Lessons from Humans of New York

I'm late to the party on this, but Humans of New York, a blog featuring quotes and images from real people in New York, is one of the most powerful uses of social media I've ever seen.  Humans of New York does a beautiful job at instantly creating an emotional connection that keeps you captivated, touches you at your core and makes you think about the world differently.As a marketer we strive to find an emotional connection with our customer. We talk insights, archetypes, drivers, but very rarely do we achieve a connection like Humans of New York does with each and every post. I'm a firm believer in looking at what works and how you can adapt it for your business. So let's break it down.

The social content of Humans of New York works because...

- It's real and easy to relate to. They don't feature super models, they celebrate the average joes. For a moment that guy on the corner becomes a superstar.

- It's vulnerable. They touch on topics that aren't always easy - from one man expressing his loneliness because no one will approach him since he's overweight to another woman talking about how she feels like a failure because she went from honor student to bartender.

- They know what matters. The writer can take what may be a 30-minute conversation and grab that one sentence that hits home. They don't try to cram the whole story in, they get right to the good stuff.

- They create community. By posting these real life situations - both struggles and joys - they open the door for conversation. The comments that follow are just as engaging as the post itself, and quite often uplifting. There's something about pointing out we're all "humans" that seems to put people in a happy, helpful space.

I'm sure I could come up with ten more reasons but for now, see if you can take these lessons and apply them to your social content. In the meantime follow Humans of New York on Facebook and Twitter. Guarantee it will change your day.

 

 

 

 

,

How Much to Pay for Social Media Support

,

As a social media marketer I find myself dabbling in all areas of marketing from copy-writing to customer service to design and media buying. Often a good social media marketer has to take on several roles to run a page successfully. And a really good social media marketer knows when to outsource the areas that just aren't his or her forte (insert graphic design here for me). Sometimes there will be the dream client with a load of great information already packaged in bite-sized 140 character nuggets, tons of beautiful imagery and a specific ad budget set aside for promoted posts, but most often, this isn't the case. Usually your social media marketer is going to have to pick up the slack where your creative assets fall short.Herein lies the problem - you can't pay as much for a well-designed Facebook photo as you would for a magazine layout, yet visuals are key on social. You can't pay as much for a well-crafted tweet as you would for your brochure copy, but pumping out content frequently is a must. You can't pay an hourly rate to watch your pages around the clock, yet we live in a 24/7 world. To pay the same prices you've been paying for traditional media on social would be outrageous, but in some ways you need more support than ever - more content, more coverage, more "always on" advertising to feed the hungry Facebook beast.

Should you throw in the towel now? No. There are those of us out there who are coming up with social media packages every day which offer realistic pricing. We're figuring out what content already exists that we can repurpose, how many customer replies on average you'll get a week and the most efficient way to spend your ad dollars to extend your reach.

It's the wild west out there in terms of pricing and there is a range. Talk to several companies and if someone is selling you social media services for what seems like an incredibly low rate be sure to ask them these questions.

- How many posts a week will you create? Do the posts include visuals?

- How many days a week will you monitor my page?

- If I run an ad campaign will you set that up?

- Does this quote include any reporting/measurement?

- How do you plan on using social to help me meet my business goals?

The social media marketer of today is a hybrid marketer merging a variety of talents in order to create content on the go. If you're getting your social for the low low cost of $99/month, there's probably something wrong.

 

 

,

Do you really need Facebook ads? Yes.

,

Remember when Facebook ads used to be a nice to have? If you want to reach even a third of your fanbase those days are over. As Facebook decreases the organic reach of pages you can expect less than 10% of your fans to see your content. Here are a few strategies for tackling the ever decreasing organic reach. 

  • Budget for ads. Simple enough. You need to carve out a certain amount of dollars to get the content that matters most in front of your fans. Whether that be specials sales or a new product. Consider boosting at least one post weekly to keep top of mind. The good news is you don't have to throw thousands of dollars behind a buy, depending on your audience size, sometimes $5 a post will do.

 

  • Diversify. Sure Facebook-owned Instagram will probably follow suit in a year but in the meantime see what kind of organic exposure you can gain. Twitter has an ad product but as of now they aren't "editing" your stream the way Facebook does. That said the Twitter stream moves so quickly it self-edits in a way. Pinterest is testing ads and favoring those with a bit of development prowess - rich pins rule - but you don't have to advertise at this point in order to get seen.

 

  • Create content your fans want to share. Even if a mere 5% of your fanbase is seeing it, if your content is good that 5% may share expanding your reach.
,

Creating Solid Social Media Content

,

Your social media content should be three things - Relevant, Engaging and Strategic. It's a fine balance but do it right and your content will work harder for you. Here are a few examples:- It's Martin Luther King Day, which means it would be very relevant to talk about him today, but alas, I'm an orange juice brand. It's not really relevant for me. Find those larger conversations happening on social that you can legitimately be a part of and jump on them, but please don't force fit an awkward situation. It really is awkward for everyone involved. By creating a social media content calendar ahead of time you can identify those relevant time periods in advance and come up with a plan to own the days that make sense.

- Who doesn't like Someecards? Practically everyone does. So much so that if you post one on your page people aren't going to remember you. Recycling Someecards content, or other people's jokes on a regular basis may get you likes, but it won't build any loyalty. That kind of social media content isn't ownable, it doesn't differentiate you from the thousands of other wine brands posting a snarky cartoon about Wine Wednesday. Find a way to be engaging while telling your story - you know, the one that's unique to you.

- Your social media content should work hard for you. It should drive to a larger purpose for you and your fans. What do you need to accomplish and what do your fans need from you in order to help you accomplish that goal? Perhaps it's building awareness (great storytelling content/reason to believe) or perhaps it's to sell more stuff (coupons/deals). Look at your business goals and see how social can fit into them. Yes, social is a fun, relatively new space, but that doesn't mean your content should be permitted to run wild with no accountability. We all have to pull our weight. You can hear the crowd chanting "ROI, ROI..." can't you?

 

Facebook's Future. Let's not panic yet.

There's been a lot of talk around teens leaving Facebook, and if you're a brand that's targeting teens that's cause for concern. But if you're a brand targeting teens, my guess is you've seen it coming. Heck, even Facebook has seen it coming. They've offered to buy Snapchat. They tried to launch Poke. They purchased Instagram. The writing has been on the wall for awhile and while Zuckerberg may be many things, stupid he is not.For those not targeting teens your target demo is most likely spending an inordinate amount of time on Facebook. Look at all the stats and Facebook still reigns king. Will it in five years, ten years? Who knows? But you can't predict the future. It's like hesitating to advertise on a certain TV show because you're not sure it will be popular three years from now.

What you should be doing is focusing a majority of your efforts where your customers are spending their time now. Not where you think they may be five years from now, and not panicking. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with preparing for the future. You should be thinking about how to collect data from your Facebook fans. Get their information in your database so if you do ever jump ship from Facebook you can stay in touch. But don't let a few articles, whether it be the crazy Princeton infectious disease study or the fear-based "teens are leaving" headlines, drive your marketing plan. Get a grip, stay calm and talk to your customers while they're still checking the newsfeed.

 

, , ,

Social Media Demographics - 2014

, , ,

The first step in launching a social media presence is to select the right network. At the end of the day you want to be where your audience is spending time, which means taking a look at a variety of factors including demographics. The Wall Street Journal reported on a recent Pew Research study breaking down the various networks by ethnicity.

  • You'll see Facebook is pretty representative of the overall U.S. Internet population.
  • Instagram and Twitter however pop for being a bit more diverse.

Be smart about your social presence and be where your customers are spending time.

 

demo

Cheers to Winter!

It's time to cozy up to a winter beer. Currently pitching seasonal beer releases to media across the country. It never hurts when the journalist want to come and meet with the brewmaster for a glass or two.* PR Tip: Always try to offer an experience (in this case come meet with the brewmaster) to set yourself apart from the others. Media may not take you up on it but nine times out of ten the offer is appreciated.

Picture1

 

,

Pitching for Facebook Posts

,

There's no denying the media landscape is in flux, but as journalists figure out the best way to leverage social media, so must PR professionals. From pitching media via tweets, as opposed to email or phone, to sharing media hits on brand Facebook pages, PR professionals are changing how they go about their daily tasks. But yesterday's interaction with a journalist, was a first for me. When I sent off a pitch for a new beer release to a drinks reporter at a Las Vegas Magazine she requested a photo and informed me that the beer would be featured as the "5 o'clock drink of the day" post on the Magazine's Facebook page. It was the first time I had pitched a journalist where the content was being used strictly to fill the Facebook newsfeed, and while it may not have made the glossy pages of the magazine I was still pleased. Here's why:- More fans: The magazine's Facebook page has close to 20K fans. Not nearly as many as the print subscription, but it was ten times that of my client's Las Vegas Facebook page. People still flock to traditional media on social media as traditional media pumps out quality content.

- Timeliness - The beer is being released in a few days. I would have never made the print deadline but in this case I was able to get in front of people in a timely manner via Facebook.

- 3rd party endorsement. Sure I posted about the beer release on the client's Facebook page, but there I'm most likely reaching current customers. The Magazine's Facebook page could potentially drive new customers.

Who knows...one day in the very near future, PR professionals may be battling it out to secure placements in the newsfeed of media's social pages versus the news pages of a publication. At the end of the day, the important thing is the message gets to the right audience at the right time.

,

From Facebook to Email and Back Again

,

You have your email list, you have your Facebook fans, so how do they work together? Believe it or not, there are benefits to having someone as a fan and as an email database member, you just have to get them to sign up.

One benefit of having a fan on Facebook is you can talk more often than you can email. Send me an email message every day and I'll probably unsubscribe, post a daily message on Facebook and I'll remain a fan, as long as the content is engaging.

One benefit of having an email address is you can use it to go from one social network to the next. If the popularity of Facebook wanes, you can use the email address to extend an invitation to the next social platform.

Sounds great, right? So, how do you get them to sign up?

Building your database - from Facebook to email. Want to capture the emails of Facebook fans? The easiest way is to host a giveaway on Facebook and drive fans to a website registration page where you capture their email addresses. If you are hosting an event you can also promote on Facebook and require email during the event registration process - again driving them from Facebook to a website registration page.

Building your database - from email to Facebook. Simply invite your fans to like you on Facebook via an email. Offer up a clear reason to join - perhaps you will post a fan only coupon to your page soon, or you'll be hosting a Facebook contest. Give them a sense of urgency that they need to join now in order to be a part of the action. Keep the email copy single-focused - don't bury the ask in a newsletter format.

Something else to consider is Custom Audiences, Facebook's ad product which allows you to upload a list of emails from your database and advertise directly to them on Facebook. If they like you enough to receive your emails chances are they would be open to becoming your fan.

Simple ways to drive people from Facebook to email and the other way around. What methods have you seen work?

 

Facebook Images - High Engagement, Low Reach

Recently I uploaded a post which contained a recipe and a photo (after all it's fairly common knowledge that images help increase engagement). The post did well garnering more than 100 shares and 200 likes. Yet, something interesting happened. The next day I posted on the same page a post that contained no photo. The text-only post reached twice as many people as the popular recipe post, even though it had far less engagement. I tested the text-only approach again on a different page and received the same results.So why does a post without a photo almost double your reach instantly?  Here's one guess - the post without an image shows up in the news ticker on Facebook. When you upload a post with a photo the Facebook ticker simply reads: "(insert page name) posted a photo" versus the actual text of your post. If people don't click on the news ticker, and Facebook decides not to serve up your post because of its newsfeed algorithm, your reach may remain low.

I'm a believer in images, especially interesting, eye-catching photos, but lately, I'm also a believer in occasionally throwing in a few text-only posts. They help increase your reach, and in a newsfeed that is now flooded with photos, can help you to actually stand out. Go figure...what's old is new. That's the thing about social, it constantly pushes you to test, try and reinvent yourself in order to keep your place in the newsfeed.

What have you done to reinvent your content lately?

,

Good Customer Service on Social Media

,

In a world of text, tweets, chats and non-physical face-to-face conversations it is much easier to let someone down. Want to cancel dinner? Just text you have a headache. Didn't really quite enjoy that first date? He can be dumped in less than 140 characters. Recently, I watched in wonder as people took to a Facebook event wall to cancel just hours before a party started. You have to ask yourself if they would have sucked it up and come had they been forced to call and speak to someone. So admittedly, technology in all its wonders does have some draw backs, it makes it much easier to "hide" or to be in a way unreliable.For brands and companies though, the opposite seems to hold true. When a dissatisfied customer takes to technology, it is less about hiding or running and more about helping as quickly as possible. No one can be sure how fast the message will spread or how many others will see it and jump on the conversation. Some companies have a policy of answering within 24 hours, others within the hour and some get to it when they can, probably not the best approach. When thinking about your response strategy think about the following:

- What is my capacity? If you don't have someone dedicated to monitoring and responding, then make sure you try to set some standards for fans. Being up front and honest is half the battle. "We'll respond to requests within seven days. If you want a more immediate response call this number."

- Where can people go for customer service? If social isn't where you are putting your focus for customer service be very clear how people can reach you otherwise - phone, email, website. Despite having this people may still want you to respond on social. Very often people want to be responded to via the same medium they reached out on.

- What is your response? If you have a list of common questions or complaints, you can always format a library of responses, allowing even a a third party to be able to respond on your behalf. It saves you time and it satisfies the fan.

Technology may allow people to hide  but it also allows people to have their voice amplified. Make sure your company is prepared.

, , ,

Know How Technology Works

, , ,

When driving North on I-65 I came across two billboards each a mile apart. The first was for a local mom and pop diner. On it was a picture of food and a call to action - the restaurant's phone number. From what I could tell it wasn't the type of joint you would need to call ahead for a reservation, so why was the phone number featured so prominently?The second billboard was for Burger King. It also had an image of food but in big bold letters it read: Turn right at the next exit. Followed by an arrow. Burger King nailed it. Granted they probably had a support of a large agency,  but they clearly understood how the medium (a billboard in this case) worked.

Whether it's a poorly placed QR code or a text heavy Facebook post, people often fail to think about how the medium is being used by their customer. Here are two key questions to ask yourself when developing a campaign:

1. What is the information your customer needs to know?

2. What is the best way to deliver that information on the particular medium you are using?

If you are using mobile use wide ranging methods to reach your customer -  less QR codes and Apps and more use of mobile web and SMS. Mobile search is often searching "in the moment" or "on the go." What types of information would your customers need to know as they are heading out to shop, eat, etc?

If you are using social be conscious of which platform you are using. Twitter behaves differently than Facebook which behaves differently than Pinterest. Make sure you are in the right space to reach your customers. On social media, what social currency can you give your followers so they'll help spread the word? Maybe it's a coupon, maybe a recipe or perhaps a bit of trivia. Think about information that is interesting and useful for your fan base while still helping you achieve your business goals.

No matter what the medium, it's important to understand how people are using it and to identify the critical information they need so you can make a sale. Sometimes it's as simple as a big yellow arrow pointing toward your next Whopper.

 

How Brands Must Leverage Facebook's New Newsfeed

Facebook is constantly reinventing itself, and you can't blame them. To stay stagnant is a death wish in an industry that changes so rapidly. That said, some of the changes benefit users and some brands. The most recent newsfeed change is one that I believe tips the scale for the user, giving them more control over what they see on Facebook.A user will soon be able to toggle between different newsfeed streams - Photos, Friends, Most Recent, Music and Following (brand/media pages). Great customization for the user, not so great for brand pages who currently get a coveted spot between posts from friends and families. I predict that the Following newsfeed will probably be the most underused feed, because at the end of the day no matter how clever a post, it's still from a business versus a friend.

Should brands shut down their pages quite yet? No. Brands can still actively engage with users but they must find ways to get into as many newsfeeds as possible. If they rely just on the "Follows" newsfeed they're likely to see their engagement levels drop pretty dramatically.

Here are recommendations for staying in the "feed":

  • Include images in your posts. With the popularity of Instagram and Pinterest, it's becoming more apparent that visual does well on social. As a brand if you post an image with your post, you can then secure a space in the Photos newsfeed.
  • Post regularly. If you want to appear in the most recent news feed, you need to post. Simple enough.
  • Create engaging content. Get people to engage with your content and it will appear in the Friends newsfeed.
  • Consider advertising. It's not been clearly defined yet, but from early talks it sounds as if ads will get your airtime in all newsfeeds, including the Friends newsfeed which will most likely be the most popular.

Social in a Crisis Situation - Newtown

When Newtown happened you could feel the shock and sadness slowly rippling through the social media world. A tweet here, a link to a story there, posts of prayers and disbelief came flooding across news feeds. Here's when a community really can become a community one in which there is support and shared emotion.I have to admit, I was disappointed to see page after page put out a statement about Newtown. I may like tequila but I didn't need my brand of tequila telling me how bad they felt during that moment. It was just odd.

As marketers we want to believe that our brands represent so much more to the consumer than a tasty drink, a good meal, a fast car. But when it comes to tragedy, all that brand positioning kind of goes out the window. Instead, you should remain silent, let people talk to people. Don't try to capitalize on a tragedy even if that isn't your initial intention. There's a time and a place to jump in on the conversation. Part of being a good community manager is to know when it's your turn.

Back to Basics - Thanks EdgeRank

There's been quite a bit of buzz about Facebook's tweaks to EdgeRank. Are less people seeing your content? Is it all just a big scheme to get more ad dollars? Should your company jump ship to Google + where it is safe?While we may never know the answers to all of our pressing Facebook questions, I can tell you this...If you do the basics you'll be able to ride out any EdgeRank craziness.

Think of it in terms of weight loss, if you want to lose weight eat less calories and stay active. I know it sounds waaaay too simple, but I've seen it work. When it comes to Facebook you also need to do the basics to stay in the game - post regularly, post engaging content, interact with fans and buy advertising from time to time to get fans re-engaged or to draw in new fans.

In the meantime, Facebook will fumble, tweak and hopefully come up with a solution that makes both fans and brands happy. Your role as a page owner is to do the best you can to ride it out and keep fans engaged.

Optimizing Facebook Ads

I have to admit...I was a bit hesitant about sponsored stories ads on Facebook. Wouldn't you want a compelling line of copy (even if it is only a few characters long) and your picture of choice in your ad? That way you could ensure you'd win people over as customers and fans. But alas, much like everything else in social you have to shove your ego aside and give people what they want...which isn't your copy writing genius.Having hosted ad campaigns for a variety of businesses large and small, I can tell you what works best over and over again. It's the sponsored story.

There's something about the personal recommendation that is far more legit than any ad copy you or I could write.  And I've seen it not just perform better once or twice. It's every time, most of the time performing 10X better than a standard Facebook display ad. (I usually always run them side by side, just to be certain).

It's essentially word of mouth marketing, but you don't have to wait for someone to tell their friends because sponsored stories do it for you.  For example, when you like Nike's page it goes into the newsfeed once. It's up to Nike then to pour a few dollars into a sponsored story ad campaign to make that "Like" work as hard as possible. Now that "Like" is being shown to all of your friends multiple times a day in the form of a sponsored story ad. Good news for Nike, especially if you're an influencer among your circle of friends. If you want the biggest bang for your buck on Facebook ads, go sponsored stories and save your copy writing skills for another day. It took me awhile to become a believer, but I got there eventually. You should too.