Sometimes, Good Marketing Means Making Fun of Yourself

Mistakes happen. Websites break, typos get printed and stores run out of sale items. And with more and more people using social media to talk about their experiences with brands, you better be prepared to hear not only the raves, but also a few rants.

Love It or Hate It, People Talk About Your Brand

Whether it’s on Facebook or over the phone, people tend to spread information when they fall on either end of the love/hate spectrum. If you’re right in the middle, you’re probably not going to tell your friends, online or off, about the average experience you just had. But if some email was too horrible for words, or a customer service rep was unbelievably stellar, you are much more likely to spread the word.

Unfortunately for brands, there are far more haters in the world who relish the time they spend bashing mistakes and website downtime, yet rarely take the time for outspoken praise. What’s a brand to do? You can’t spend all day defending yourself, so it’s best to be on the offensive. And sometimes, that means making fun of yourself. (more…)

It’s All About Art Direction

Yes, yesterday I said that it’s not an ad without a headline. But good ads can be copy or art driven. And while not the most visually striking piece of work, this advertisement pulls at your heart strings, then quickly turns you on your head and makes you laugh…or maybe roll your eyes. In either case, it’s highly effective–at least at first–because it uses a known look and feel that we all sympathize with, meant to mimic the not-so-beautiful-but-very-emotional ads that ask us to feed the children or save the animals.

But this ad is asking New York state residents to approve a tax on sugar, money that would then go toward health services meant to lower obesity, as well as lower consumption by raising prices on high-sugar beverages. (more…)

It’s Not an Ad Without a Headline

Though my heart belongs to Facebook, I still love more traditional forms of advertising. I constantly rip pages from magazines, print out ads I find on AdsOfTheWorld.com and take screen grabs of exceptionally good (or bad) banner ads.

As a copywriter, I appreciate great, copy-driven ads that rely on clever lines, cool fonts and simple, if any, visuals. Sometimes these are difficult to find on Ads of the World, because, as they name suggests, they show the best creative from around the globe. And the wittiest of lines are usually the ones that get lost in translation the fastest.

Print Ads Worth Talking About

However, this set of ads for Albert Dali Naming Consultants in India hits the mark spot on. And really, if your business is naming, you better have some clever, copy-driven ads, right?

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3 Reasons Why You Need a Facebook Page

I tell everyone–clients, friends, family, random strangers, you name it–that they need a Facebook Page. All the time. I’ve done blog posts on it, PubCon presentations with standing room only, internal meetings at work. Some people get it; others seem convinced that Facebook, and the rest of social media, is just a passing fad, and that a website alone will serve them well for years to come.

Facebook Page Now = Website 10 Years Ago

Wake up call: it won’t. You need a Facebook Page, and you need it now. A Facebook Page today is quickly becoming like a website 10 years ago; it looks strange when you don’t have one. Your competitors are on Facebook, so you should be too– at the very least to keep up, and hopefully do them one better. There are potential customers out there who prefer Facebook to “the general web,” and you need to reach them. Facebook also allows you to reach the friends of these potential customers. Getting the picture? (more…)

Facebook Fan Page Updates Get a New Home

Missing Out On Facebook Page Updates? Here’s Why.

As you may have noticed, Facebook has gone through a lot of changes recently. Privacy settings, the public news stream and Groups have all gotten an overhaul. Some changes were more policy-based, others design or visual tweaks; most recently, the Facebook team updated the layout of the home page. But tucked in amongst the last several rounds of revisions to the site was one small change that is a much bigger deal than most people have realized: the “Updates” notification has moved.

Status Updates vs. Inbox Updates

To explain why this could be such a big deal, it’s important to distinguish “Updates” with a capital “U” from “Status Updates” that appear in the news stream or changes to the site that are just regular old updates or changes that any kind of website would make.

A proper “Update” is something I often refer to as an “Inbox Update,” as this type of message is displayed like a private message in your Facebook inbox, except that it is from an administrator of a Facebook Page and can be sent to an entire Fan Page population. (more…)

(Wedding) Email Marketing At Its Worst

Call me old-fashioned, but I like email. As much as I enjoy Facebook, their private messaging system seems less than secure and much more apt to lose information than my trusty Gmail account. And I would be lost without the organizing, labeling and archiving features of email.

If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I shop (a lot), and so I of course get a ton of sale/coupon/shopping event emails. Which might be contributing to why I love email so much. Now that I’m planning a wedding (to the one and only social and viral marketing scientist, Dan Zarrella), I get even more email. Weddings are a huge money-making industry, and the internet has elevated this cash cow to new heights.

Weddings = Timeless = BAD Digital Marketing

While many planning aspects have been made easier and more affordable thanks to wedding websites, it appears that just as many, if not more, wedding vendors have no idea what they are doing online. Weddings are timeless, and some companies are definitely stuck in the past. Much like mortgages, weddings are a huge search term, and a bride-to-be’s email address is a highly sought commodity. But it seems that many wedding vendors have zero budget for design or marketing advice. (more…)

Adjust Your Facebook Privacy Settings to Drive More Site Traffic

While doing my usual early-morning Facebook perusal today, I noticed a small but very cool change: they’ve moved the “website” section of my personal info to what I like to call the “pertinent information” box on the left side of my profile, underneath my profile picture.

Give Links More Prominent Profile Placement

Why am I so excited? Because now you can see links to my blog and Twitter links as soon as you land on my Facebook profile, instead of having to click over to the “Info” tab and scroll down. This also means that these links are visible the entire time you view my Profile, regardless of the Tab you click on.

Groundbreaking news, no, but kind of a big deal for people that are using Facebook for some serious networking or looking to get more traffic to whatever site(s) they are pimping on Facebook. It would also be a big help if you’re (incorrectly) using a Facebook Profile instead of a Facebook Page for marketing a brand or business, but I won’t go there.

It seems that when Facebook rolled out their new Privacy Settings, checking “Everyone” for certain information will move it over to this more prominent placement. To put your website links in this lefthand box, go to Privacy Settings>Contact Information and select “Everyone” from the dropdown menu for “Website.” I also allow “Everyone” to see “About Me” and “Personal Information.”

Tweet Cloud for @alison

I’m a sucker for anything that I can personalize. When it includes pretty colors and different fonts and is literally all about me? I’m in love.

Enter Tweet Cloud, a fun, easy way to get a scarily accurate look at your favorite Twitter topics in tag cloud format. Now, I’ve tried a lot of Twitter personality and conversation analysis tools, but this one is super simple to grasp and most definitely true.

Don’t believe me? Start following me (@alison) and then tell me that shopping, wedding, Buffy, sale, social and Facebook are not the perfect tags for me.

How a Twitter ReTweet Promotion Really Works

While I don’t work for or with them, I often use men’s and women’s clothing retailer Express as a great example of social media marketing. Formerly part of Limited Brands, which includes Victoria’s Secret, another social media powerhouse, Express only recently started selling clothes online and are relatively new to the Twittersphere. But they jumped in, in a big way, and are doing a great job.

Chief Marketing Officer “Lisa G” Tweets from the account @ExpressLisaG and has definitely learned a lot since they started. She responds to people, compliments Express-component outfits and Tweets fashion advice and articles. A little bit of everything, and while she doesn’t pimp the competition, it’s not all salesy and self-promotional either. She notifies followers of sales and new collections coming in, but her stream isn’t all Express, all day. (more…)

Get Social With Facebook Connect Cocktails

Great news for Facebook fans like myself: the social network is following in the footsteps of 50 Cent and getting its very own flavor of Vitamin Water! It’s called Connect, and, much like Facebook, it’s got a lot going on: the flavor is a black-cherry lime combination that sounds like it may be somewhat of an acquired taste if the fruity flavors come on strong. Nevertheless, I LOVE the idea, as I love all things Facebook and have never been one to shy away from any type of marketing or branding hyjinks.

Bring Friend Requests to the Bar With a Round of Facebook-Inspired Drinks

The flavor was created by one of Vitamin Water’s Facebook fans, using a Facebook application of course. It’s no surprise that the self-serving name won, as it garnered way more press for the site than a “normal” name would have. And while I’ll probably buy at least one bottle to see what Facebook tastes like (mental picture, anyone?), I’m most excited about the mixology potential for Facebook’s Connect Vitamin Water. (more…)