Archive for the ‘Social Media’ Category

Marketing that Makes the World a Better Place

Posted January 5, 2012, by Emily Caswell

Getting 20 people to agree to have their photo taken at a certain time on a certain day isn’t the easiest task.

Add to that the fact that these 20 people are chefs with local restaurants to run, and the task gets about 100 times harder.

But if there’s one thing that can make it worth the effort — it’s babies. More specifically, babies who benefit from funds raised through the March of Dimes.

That’s why when Tiffany Dowling was selected as the 2011 March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction co-chair she didn’t hesitate to say “yes.”

Serving as the co-chair may sound easy enough (if you like planning events for 500 people — which we happen to love), but in taking on that role Dowling also volunteered the agency to do public relations, social media, event planning and marketing materials including all of the print promotions — tickets, invitations, RSVP cards, envelopes, table and event signage and the program — which included individual photos of each and every one of the local chefs involved in the event, for the auction.

From start to finish — along with a team of volunteers and the entire Signature Chefs Auction committee — a lot of the talent at Motion Marketing & Media had a hand in the planning and execution of the event.

M3’s design team of Lisa Twenter and Julie Becker developed and executed the awesome hand-made cocoa powder rendering of the March of Dimes logo, which served as the catalyst to the rest of the design and color palette for the evening. I scheduled the chef photos and gathered their bio information to be complied into the program.

M3 also helped to secure the Bone family as the 2011 Signature Chefs Auction ambassador family.

We worked to gather items for both the live and silent auction and, of course, the entire team collaborated with the Lansing March of Dimes office to be sure they loved everything we were doing.

In the end the Signature Chefs Auction raised more than $65,000 for Mid-Michigan babies in need. And frankly? It doesn’t get much better than that.

The March of Dimes project was just one of the pro bono projects that M3 assisted on in 2011. All in all we donated more than 400 hours to various causes. Other pro bono clients include:

In addition, in 2011 Capital Area Women’s LifeStyle Magazine’s Lady Classic raised more than $4,000 for the Lansing City Rescue Mission center for women and children and the CAWLM ‘80s Flashback Fundraiser raised more than $4,000 for the Westside Commercial Association Youth Mural Art Program.

While the scope of our 2012 pro bono projects hasn’t been entirely determined, we are looking forward to giving back to the community and causes we love.

Posted in Advertising, Creative Process, Industry News, Social Media, public relations | No Comments »
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Twitter, You Complete Me

Posted December 29, 2011, by Emily Caswell

As a social media professional one of my biggest pet peeves is hearing people dis Twitter.

“Why do I need Facebook and Twitter?”

“What’s with the word limit?”

“How do I get followers?”

On one hand it’s a lot of whining, on the other hand, great questions.

My first response is, “Do you even have a Twitter account?” No? Well, then get one and then let’s talk.

You see, I’m what the industry refers to as an “early adopter,” which basically means when Facebook came out with their new timeline feature, I had to go all the way back to 2004 to check for embarrassing photos of myself to un-tag. It also means that I’m a pretty long-time user of social media.

My journey with Twitter began in 2008. I was at a blogging conference with a bunch of mommy bloggers who were a bit obsessed with Twitter. There was a huge screen in the front of the main conference room with a live Twitter feed that they all kept an eye on. Sick of the fact that a lot of these moms felt it okay to bring babies (who usually cried) to the educational sessions, I got a Twitter account and voiced my thoughts that way – on the big screen.

Now, I’m a sweet gal so it was all done tongue and check, but I felt better and I also fell in love with Twitter.

Fast forward nearly four years later and I’ve found a lot of uses for something I started just to voice my opinion. Of course, it’s still good for that, but oh, so much more.

So, about those questions.

“Why do I need a Facebook and a Twitter?”

I’ve addressed this before in this blog. But basically, there are key differences to the accounts. What I love about Twitter today (honestly, it changes daily)? Its PR power. In trying to get the word out about an upcoming event, I passed info around to some key Twitter players who in turn passed it onto their networks. All told close to 6,000 more people saw the information because I shared it on Twitter.

During the recent Christmas break I turned to Facebook when boredom struck, only to be bored further by people’s holiday photos, updates about all the great gifts they received, etc. And since I keep my Facebook relatively private and pared down, the amount of info I was seeing didn’t change much on an hourly basis.

Enter Twitter. Even when I wasn’t at work I was getting updates about what was happening in the world of marketing and PR, I was linked into interesting articles courtesy of celebs, stores and more who I don’t interact with on Facebook.

So, bottom line – no matter how you use Twitter, it’s another social media tool that’s good for work and play.

“What’s with the word limit?”

First of all, it’s a character limit. Second of all, I’m long winded, so I quite like it. Along with the fact that I’m happy Twitter makes people edit themselves, I’m glad it makes me edit myself. My communication skills are stronger for it.

“How do I get followers?”

The same way you get friends on Facebook (and in real life). Be interesting. Be their friend first. It takes time. I don’t hold any records, but slowly and surly since 2008 my followers have increased.

If you haven’t already, make 2012 the year you discover the wonder that is Twitter.

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Creative Traditional Shouldn’t be an Oxymoron

Posted December 8, 2011, by Julie Becker

As an advertising professional, I pride myself in ideas that push the envelope – ideas that make people feel a little bit uncomfortable, evoke emotion and ultimately motivate consumers to behave in a certain way. That being said, I’m not sure if I’ve come to terms with industry leaders using social media as a crutch for creative execution.

On more than one occasion in recent history, I have heard marketing VPs resort to the phrase, “This is great … but not for TV. We can put it on our YouTube channel, though.”

At the American Advertising Federation (AAF) District 5 and 6 conference this fall, Andrew D. Sarkisian, Manager for North American Safety Planning and Strategy at Ford Motor Company showcased Ford’s Doug social media campaign. Across the board there is a clear understanding that Doug was solely built for digital advertising. Whether by design or otherwise, even a Mashable article on the campaign states, “The Doug campaign’s humor is edgy in a way that a traditional TV campaign couldn’t be.”

Why? Or better yet, why not?

When asked why YouTube and social media channels are a better fit for tongue-in-cheek advertising, such as the Doug campaign, many advertising and marketing professionals answer similarly: it’s where our target audience spends most of their time (meaning, young adults in the 18-24 age demographic). Others say it’s expected with social media; there is a different creative standard for online advertising.

While I tend to agree with the latter statement, it’s important to examine the data and purchasing power of social media audiences.

Research proves that creativity doesn't need to be limited to online advertising.

In a 2009 study of buying power and markets conducted by SalesandMarketing.com, the 0-17, 18-24 and 50+ age demographics held more than 65 percent of the total buying power in the West North Central region of the world. The same age demographics held more than 70 percent of the total buying power in the East North Central region of the world.

Flash forward to 2011. Research conducted by ingitesocialmedia.com shows these same demographic brackets collectively accounted for less than 33 percent of all YouTube viewers around the world.

When you boil it down, TV viewership reached all-time highs in 2009 and continues to grow; as does social media use. The same people who spend an average of 66 hours per week on their computer outside of work are the same people who spent an average of 38 hours in front of their TV. So why are companies only marketing creatively on one platform?

People who watch TV still like to laugh, feel inspired and enjoy clever strategy. It’s the reason the Super Bowl garners so much attention for advertising. Furthermore, those who hold buying power are consuming product information through traditional and non-traditional mediums alike. To achieve a truly integrated messaging strategy, creativity must be implemented across all platforms, not in digital advertising alone.

Others argue regulations to traditional media keep creative strategy off the airwaves and on the Internet. However, campaigns like Doug pose no real threat to television audiences and would likely pass FCC standards with ease. As online viewership continues to grow similar standards will be implemented and the playing field will be leveled once again.

Creative costs money, lots of it. Creative strategy and execution is clever, smart and above all, effective. So let’s put the money where our mouth … and our audience is.

Posted in Advertising, Creative Process, Social Media | No Comments »
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Become a Publisher – Reevaluating Tactics in the Marketing World

Posted November 17, 2011, by Taylor Kelsaw

Hosting a radio program has enabled me to do more research than ever before about marketing, the constant changes that being a leader in the area can bring about to your work place, and how you must invest the time and energy to gain acceptance and re-acceptance of your clients. What must we do to move them forward?

The variety of options for customer marketing, engagement and implementation ranges from social media to SEO (Search Engine Optimization), to email marketing to online advertising; trust me, it can be overwhelming. Content-rich online marketing changes everything and the results can be huge. One of the most common marketing questions we hear from the client side is, “When is it time to change tactics?”

One might suggest that the answer is through the intersection and/or integration of social media, SEO and content marketing. When social media and SEO are brought together like salmon and wasabi, then content becomes the rice holding everything together, and the perfect sushi is formed. Content is essential to a social media strategy, and understanding this is a part of the customer-centric social content and is absolutely required.

Social media statistics suggest that Google handles about 88 billion searches each month. YouTube is the second most popular. Facebook now has more than 600 million users. Twitter has nearly 200 million accounts. LinkedIn is at 101 million users and FourSquare grew 3,400 percent in 2010.

Consumers don’t seem to be engaged by the old traditional interruptive marketing. Perhaps it’s their desire to become more educated about behaviors, and information consumption and sharing have changed as a result. B2B (Business to Business) and B2C (Business to Consumers) customers both demand and expect to seek out information via a search. They also expect to become engaged with the findings of the search.

Today a lot of corporate marketing is structured to create content around products and services and not around becoming a publisher, which is a large part of what you become when you proactively create content for your social media platforms. Does this lead to the idea of tactical change involving a content-marketing program? It should, and the superabundance of publishing tools and alternative stages now make it possible for companies to brand and create content with media that challenges some broadcast communications companies.

Companies must now retool their content-marketing strategy utilizing social media and SEO. These strategies must be used in order to reach the customer expectations with frequency in an integrated format that increases reach through discovery, consumption and sharing. In addition, the integration of the social media and SEO will enlighten, and could easily bring about a cogent decision to buy.

It is my opinion, that organizations that embrace this concept should outshine and outlast their competition by taking the lead in the race to become the most successful marketing marathoner around.

Editor’s Note: This post was written by M3’s new Executive Producer. Taylor is also co-host of Michigan in Motion on the Michigan Business Network.

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Business in the Blogosphere

Posted November 3, 2011, by Lisa Twenter

As I sit here prepared to share my thoughts on this week’s edition of the M3 blog, I immediately think back to why we blog and why it has become a crucial step in reaching out to our visitors and potential clients.

Our agency happens to be particularly multifaceted. Every morning, we have an extraordinary amount of talent walk into M3 and get to work on a variety of projects. To someone just becoming familiar with our agency, our large staff can seem like a complicated family tree of skill sets and responsibilities. Blogging helps to break a large, well-oiled machine down to its most important parts. When a reader is able to gain a better understanding of the individual strengths, interests and talents brewing at M3, they are better able to understand what M3 as a whole can do for their company or project.

Blogging can be beneficial to companies of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds. By regularly blogging, a business can establish itself as invested in its clients and dedicated to staying up-to-date in their industry. To get the most out of a blog, posters should make an effort to stay current. Sharing helpful tips and discussing industry news is a great way to engage readers and keep them checking back for updates.

Once you have some awesome, solid blog posts under your belt, it’s important to remember to keep the momentum going. One blog post per month is not going to be enough to keep regular readers. Creating and regularly maintaining a blog for your business is meant to allow you to appeal to your customers on a personal level and to establish your business as cutting-edge within your industry. A blog with a virtual-tumbleweed rolling through it can make your business seem unapproachable and behind-the-times.

When starting a blog for your business, start with a plan. Make an effort to regularly post, be enthusiastic and get your visitors excited about what you do. A blog is a great way for you to regularly interact with your customers on a massive scale, and more businesses than ever are using this powerful tool to engage current and future clients. Blog, rinse, repeat.

Posted in Around the Office, Branding, Creative Process, Social Media | No Comments »
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Lessons from the Customer Service Center

Posted September 22, 2011, by Kelly Mazurkiewicz

I absolutely hate calling cable/internet providers, airlines, electrical services and anyone involved with a product that has broken or failed to meet my expectations. It’s never a fun conversation. In fact, I’ve even been tempted to just ignore a problem because it’s easier to deal with it than actually have it fixed.

Have you ever felt this way?

Having worked in customer service, I also know how it feels, to be on the other end. Having to listen to people yell and scream at me because the product they bought is broken. Like it’s my fault? I went over to their house and broke it on purpose, right?

To be honest with you though, I think being a customer service rep was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I learned what works with people who are upset and what doesn’t, how to calm people down and, most importantly, how to listen to their problems.

Customer service can either make or break a company these days. With social media, news travels fast. As soon as someone has an unpleasant experience, their whole social network will know about it. This, in turn, will make those people think twice before using your company the next time around.

So, here are a couple customer service tips for you.

Listen – The only reason you have a business is because of your customers’ needs/wants. When you truly listen to your customers and hear what it is they have to say, you can and will provide good customer service.
Be proactive – Try to anticipate what your customer’s needs and wants are. If you are actively listening to them, this shouldn’t be hard. As you begin to build that relationship, you will begin to become more aware of problems and upcoming needs.
Make them feel important – We all like to feel important and appreciated, right? We need to make sure we do this with each and every one of our customers. Treat them as individuals, not just a job ticket number. Use their name in conversation, find ways to complement them and most importantly, be sincere. That feeling of sincerity will create trust.
Hold their hand – Many customers won’t fully understand how your business works; they’ll have no clue how things go from an idea, to a product, into production, etc. If this happens, customers tend to get stressed, impatient and eventually angry. Make sure you explain things to them. Be as transparent as possible.
Say sorry – We all make mistakes. When something goes wrong, you need to be able to apologize. Deal with the problem right away and let that customer know that you are working on a solution.

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They Like You … Now What?

Posted September 1, 2011, by Ryan Knott

Okay, you set up your Twitter account and created your Facebook page. Your website has cute little icons telling your customers to follow you and like you. You’re well on your way to social media marketing stardom, right? Ummm … not quite.

There are a lot of myths surrounding using social media to help your business. Some will tell you that you need to be involved with social media because it’s “where the people are.” Others will tell you it’s a “cheap and easy” way to market, meaning you can forget about – or at the very least reduce – traditional marketing techniques.

Unfortunately, none of those things are entirely true.

Yes, social media is important because so many people use it. And yes, it can offer a cost-effective way to reach your customers and potentially turn them into brand evangelists. And no, it’s not necessarily rocket science.

But it takes thought. It takes planning. It takes time. Your use of social media can’t exist in a vacuum. Effective social media is just one part of an overall integrated and cohesive marketing plan. Believing those myths might have something to do with why your own social media marketing efforts aren’t bearing the fruit you hoped they would.

Lisa Barone, the chief branding office at Outspoken Media, wrote a great post recently titled The #1 Reason Your Customers Hate You on Facebook. In it she notes that your customers don’t just want to connect with you. They want to connect with you to get something out of it.

It’s just as important to give your customers a “why” they should follow you on Twitter or like your page on Facebook. In fact, it’s MORE important. Their interest in your brand or company might get them to follow you, but it’s the why that’ll keep ‘em coming back. And that why needs to be planned out well in advance of you jumping into the social media pool.

Some questions to consider:

What’s the purpose of your Facebook page? Are you notifying fans of specials? Are there offers there that customers can’t get anywhere else? Can customers post comments, photos and/or videos to your wall?
On Twitter, is your stream a never-ending blitz of self-serving links to your website and blog, or are you sharing interesting information they might not find on their own? Are you retweeting information others have posted?
Are you responding to customers’ questions and comments?
Are you promoting others as well as yourself?
How will you deal with negative feedback?

Most importantly, remember that social media isn’t about you. It’s about your customers. It’s about giving them a place to connect with you in a way that wasn’t available just a few years ago.

Note: This post was written by one of the newest members of the M3 Team, Ryan Knott.

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Social Media: A Port in the Storm

Posted August 26, 2011, by Peter-Ruffing

The impact of social media was never more evident than during the past few days when an earthquake shook, rattled and rolled a vast portion of the Northeastern U.S. At the same time Hurricane Irene continues to strengthen and gets ready to do her version of the I-95 Express North.

Let’s look at the power of social media and how it was — and is — utilized during these two significant events. Twitter reported 40,000 tweets on the hashtag #earthquake within one minute of the Virginia quake, registering 5,500 tweets per second on their version of a Richter scale.

In the same timeframe a Verizon Wireless spokesperson claimed they had 20 minutes of difficulty with a crush of phone calls. In fact FEMA asked people to text message or email to keep the phone lines open for first responders.

Obviously, a high percentage of our society relies on the immediacy and connectedness that social media provides them in times of significant natural events. Social media also played a strong role in how information was collected from the earthquake and tsunami that devastated vast regions of Japan. In one instance, the family of an American woman, who was teaching in Japan, was able to re-connect through the use of Twitter and the help of Ann Curry, a reporter on assignment with the Today Show.

As hurricane Irene sets her sights on the east coast of the United States, the National Hurricane Center has accumulated 15,000 “likes” on their Facebook page. People are turning to social media for information regarding evacuation, possible landfall by Irene and updates on the hurricane’s progress as it moves closer to the east coast.

On Monday the Department of Health and Human Services posted a $10,000 contest to create a Facebook application for disaster preparedness.

The impact of social media in relation to these events is pretty astounding and should not really surprise the adopters of these applications. Not only can we keep up-to-date on the most trivial type of information, it can also connect us in times of turmoil.

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Why Businesses Shouldn’t Fear “Anonymous” Threats

Posted August 11, 2011, by Anna Daugherty

Members of the hacktivist group Anonymous have threatened a Nov. 5 attack on social media giant Facebook for the “sake of privacy.” Businesses shouldn’t let a threat like this one keep them from exploring a social media marketing strategy, and here’s why.

Control Your Information

Anonymous members in Guy Fawkes masks issued the warning via YouTube, citing that “Facebook has been selling information to government agencies and giving clandestine access to information security firms so that they can spy on people from around the world.”

If this statement concerns you, you’re in good company. According to PCWorld magazine, 69 percent of Facebook account holders are concerned about privacy. But don’t worry! You have the ability to control your Facebook privacy settings, as well as all of the information found on your business page.

This excellent guide from Mashable has important information on privacy settings for everything from personal information to who can view your content. So, in the event that Facebook is infiltrated by any shady characters, the privacy of your personal and business information is secure. Just remember, if you shouldn’t share it on social media, then don’t.

Don’t Get Trolled

Turns out, not everyone at Anonymous is on board with Operation Facebook. This shapeless, hard-to-pin-down super l33t hacker group has no real leader, and a few rogues seem to have sent a very big message. An official Tweet from Anonymous (@anonops) yesterday warned: “To press … #OpFacebook is just another fake! We don’t ‘kill’ the messenger. That’s not our style.”

So, before you shut down your Facebook page or let this little hiccup (or others like it) keep you from starting an integrated social media campaign, remember that sometimes threats like this one are nothing but elaborate hoaxes. Even if these Anonymous members do happen to take down Facebook on Nov. 5, businesses have to keep in mind that Facebook is only one piece of the social media puzzle.

There are so many benefits to having social media that far outweigh the negatives. Having the ability to interact with customers in real time, promote products and services to varied audiences and connect with a worldwide market are just a few of them many reasons why you shouldn’t fear the threats of a few masked vigilantes.

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