also has the virtual conference online. There will be video, photos, liveblogging and section transcription.
9:33 am: If you’re not here in person, you can follow the conversation on Twitter. Attendees will be using the #BlogHer11 hashtag. BlogHer founders also recommend following hashtags if you are in attendance (I know I will). It’s the best way to “be in two places at once.”
9:27 am: We love all the stats shared yearly at the welcome keynote. Here’s another – 80% of BlogHer’s audience has made a purchase based on a recommendation on a blog.
9:25 am: Facebook and Twitter are not threats to blogging, they are a blogger’s best friends. They serve different purposes. Women are still going blogs for the information they crave, but social networking helps community and audience build in a more real-time fashion.
9:21 am: BlogHer Nielsen survey shows that blogs are now most valued online source for women who read them. Blogs have bridged the authority gap and now beat corporate websites and social networks.
9:18 am: BlogHer by the numbers: 7th year of conference; 3,600 attendees; 100 sponsors
9:16 am: Welcome begins
My flats are packed, my itinerary is printed and I’m totally psyched to meet and see so many of the bloggers and editors I work with every day at this weekend’s 2011 BlogHer conference in San Diego, CA.
As I review my mental checklist of things I need to do before boarding the plane, I thought it would be helpful to share some last minute prep tips with other conference goers.
- Don’t forget to pack your business cards…a lot of them! I made this rookie mistake at my first BlogHer Business conference. Luckily it was in NYC and my colleagues messengered a box of cards to the hotel. Networking is probably the biggest benefit of these conferences and business cards (I’ve even see business card bookmarks) are the easiest way to info exchange.
- Download the new BlogHer ’11 App for iPad/iPhone, Android and Blackberry. What could be easier than conference information right at your fingertips while you’re on the go? ShePosts has a great write-up of the app that does everything from hosting the conference map to scheduling what sessions you’d like to attend. My favorite part of the app is the ability to tweet right in the app with the hashtag automatically included.
- Organize your Twitter profile for easy conference connecting and be sure you’re following the people you’re hoping to meet. I even created a Twitter list to track all the bloggers attending the conference. Another tip is to follow BlogHer’s new conference handle — BlogHerEvents. This way you can stay on top of the latest and greatest conference updates directly from the BlogHer founders.
- One of the hardest things about attending a conference so focused on technology is determining which gadgets you should pack. Do you really need your Blackberry, iPad, laptop, flipcam, iPod, digital camera, etc.? Multi-tasking items are always my favorite. I’ll be packing a laptop, a camera that also takes video and my Blackberry. When you’re dealing with electronic devices, you’ve also got to be mindful of their corresponding chargers. Be sure to charge all your items in advance and pack chargers with you for any necessary charging throughout your trip. The only thing worse than forgetting your camera at home is forgetting your chargers.
And now for a quick plug – if you, too, are on your way to BlogHer, be sure to check out booth #501 to learn more about Pfizer Consumer Healthcare (one of MMC’s clients). We’ll be there with fun, interactive and educational activities to make your BlogHer experience memorable.
Tweet me @samarafinn if you’d like to meet up in San Diego. Safe travels!
Image courtesy of www.mysocialstrand.com
