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.”

Social Media Crisis Management

by Martha Wilson

Most of us find it hard to imagine what Rep. Anthony Weiner was thinking when he committed a serious social media faux pas by tweeting out near-naked photos and inappropriate comments to young women. While social media can be a minefield, when used correctly it is not a dangerous entity. In fact, it’s standard practice for smart companies to use Facebook and Twitter to manage negative publicity.

As Weiner discovered, juggling multiple Twitter accounts can be a challenge. And while nothing could have saved the New York congressman’s job, the best tack to take in a crisis is to acknowledge, apologize and use humor to move on. When a Red Cross employee recently tweeted about buying a six-pack of beer for the chapter’s entire blood donor base, Red Cross embraced their “human voice.”  They tweeted an apology and admitted the mistake.

The guilty employee also jumped in with apologetic tweets.  Right away, consumers loyal to the brand weighed in with supportive comments, reminding people that mistakes are human. In short, most said, “Hey, we’ve all been there.” 

The brewery even encouraged customers to join the Red Cross blood drive. “Brand evangelists (people who believe in your product or company) want to see you succeed,” says mackcollier.com.

Before you jump into a fray, consider pondering these crisis-situation questions offered by Walter Shrabe at fusedlogic.com:

·       Is the information factually accurate or inaccurate?

·       Is the responsible person, account or organization credible?

·       Which platforms are being used for the negative activity?

·       Does the responsible party understand the technology they used and the community they reached?

·       Is there current conversation you can research related to the incident?

·       What was the sentiment of the initial responses to the negative statement?

·       Is the discussion growing in size or is it isolated?

Once you’ve answered these questions, it’s time to respond using the social media platforms that reach your audience and customer base.

A final thought from Bloomabq.com: “It’s important to remember that corporate reaction through social media can’t change facts, but it can build (or rebuild) confidence among customers that they will get what they pay for.”

It’s likely Weiner has a long way to go to rebuild, but Bloomabq’s advice is worth remembering.

Martha Wilson is an associate at Web Face, a communication and marketing company helping clients stride through the minefields of social media

Selling Frappuccino in the 21st Century

by T.C. Brown

There’s a whole lot of hubbub in the digital universe these days.

Here’s a question.  Has your business embraced social media?  If the answer is yes, would a social media guru give you an A, or are you in need of serious tutoring?

One more question. If you don’t use social media, have you set a date yet to join the 21^st century?

Evidence abounds that businesses are spending more time with social media to market their products and services, and many are starting to realize some serious ROI.  Best of all, benefits are greater than ever for small businesses.

There is, however, another side to that coin – companies continue to cling to the “old ways” of marketing, and are turning a deaf ear to their social media sages.

That according to a recent IBM survey, which showed that many firms use these digital tools as PR platforms instead of thinking of them as magnets to attract more viewers, aka potential customers.

Maybe your company is the best thing since a double chocolate frappuccino, but a majority of consumers told IBM they don’t visit corporate websites.  Of the ones who do, 60 percent said they must first have “complete” trust in that company.

It’s not complicated, folks.  People want free stuff, or at minimum a bargain. Or they want helpful advice for their needs or concerns.  In short, build a community.  It’s that simple.

Meanwhile, while several surveys show companies devoting more time to social media, it is small businesses reaping the greatest results.  More than 90 percent of the 3,342 small business owners who responded to the 2011 Social Media Marketing Industry Report said social media plays a key role for them.

This stuff works. Firms that spend at least six hours a week in the digital world are nearly twice as likely to get leads generated as those who spend less time.

Just remember: stay fresh, be relevant and take measurement.

Basically, your company has two choices.  You can climb aboard the train, or wave bye-bye as it leaves the station.

TC Brown is a partner at Web Face, a communication and marketing company helping clients climb aboard the train.

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

Dressing for Social Media Success

by TC Brown

Lady Gaga wore a dress made of meat when she appeared at MTV’s Music Video Awards last year.

That was so yesterday.

Icelandic pop sensation Kali one upped Gaga when she donned a dress made of QR Codes recently.

Fans could photograph Kali and scan the dress with their smartphones, leading them to videos of her band, Steed Lord. The designer called it a “super self-promotional dress.”

QR’s, short for quick response codes, are those odd, jumbo stamp-like boxes that are a cross between grocery bar codes, a miniature maze and modern art.

Consumers with smartphones or tablet computers use apps to scan these codes to open a web page, capture video, get detailed product information or grab coupons. They are an advertiser’s dream, and they’re popping up everywhere – restaurants, real estate signs, department stores, billboards and in publication ads.  Miller Beer is using them for a summer promotion.

The Japanese developed QR’s in the mid-1990s, but they have been slow to catch on here.  Many remain clueless, even tech-savvy youngsters.

Ignorance, however, is no reason to ignore what many observers say is a coming boon for small businesses, especially as more and more people get smartphones and tablet computers.  QR scanning traffic has increased 49 percent since the first quarter of 2010.

So, businesses would be wise to look forward and embrace this trend. Should your company choose to adopt QR codes, follow some basic rules:

·       Define the target audience and your goals 

·       Remember scans will mostly be seen on small, mobile screens

·       Give easy instructions on which QR app is needed for download

·       When possible, provide rewards to viewers

·       Test it before releasing it

·       Measure you analytics

You can be sure QRs are here to stay. These days, you can even eat them. The worlds’ first QR wedding cake was created in Manitoba, Canada this year.  Last year, someone built a QR code from a 56-ounce bag of M&Ms that took viewers to the company’s website. Yum!

And though Lady Gaga has not slipped into a QR dress, she gets it. Gaga partnered with Starbucks in May to promote her new album, letting fans scan QR codes provided by the coffee shop for clues to a puzzle involving a two week digital scavenger hunt. 

Recently, a whiskey company hired a Paris-based tattoo artist to ink a QR code on someone that led to an animated live stream on the company’s Facebook page. Here’s the story:  http://mashable.com/2011/07/08/qr-code-tattoo/

How creative can your company get?

TC Brown is a partner at Web Face, a communications and marketing company helping businesses stand out.

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The Illusion of Facebook Friends

By John McGory

Today’s world of social media is an illusion.  Facebook and Twitter deceive us with the promise of unlimited friendship and business connections.  Unfortunately, our brains are not wired for infinite associations.

It is true we can have 5,000 “friends” on Facebook and unlimited numbers of followers on Twitter.  But Robin Dunbar, English anthropologist, says the size of the “tribe” we can handle is around 150. 

Our brains are hardwired to handle only so much input.  Think about it.  You may have 500 friends on Facebook, but how many would you actually sit down with for a cup of coffee?  Certainly not 500.

A recent Indiana University study bolstered Dunbar’s Rule of 150.  They studied 1.7 million Twitter accounts over six month and analyzed 380 million tweets.  The average Twitter account had real ongoing conversations with just 150 people. 

The study also concluded that our brains are not changing.  Technology is not going to give us the power to turn into social super freaks.  We are simply reorganizing and selecting who we want to be in our tribe.  So, out with the weird cousin and in with the business associate from Bismarck. 

Social network companies are beginning to see the need to help users organize friends.  The new Google+ project attempts to deal with this by encouraging users to categorize friends. This soon-to-be-released social network will allow users to create “circles” of friends. 

Wrap your brain around the idea of your digital tribe and consider the impact of this as it relates to how you handle your business and social life.  Here are a few suggestions on implementing the Dunbar Rule of 150 into your life:

*Know who those 150 friends are.  You don’t have to start “de-friending” people on Facebook, but think about who is important in your business or social life.

*Win them over.  Go out of your way to pay attention to their needs, understand their problems and be there when they need it.  Talk to them as individuals, not as a single drop in a sea of “friends.”

*Don’t get caught up in following the next shining star that pops up on the Internet.  Match.com veterans know what I am talking about.  Focus on the people who have been there for you.  Maybe better things will happen if you focus on them instead of chasing happiness.

*Listen and then try to respond thoughtfully.

These simple rules apply to business or personal relationships.  The Indiana University study said it best when it compared social media and calculators.  Calculators did not make us math geniuses.  Our brains can only do so much.  Facebook and Twitter are not going to make us social rock stars.  Focus on who is important and chances are you will find Internet peace and success.

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Web Face is a communications and marketing company helping businesses focus on the people who really matter.