Marketing's True Spirit is You

By John McGory

Dale Carnegie wrote one of the first and greatest self help books.  The 1936 classic, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” sold millions of copies.  Here is an article dedicated to Mr. Carnegie’s philosophy.    

Do me a favor by answering this question.  Are you happy to be alive?

Hopefully everyone said yes.  Now jot down or think about why you are happy.  Who are the people or what are the things that make your life enjoyable?  Do you think others have similar reasons for their happiness? 

You have just created the seeds for your next great marketing idea.   You are on to something big.  Here are a few examples:

Let’s say you are an attorney and you are happy for your beautiful home and family.  There are many potential legal clients who are happy for those same reasons.  Do you think emphasizing your firm’s desire to help people protect their home and family would resonate with these potential clients?

Or you are the head of a large non-profit organization and are glad to have a job helping people.  Reaching out to others who also want to help could be your way of increasing volunteers and fundraising.  The United Way’s Live United campaign is an excellent example of this in action.

A third person may be a city official who enjoys making their city a better place to live.  Helping like-minded citizens find ways to improve their home town is a wonderful place to start.

Many of you are already practicing these strategies.  You are winning people over to your way of thinking by trying to see things from the client’s point of view.  You are sympathetic to their ideas and desires.

Now people may think this is corny advice, that social media and the Internet do not have a place in a 1930s way of thinking. And they may be right.

But people want noble causes to be central to their lives.  These include social concerns, personal traits and spiritual beliefs.  Many potential clients feel the same way.  Letting them understand that you feel as they do is a powerful first step in making a friend.

Many favorite marketing campaigns strike a chord by appealing to a noble cause.  Three of the most-famous campaigns and the emotion they evoke include: Old Spice’s Smell Like a Man (strong, cool and independent), Just Do It (active and winning) and You Deserve a Break Today (hard working and dependable).

Think about the noble causes in your life.  What makes you proud to be alive? Think about it then put it into action.

I challenge you to reach out to your potential clients by using one noble cause in your life as the central theme in a new marketing campaign.  Create a video or series of Facebook posts/tweets to highlight that you have the same noble cause as your potential new clients.  Your marketing effort's true spirit is you. I guarantee you will make new friends and influence people.

John McGory is a partner at Webface, www.web-face-solutions.com  Webface can help you tap your true spirit through content marketing including videos, blogs, social media and marketing materials.

Making a good impression by engaging your community

By John McGory 

This blog loves history.  It also loves the Internet and social media.  Put them together and you realize that when old meets new, powerful friends can be created.

Today’s history lesson starts with The Impressions, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame soul band out of Chicago via Chattanooga, Tennessee.  Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Butler led the group to a string of 1960s and 1970s hits. 

The civil rights movement used many of their songs as anthems. The songs often encouraged community engagement.  Community engagement promotes trust building and arm linking, while raising awareness and visibility.

The band’s 1969 hit, “A Choice of Colors,” http://youtu.be/Zr0SLv9WFr4 captured in a powerful way the importance of improving as a nation through community engagement.  One of the inspiring stanzas in the song was:    

People must prove to the people

A better day is coming for you and for me

With just a little more education

And love for our nation

Would make a better society

The Impressions call for community engagement was not a new one. In the late 1800s, English common law advanced the concept of community engagement.  It was used as a way to actively implement change.

Fast-forward to today and it’s clear that social media and the Internet are the contemporary active agents of change.  So, is not surprising that one of the mantras of social media is to build community through engaging others in conversation.

The emphasis in community engagement is to build honest relationships for the sake of community, not for the sole purpose of moneymaking.  That is what is now termed “content marketing” in social media circles.

If your company or organization is active on the Internet, then you need a community engagement plan.   Here is an eight-step program for such a strategy:

1.       Determine the goals of the plan

2.       Decide on whom to engage

3.       Develop engagement strategies for those you already know

4.       Develop engagement strategies for those you do not know

5.       Prioritize those activities

6.       Create an implementation system

7.       Monitor your progress

8.       Maintain those relationships

This simple plan for community engagement works whether you are selling lawn mowers or improved community relations.  The purpose is to build trust and understanding through conversation.  The Internet simply allows you to expand to a wider community outside of your neighborhood.

You build a community when “people prove to the people a better day is coming for you and for me.”  If your fans don’t think a better day is coming, then why would they want to be in your community?

Social media and the Internet reach more people than Curtis Mayfield could have ever dreamed of when he wrote “A Choice of Colors.”  But the words of the song are more appropriate than ever.   Community engagement is a 120-year-old concept on how people change.  Social media is its new powerful friend.

John McGory is a partner at Webface, a content marketing company www.web-face-solutions.com. Let Webface help you engage your community and give your fans the hope that a better day is coming. 

Nice is Not Enough

By John McGory

Is the lack of corporate creativity in marketing creating a chasm between business and the public?  Can corporations truly be creative or is the threat of offending people and losing market share keeping a lid on attention-getting social media tactics such as content marketing?

Today’s world of content marketing is creating conflict in corporate boardrooms across the world.  It has been a long time since George Carlin riffed on the seven words inappropriate for television and Lucy and Ricky slept in separate beds.  The Internet brings an uncut version of the world to anyone who wants it.

The public seemingly wants more and more outlandish content.  Videos need to be faster, crazier and more eye-catching than ever before.  Text is too slow.  No topic is taboo.

Content marketing’s goal is to attract attention to brands by providing interesting and free content to the public in exchange for their attention.  On the surface it makes sense, but putting it into practice is really tough.  The public wants shock and awe and the corporate world wants nice.

The Coca Cola Company is buying into content marketing in a big way.  Its Content 2020 initiative is designed to double its sales through the use of content marketing.

The bottling giant released two videos http://blog.junta42.com/2012/01/coca-cola-content-marketing-20-20/ that outlines how it is going to reach its sales’ goal.  The plan is to “create ideas so contagious that they can’t be controlled.”  Those are big words bound to create big pressure on Coca Cola’s creative types.

Grabbing the attention of the world is a monumental task.  Contagious ideas must be practical and hip at the same time.  Successful ideas for global brands such as Coke must be practical enough to cross cultural, language and political barriers.  The same ideas must also be trendy enough to engage younger markets, while not turning off the more conservative elements of society.

Most corporations are conservative by nature.  Some may see Coke’s content marketing effort as a foolhardy attempt.   Conservative corporations’ attitude is to keep its head down till this fad passes. 

Unfortunately, this approach has less of a chance of working than Coke’s effort.   Consumers today expect to be entertained.  The “let’s keep doing what we’ve been doing” strategy is severely outdated.

So the gulf between what corporations are willing to do to capture customers’ attention and what customers will watch grows by the day.  Coke deserves credit for jumping head first into the content marketing pool.   Whether it can swim in that pool and entertain the masses is another story.

The question for the rest of the corporate world is:  What are you doing to gain the attention of your customers in a world where nice is not enough?

John McGory is a partner at Webface (www.web-face-solutions.com), a content marketing company that can create video and written materials to get the attention of your fans.

Aliens and Lip Gloss

By John McGory

Do you want a first-class tip on how a company can stand out in today’s information avalanche?  Read on.

Yankelovich, a market research firm, estimates that a city dweller sees 5,000 advertising messages a day.  

Most of these ads rely on good placement, clever wording and exceptional creativity to capture your attention.  Victoria’s Secret is betting a scantily clad model licking her lips at you on the bus may add up to a sale next week.

Chances are they are wrong and the ad is a waste of time, money and lip gloss.  The human mind disregards a vast majority of what it sees and hears.

The brain cannot process 5,000 ads a day.  It deals with the overload through confirmation bias.  This is a tendency for people to favor information that confirms their preconceptions without regard for truth or reason.

We all do it.  Stereotype yourself and see how snuggly you fit into your own world where only agreeable thoughts are allowed inside.

Do a personal test on political and social topics.  Do you listen to both sides on climate change, Obama’s birthplace, abortion, the Middle East, taxes, political parties and religion?  Not likely.  Your mind is made up.

Ads are no different. We search for confirmation of what we already think.  So how can you market your brand to unbelievers?  With a world awash in information and a public programmed to disregard you, if not hate you, is it possible? 

Nope.  So forget about it and go after new customers who are programmed to possibly like you.

Brands can accomplish this through content marketing.  It is new-age marketing that provides quality information to customers in exchange for their attention.  Content marketing is not going to change unbelievers’ minds, but it may attract new customers.

Blogs, short, entertaining videos, white papers and podcasts are valuable tools.  It’s like inviting someone into your home and having a few hors d’oeuvres.  Once people get to know each other, then trust can be built and just possibly, a sale made.

The hors d’oeuvres in content marketing must be worth eating.  No one is coming back if they are stale or leave a bad taste in your mouth.   Content marketing needs to be deliciously entertaining or informative to stand out in this 5,000-ads-a-day world.

So here is that first-class tip.  Combining content marketing with confirmation bias is key. 

If you are selling UFO tours in Roswell, New Mexico, then your media content needs to be rich in never-seen-before crashed spaceship videos, alien blogs and political cover-up rumors.  The UFO believers expect it.  If the content is good, then maybe a few new fans will come to Roswell and buy a ticket. 

This powerful combination of content marketing and confirmation bias will show the one-sided thinkers that you get them.  And if they think you get them, they will let you in and love you in return. 

McGory is a partner in Webface, a content marketing company.  Webface can help you figure out who your friends are and how to attract them with deliciously entertaining or informative content.  Check us out at www.web-face-solutions.com

The Fight of the 21st Century

By John McGory

The recent death of Smokin’ Joe Frazier brought to mind three of the greatest sporting events of the 20^th century.  Frazier’s epic championship fights with Muhammad Ali in the 1970s were battles of legend.

Ali, the fast-talking, smooth fighter out of Louisville captured the hearts of the young with his brash manner and opposition to the military draft.  His flair and athleticism made him a darling of television. 

Frazier was a classic brawler with a dynamite left hook.  His never-back-down style and support of the military made him a favorite of conservatives.

Frazier won the first battle, which promoter Don King titled The Fight of the Century.  It lived up to its billing.  Ali won fights two and three including the classic Thrilla in Manila.

The fight of the 21st century is not between bruising athletes.  It is a much more subtle affair waged daily.  But this battle is capturing worldwide attention just as the Ali-Frazier fights did 40 years ago.

This scrap is between the two main ways people communicate. It is the reigning champion, the written word, versus the up-and-coming challenger, video.  Let’s look at the tale of the tape to see who has the advantage.

The written word goes back about 5,000 years to Mesopotamia.  It is the undisputed champion of culture and civilization.  Video is a newcomer.  Its history goes back a little more than 100 years, but its influence on education and entertainment has been impressive.

Much like Ali, video is the darling of the young and brash.  It is quick and involves more senses than its opponent.  Conservatives are fans of the written word. Reading the written word requires more thought and involvement by its fans.

The Internet is the arena for this slugfest.  The aging champion, the written word, is showing some wear when it comes to the on-line venue.  Its plodding style does not fit the new, fast Internet world.  Video’s ability to capture thoughts, music, images and actions makes it a big draw for younger and creative fans.

Some pundits are predicting that more than 90 percent of material downloaded onto the Internet in the coming years will be video.  Today, it is slightly more than 50 percent.  That spells doom for the champ.

But the written word has not lasted 5,000 years without being resilient.  Its skill at capturing emotion, complex thought and personal insight are formidable.

The video challenger is definitely impacting the way we do business and enjoy life.  The Internet and social media are both in its corner.  Video has knocked the champ to the Internet canvas.  To paraphrase the late sportscaster Howard Cosell, “Down goes the written word, down goes the written word, down goes the written word.”  Whether it gets back up will make for great 21st century drama.

McGory is a partner at Webface, an social media and video communications firm located in Columbus, Ohio.  Look for more information at www.web-face-solutions.com.

Sooners and Social Media

By John McGory

The Oklahoma Land Rush drew 50,000 people to the territory on April 22, 1889.  The boomers and sooners staked claims on two million acres of land the federal government made available to the public.

Today’s headlong dash into social media often resembles that land rush.  The mad scramble to stake a claim as cutting edge in a saturated world of media is as chaotic as that April 1889 day. 

The similarities between the land rush and social media are real.  The cities of Oklahoma City and Guthrie grew from no residents on April 21 to each having more than 10,000 residents two days later.  Sounds like Facebook to me.

Planning in a chaotic environment can lead to positive results or disaster.  The sooners entered the territory early and hid until the rush began.  Startled boomers on horseback were outraged when they spotted sooners setting up new homes on prime pieces of ground they had already staked out.  While underhanded, the courts upheld many of the sooners’ claims.

Disaster can strike in chaos when poor choices are made due to a lack of knowledge.  The boomers and  sooners who knew the location of planned railroad lines and roads reaped rewards, while the uninformed staked claims in remote areas.

Thankfully, a business plan for an active social media program doesn’t have to be unethical or uninformed.  A few simple steps can lead you in the right direction.

Start with a thorough audit of your marketing and communications program –  can they be done more efficiently?  Are expensively printed brochures and magazines ineffective?  Is communication between key members of your team breaking down? Who is your target audience? The audit will provide the answers you need to improve.  A consultant can help in uncovering real savings and opportunities.

The completed audit will give you a roadmap for your social media plan.  Then you can put in place the correct social media sites and tools to answer your problems and seize missed opportunities.

Business-to-business marketing is going to be different than business-to-teenage girls.  Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+ and all the other social media sites have their strengths and weaknesses, depending on whom you are trying to reach.   A solid audit will get you on the right sites with audience-appropriate content.

Purchasing hardware and software is where disaster can strike.  Trying to do social media on a fax machine just doesn’t cut it.  But investing significant dollars in technology can be fraught with danger, too.  New technology comes along so quickly that it is a challenge to know which way to go.   All you can do is research, talk to the experts and keep in mind your return on investment.  

The rush to social media success doesn’t need to be done at break-neck speed.  Informed decisions through planning will help you stake out that prime piece of social media property.

John McGory is a partner for Webface, a marketing and communications company that can help your company plan for its social media future.

Dorian Gray in a Missoni Cardigan

By John McGory

“The Picture of Dorian Gray” is a classic Victorian novel by Oscar Wilde.  The book tells a tale of a young beautiful man, Dorian Gray, who has a portrait of himself painted. 

Realizing his beauty will fade, Dorian (whimsically) expresses a desire to sell his soul to ensure the portrait would age rather than him. Dorian's wish is fulfilled, plunging him into debauched acts that visually age and disfigure his portrait, while he remains beautiful.

The novel’s prevalent themes are the vanity of aestheticism and the temptation of a double life.  Those same alluring qualities are manifesting themselves in today’s world of social media.  Businesses are selling their souls on Facebook and Twitter to remain beautiful while secretly leading a double life that can be corrupting, if not disfiguring. 

The young developed and made Facebook and Twitter.  The teens and twenty something’s got social media rolling and businesses quickly realized that Facebook was not only wildly popular, but commercially enticing.

Companies are now using Facebook and Twitter to paint a portrait of a young and hip persona. Hot music, cool products and trendy catch phrases are the rage.

But this is where the double life becomes an issue.  Companies generally aren’t run by hip, trendy people.  Bosses are often bean counting, curmudgeons, with budget and computer limitations.

Trouble for a company and its social media comes when policy collides with trendy posts.  The young are quickly disillusioned with companies that talk a good game but fail to live up to today’s new social media-driven business standards.

A recent example is Target.  The Minneapolis-based retailer built a strong following on Facebook but had a disaster when an on-line sale of Missoni products produced a run that overwhelmed its web site and caused a PR disaster involving customer service. 

Now, nasty comments seem to be the rage, literally, on Target’s Facebook page.  The company posted a comment two days ago , weeks after the Missoni debacle, asking customers how fast they could get to Target.  Here is one response:

“That depends. How fast can you fix your suck-tastic baby registry so the thousands of women who are relying on it can get the customer service that they apparently wrongly expected from your company? How about you focus on that instead of pithy Facebook and Twitter posts?”

The young beautiful company on Facebook becomes the disfigured picture of Dorian Gray.    

Facebook is not going away.  Customers are going to look for companies on social media sites and they need to be there.  Just don’t get lost in the youthful vanity of your Facebook posts.  To quote the past generation, keep it real baby.

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 John McGory is a partner at Web Face, a social media and communications firm.  Web Face (http://www.web-face-solutions.com/)  consults with companies and organizations on Facebook postings, video and other social media and Internet needs.

Social Media Response Times

By Martha Wilson

You wouldn’t dream of allowing your phone to ring off the hook, or let a customer go straight to voicemail. In today’s business climate, responsiveness is the key to your company’s success.

If your organization has embraced social media (and if it hasn’t, it’s missing out on major customer connections) what’s the next step? You must consistently respond – to  Facebook comments, e-mail questions, tweets, and Blog posts.

First, post your hours of operation on your profile page to let customers know what to expect. If you aren’t monitoring your pages at 3 a.m., say so. That way, you won’t turn off the insomniacs.

Customers who email expect you will acknowledgement their request within one to two hours. This is especially true when you’re dealing with a complaint. Other email messages should be answered in 24 hours.

Twitter is a more immediate challenge. You should try to respond within a half hour. If your customers are tweeting, they expect more immediate feedback.

Facebook communication is a 24-7 thing. But if someone files  a complaint, you’ll want to respond in under an hour.  Questions and other customer service issues can be handled in under two hours. You should weigh in on general conversation or comments within a day.

Blogs and Forums require the same attention as Facebook – that is, daily.  Remember that best practices mean you respond at least within a day.

Social media is a more effective, more direct, more instantaneous way to say, “This company cares and this company responds.”  Businesses need to learn to adapt, and adapt quickly.

Fast food restaurants get it.

McDonalds, Wendy’s, and Chick-Fil-A have all captured more than a million fans on their Facebook pages. They are versed in “fast” as a key driver for customers. Wendy’s had an astonishing 20-minute response time to more than 6,000 posts in January 2001, according to Jason Falls, founder/editor of Social Media Explorer.

What’s the secret? These companies, understanding the strong correlation between responsiveness and engagement – hire people to do it.

If you communicate with your customers through social media, or are considering it, make the time to respond. It’s the smartest way to attract and keep your client base.

Martha Wilson is an associate at Web Face, (http:web-face-solutions.com), a marketing and communications company that will help you listen to and respond to your clients on social media channels.

Are Universities Today's Living Dinosaurs?

By John McGory

Social media is the greatest “do-it-yourself” communications tool of all time. Unlike the printing press, telegraph, telephone, radio and television, social media unleashes the power of the individual to communicate to the world.

Social media puts the printing press into each of our hands.  It makes us television producers, columnists and telegraph operators.  We can form and enrich relationships with people around the world and down the street.  “Social” in this context means much more than a “howdy-doo neighbor.”

This medium is still in its infancy. We will determine what it grows up to be.  Our hands are on the controls. How will it change us?  Here are a few potential areas. 

Social media will further democratize knowledge.  The printing press took the power of knowledge away from the Church and made it secular.  Social media will do the same to large institutions.  Universities, governments and corporations will face challenges.

Advertising will not be the obtrusive ogre that has stalked us for decades.  People will exchange information among peers regarding products and services.  Companies that abuse our trust will suffer.  Television, radio and newspapers will not hold the captive audiences they once did, so molding public opinion will be challenging.

Politics will see rapid change.  Like-minded people will find it easier to collaborate on issues.  Politicians will bypass traditional media sources and speak directly to the people, but this freedom comes with a price.  Politicians who lie to the public will be sent packing.  Campaign contributors may wield less influence as social media reintroduces democracy to our political system.

Social media will drive down profit margins.  The flow of information among people will expose cost differentials among similar products.  Businesses will need to keep up with lower-priced competitors or face the consequences.

So how does a business prepare for such tumultuous change?  Here are a few simple “do-it-yourself” activities:

1.  Get training on how to effectively use social media. Owners need to quit pretending social media is a fad and understand its implications to business.

2.  Review your advertising mix and track its effectiveness.  If certain forms of your advertising have slumped it may not be due to the recession.  Fundamental changes are taking place and it may be time to try new strategies.

3.  Tell the truth.  The fastest way to oblivion is deceiving your customers.

4.  Don’t oversell when using social media.  How bored are you when someone tries to sell you insurance at a cocktail party?  Social media is the same.  Bores will not be tolerated.

Social media will change the world forever.  Its power is not yet fully understood.  What is established, however, is that we are not going back to traditional advertising, politics and business as usual. 

Aldous Huxley’s wrote in Brave New World that “When the individual feels, the community reels.”  Social media allows the individual to feel and tell his friends all about it.  The community is beginning to reel.

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 John McGory is a partner at Web Face (www.web-face-solutions.com) , a marketing and communications company that helps businesses and organizations prepare for the future. 

When Peanut Butter Met Jelly

By John McGory

Dean Keith Simonton, in his 1989 book “Scientific Genius,” suggests that geniuses are superior because they form more novel combinations than the merely talented.

Exciting new opportunities or experiences are possible through novel combos.  When peanut butter met jelly, magic happened.  The same can be said for Monday nights and football, sizzle and steak, Oreos and milk, spandex and clothing and recliners, remote controls and flat screen TVs.  Once the atom of creativity is split between entities, the fusion of genius is created.

The rush to social media for business applications is impressive.  Companies of all shapes and sizes are creating Facebook fan pages, Twitter accounts and blogs.  But in many cases, rather than creating magic, these efforts are provoking ire from the boss who wonders why they are paying someone to tweet, “Have a nice day.”

Like Einstein and energy, mass and the speed of light, astonishing business results come from the combining of ideas.  It takes a truly creative mind to fuse unlikely combinations that turn a zipper into Velcro.  But it doesn’t take Lennon and McCartney to put together simple social media and business ideas to make sweet music.

Think strategically about how your company uses its newsletters, blogs, social media and web sites in tandem.  These vehicles need to act in unison to create community and eventually drive traffic to your web site.

After scratching our collective heads over our own web site, social media channels, blogs and newsletter, we at Web Face decided to coordinate two or three messages at a time.  Here are some non-techie ideas on how to put it together.

1.  Create a blog.  Keep it short, in the 150-to-500-word range.  Make it topical, interesting and fun. Entice the reader to want to know more about your company without pushing a hard sell.  If you have different topics, create several blogs and include a link to your web site.  Write catchy headlines.  Hire talent if you don’t have the staff to create attention.

2.  Create an email newsletter.  In the newsletter put two or three teasers about your last few blogs.  Link the blog so people can find it.

3.  Tweet your blogs and post them on your web site or Facebook page.  Track your blogs to see where your traffic is coming from – your tweets, your Facebook page or your newsletter?    

4.  Track which topics drive traffic.  Improve the system as you progress.

The key is to take a couple catchy blog ideas at a time and promote them using the social media tools available.  This combo of your ideas and social media tools will bring more customers to you.  It isn’t peanut butter and jelly, but this simple lesson on combining ideas can bring a new appreciation of the power of the Internet.

John McGory is a partner at Web Face.  Web Face (www.web-face-solutions.com) can help you combine the ideas that will make your company’s social media efforts soar.

Vaudeville Tips for Going Viral in Peoria

By John McGory

Does your social media business plan “play in Peoria?”  If not, then consider a few 100-year-old tips from the vaudeville stage to attract an audience to your tired Facebook act. 

Vaudeville was the main form of entertainment in our country from the 1880s through the early 1930s.  The term vaudeville came from the French phrase “voix de ville” or voice of the city.

Social media is today’s vaudeville.  Our “voix de ville” comes from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

The original vaudeville show was a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill.  Comedians, singers, dancers, Shakespearian actors, jugglers, freaks and anyone else who could entertain an audience shared stages across America.

Entertainers strived to refine their acts to work their way from the small towns to the big-time venues of New York and Chicago.  “Will it play in Peoria?” was vaudeville’s mantra, as promoters knew talent would shine through no matter where it played.

The similarities of vaudeville and social media are hard to miss. Many gather on common digital platforms these days to provide entertainment, social commentary and business, all on the same bill.  Statistics show that more than 90 percent of Americans work to be noticed in the social media theater.

Yet many businesses still struggle on the social media stage.   They strive for the big time but too often end up getting the hook.  Here are five vaudeville principles that apply to your social media efforts. 

1.      Keep it clean. Vaudeville promoters passed out blue envelopes each Monday to acts that used lewd language or themes, warning them to change the material or be blackballed.  Off color content will repel more people than attract. Keep your web sites, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts PG clean.

2.      Know your audience.  Vaudeville comedians drew on numerous accents for their acts.  They would not, however, make fun of Germans in a town full of Germans.  They made fun of Italians.  (ba-dah-bing) Be relevant, not repulsive.   

3.      Content rules.  Milton Berle, the late vaudeville and television comedian, said it took 18 months to two years to develop seven minutes of good stand-up comedy.  Having quality social media content takes time, effort, talent and continuous editing.      

4.      Pay for talent.  Telling a joke does not make you a comedian.  Hire the talent to make your web site and social media channels crackle with excitement.  The business owner is the promoter, not the act.

5.      Keep it current.  Audiences in 1920 wanted to hear Swanee, not By the Old Mill Stream, which was so 1910.  Vaudeville audiences wanted fresh, exciting and fun stuff.  Your audience wants the same.  Update your social media material on a regular basis.  If it never changes, you’ll be playing to an empty house.

Keep these ideas in mind as you try to attract an audience for your business.  And who knows?  If it plays in Peoria, it just might go viral!

Why do you think most business social media campaigns don't attract an audience?  Too boring?  Visually unappealing?  What one tip would you give to make a social media campaign zing?

John McGory is a partner in Web Face, a Columbus communications and marketing company that will help your company “Play in Peoria.”

Women Make the Social Media World Go 'Round

By Martha Wilson

Men have long lorded over the remote in the home, but move over Rover, there's a new in-house sheriff when it comes to social media.

Arguably women have always been the better networkers, so a recent Digital Year in Review whitepaper that showed females making leaps and bounds in time spent on social media was not exactly a bombshell.

Link that with Pew Research Center findings that men make choices in only about 26 percent of all couples, and you're left with one conclusion--women make the social media world go 'round by being the deciders. That bodes very well for businesses doing social media marketing to the X chromosomes gender.

For most women, social media is a fabulous tool to connect with like-minded individuals, to locate needed products and to speed up multitasking in order to gain more time with the people they love.

“Companies looking to reach women — whether as consumers, entrepreneurs, employees, or advocates — have an unprecedented opportunity through social media to engage them,” says Jessica Faye Carter, author of the Technicultr blog. “For women, social media presents abundant opportunities to lead, effect change, innovate, and build relationships across sectors, locally, nationally, and globally.”

Conversations between companies and female consumers are moving beyond “what do you want?” types of questions to getting real-time feedback from women on products, services, and marketing campaigns—sometimes before they go to market.

For instance, in China, Unilever, the makers of Pond’s Age Miracle moisturizer, asked bloggers to try the cream and share findings. That risk paid off. Consumers gave the moisturizer a big thumbs up, leading to the adoption of social media strategies by other Unilever offices in Asia.

And Kmart launched a new program, Smart Shoppers Unite, which mixes deals with shopping advice and lifestyle discussions. Features include tips from The Frugalista, a popular bargain-shopping blogger, coupon section and games. This network is interest-based — anyone interested in budget-conscious shopping can join.

No doubt, social media is becoming a major tool for women of all interests, says JoAnn Bamberger, author of Mothers of Intention: How Women and the Social Media are Revolutionizing Politics in America.

“I think we love our villages and we love reaching out to the people we know and interacting with them and sharing our stories and experiences,” Bamberger says. “I think that's something that the world of social media has allowed women to do in a way as never before.”

So, what’s the bottom line? The research is clear. Go after the deciders – women buyers – using social media platforms to boost your bottom line.



Social media helps women spend more time with the ones they love.

 Martha Wilson is an associate at Web Face, www.web-face-solutions.com

Taco Bell and the Magnetic Boy

How about that Taco Bell baby shower?       

Facebook has introduced brand tags that let users promote products in their photo posts.  "Hey did you really have your baby shower at Taco Bell?"  Stephen Colbert finds this all too creepy as he skewers the social media giant in this video.  Check it out here.   http://on.mash.to/lZKM5M

Junior is coming over, hide the silverware

In Web Face's never-ending effort to show you the world is even stranger than you thought we introduce the magnetic kid.   Yes, this six-year-old Croatian boy has forks, cans and even 50-lb objects sticking to him.  Now skeptics abound saying the kid is only sticky as a typical six-year-old.  Watch the video here and decide for yourself.  http://huff.to/kD2W8p

In God we trust..All others bring statistics

If someone is whispering in your ear "Psst..you wanna buy some newspaper advertising space cheap"  then maybe you should read this post: "100 Awesome Marketing Stats, Charts and Graphs."  Social media is not this year's Pet Rock and here are the stats to prove it.  Check it out here http://zite.to/mEVFW2

Vitameatavegamin-It's tasty too!

Is your web site tired and listless?  Does it poop out at parties?  Do you need video to add vitality to your site?  Then reach for a dose of Web Face to put some pep back into your internet presence.   Check out our new and improved web site to see how Web Face can bring your social media efforts back to life.  You got questions???  Give us a call and arrange for a Complete Social Media Check Up today. 

http://web-face-solutions.com/

And if you want to see one of the funniest skits in the history of recorded film check out Lucille Ball in Vitameatavegamin at http://youtu.be/jVfBRRm7RgI

Web Face 
Images/Issues/Internet
http://www.web-face-solutions.com/

Tsunami suicides                                                   April 26, 2011

Suicides are up dramatically in the region where the recent Japanese tsunami hit.  Not an unexpected development considering the devastation and long-term concerns over the problems at the nuclear power plant.  The question is "Does video of the devastation impact the survivors in a negative way?  Is it simply too overwhelming?"  Read more here:  http://huff.to/g9zxeh

Library of Congress

The Web Face logo is not the only thing going on at the Library of Congress.  Here is a discussion on "An anthropological introduction to You Tube."  Now wake up, you are not having a flashback.  It is by Professor Mike Wesch of Kansas State University.  It is long (about an hour) but fascinating look at You Tube and the development of man as a lip-syncing video star.  Check it out at http://youtu.be/TPAO-lZ4_hU

It is all about you.....

That is true.  It is all about you.  But how do we convince people of that?   Tell them.  Over and over again if necessary.  If your company, association or organization needs a speaker for a central Ohio upcoming event, Webface is here to help.  We have a 15-minute to one-hour presentation on video and social media and how to use it to attract attention.  There is no charge  

Will work for food

Webface works with companies and organizations to make sure they are reaching out and grabbing people by the collar and eyeballs.....check us out at www.web-face-solutions.com. 

Webface
Images/Issues/Internet
www.web-face-solutions.com
614-581-3610
Grandview/Westerville/The World