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A Facebook Group, that is. Long, long ago (in terms of social media lifespan), Facebook recognized the need for brands to have a connection with customers and prospects. The first version of Facebook Groups allowed brands to invite folks to the community and collect in a format similar to bulletin boards. As brands wanted more control and advanced features, Fan Pages rolled out, and groups sort of took a back seat. I think most people, myself included, hoped groups would just go away, because the fan pages were so much more robust. It was pretty confusing to explain the difference, and customers didn’t really get fan pages at first. Well, everyone is entitled to change their opinion…. And thus I did many moons later.
So why are Facebook Groups so valuable?
Well, there are many different ways groups can compliment an existing fan page, but let’s start off with how groups are different from fan pages. Read the rest of this entry »
By now you’ve heard of Pinterest. I’ll even bet that you’ve probably seen stories about why your brand needs to be on Pinterest. You may even be annoyed by all of the Pinterest articles, because I know I am. But this is not just another blog post on why you need to be on Pinterest, or a hot list of brands using Pinterest well. Nope. I’m going to share a concept around the interest graph – the backbone of almost all bookmarking and visual social sites.
THE SOCIAL GRAPH
Courtesy of facebook
Many social media sites have some sort of graph identifying various characteristics of each user. Facebook uses the “Social Graph” where individuals are connected based on social characteristics – friends, colleagues, family, live near each other, grew up together, are regulars at the corner bar, met at a networking event, etc. On Facebook, our behavior is very social, too. We tag ourselves and friends in photos, we share videos of the kids doing silly things, we share cool news stories and start conversations around hot topics, and more. We are connected to each other through social identifiers. Read the rest of this entry »
By now you’ve heard the news about Facebook Timeline for brand pages. You’ve probably read a few blog posts about the changes and have observed how all of the cool kids are using Timeline for their brands. I’m bringing you a big daddy post about Timeline, what you really need to know, and throwing in some resources that you may have missed.
Why the big deal?
As a client of Facebook, I have been super excited about the new Timeline changes. In fact, I was so excited that they invited me to their offices in Austin, TX while I was at SXSW. (Okay, so the invite came before Timeline was released, but still…and yes, I signed the “Wall!”) I couldn’t stop smiling while at their offices, chatting it up with Facebook product managers, engineers, sales and marketing folks, and others. All about the new Timeline possibilities. Oh, and I’m pretty sure that everyone on my floor at the office could hear me oohing and ahhing during Facebook’s first ever Facebook for Marketers Conference (fMC). Seriously, I love the new changes!
Here’s why:
• The timeline allows brands to tell a much larger story about their brand through content, photos, videos, milestones, and more. Think of Facebook as the new history book. Read the rest of this entry »
This is one of the first years in a while where the actual Super Bowl game was better than the commercials. Yes, I said it. With advertising reports boasting spends upwards of $3.4 million per 30-second spot (WHAT!!!), I expected a whole lot more than lounging polar bears, body painting, Deion Sanders (TWICE), Ferris Bueller, Jerry Seinfeld, vampires, and a dog on a treadmill. And for those of you that don’t know, I’m a Redskins fan. I bleed burgundy and gold. And in a year where I had little to root for, I was really rooting for a quarterback sneak in this year’s commercials. I was sadly disappointed.
Let’s start with the first quarter commercials. Read the rest of this entry »
Last night’s Baltimore AMA Marketing Excellence Awards was incredible! The cocktail hour was buzzing with many of the city’s biggest and brightest marketing stars. People were catching up with old friends, making new ones, and acknowledging the scholarship recipients and award winners.
The awards portion of the night kicked off with a dear message from President, Marci De Vries, thanking the board for their hard work and dedication over the past year.
It’s March. There is Madness all around. So why not a March (Social) Media Madness trivia special?
Over the next two weeks, we’ll take a look at social media stats in both B2B and B2C environments. The numbers will amaze you!
Today’s Trivia Tuesday has to do with social media in the restaurant industry.
As the US restaurant industry recovers, operators are increasingly employing mobile and social media marketing to meet consumer expectations. Businesses that engage, provide value and reach potential diners where they spend their time will be at a distinct advantage.
-Krista Garcia
Emaketer.com
Trivia Tuesday Question:
According to US Restaurant Owners, what percentage of the marketing plan is spent on Social Media Campaigns?
- 38%
- 43%
- 56%
Think you know the answer? Head on over to the AMA Baltimore Fan Club on Facebook to play along or simply submit your guess here.
Tune in on Friday to learn more about how the restaurant industry is allocating marketing plans in 2011!
Whew! What an incredible NASCAR Daytona 500 that was! Congratulations to rookie driver Trevor Bayne, the youngest winner ever of the prestigious race! Great way to kick off what is sure to be another exciting racing season!
Thanks to everyone who played last weeks’ trivia. To stay in the gas-guzzling mood, we have one more round of NASCAR Sponsorships trivia. We are switching things up a bit and are trying a Facebook Poll as the trivia medium.
Question: What company spent $100k in 1971 to be title sponsor for NASCAR?
Head on over to the AMA Baltimore Facebook Fan page to play this weeks’ trivia. See you at the finish line!
As a big NASCAR fan, I get all giddy this time of year. With the first roar of the engines to the kick of speed weeks, to the most famous words in racing, “Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!” I get fired up. (ha! get it?) Everyone knows that I’ll be glued to the TV, along with 18 million others for the Daytona 500 on that magical Sunday. I realize that some of you simply don’t understand the entertainment of 43 cars going around in circles, and the colossal waste of fuel. If you have never been to a race, it’s hard to imagine the energy that comes from a track with a crowd of over 100,000 people (almost double that at most tracks), not including the infield and the folks that never make it to the track. And yes, part of the fun is what happens in the parking lots… and the final laps of the race.
NASCAR wasn’t always the money making machine it is today. Its roots began with runners carrying moonshine, illegally. These guys had to find a way to make a fast getaway from the law in case they were caught. And it worked. Not long after the sport of moonshine runners and their tuned up engines, the birth of NASCAR emerged with many of the moonshine runners as drivers. They didn’t make much money, and often had to dump any earnings from races back into their cars so they could get back to the racetrack as fast as possible. In early NASCAR days, it wasn’t uncommon for drivers to race 2-3 times per day, 3 days a week. Today, the sport has a routine schedule with 25-30 races per season, depending on the series. Read the rest of this entry »
This Sunday, 43 cars will vie for victory lane as they race in “The Great American Race”, NASCAR’s biggest, richest, and most prestigious event of the year.
While the Daytona 500 kicks off the official season, speed week is full of many racing events.The sport is fueled by big-name sponsors, and not just on the cars. Budweiser sponsored the Bud Shootout this past Saturday and the Bud Pole Award every week. Gatorade will sponsor the Gatorade Duels, a set of races that determine the race lineup.
That brings us to this weeks’ trivia question!
How much does it cost a company to put their logo on a NASCAR front 1/4 panel for 1 year? (In millions of dollars)
Text 1, 1.5, 2 to see if you’re correct!
Check back Friday to learn more about why so many companies fight over every inch of real estate on these cars!
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