You are here: Home / Archives for Google+

Sunday Musings w/ Shore Branding – 5-19-13

May 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Branding and Digital Marketing

Branding and Digital Marketing

 

This week’s ‘Sunday Musings’ are ready to go, bringing you the top five stories in branding and digital marketing.

#1 – “Everything announced at the Google I/O 2013 keynote in one handy list” – TheNextWeb.com

Premise: Google’s I/O conference was held this week and The Next Web created a laundry list of announcements the tech giant made during its keynote speech.  Beyond the Android numbers and updates/upgrades for developers, there were also a number of updates to many of Google’s products this week.

Thoughts: Rather than run down the plethora of announcements, this article was a nice, quick summary of everything announced at the keynote.  These conferences are always exciting because I know a number of great updates are forthcoming for my devices.  Particular items that caught my attention:

  • Google Play Music announcing a monthly subscription fee for unlimited music
  • A number of updates to Google+, which does have a Pinterest feel to it after logging in after the update was pushed to the site
  • Hangouts, the new messaging service, replaces Talk and was pushed out to my devices on Friday
  • 15GB’s of free storage for pictures, etc. on Google
  • All attendees received a Chromebook Pixel which retails for ~$1,500!

#2 – “This Is The Most Epic Brand Meltdown On Facebook Ever” – Buzzfeed.com  

Premise: A company called “Amy’s Baking Company Bakery Boutique & Bistro” was recently on the TV show Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsey.  Well, apparently they were hit with several comments on their social media pages and took to their Facebook page to defend themselves.  The rest … well, you can probably tell from the title of the article.

Thoughts: This is absolutely fantastic and dreadful all at the same time.  The reactions and comments that they are firing off on their Facebook wall is both hysterical and nauseating.  I think you get the point.  As the night wore on, the owner’s comments* get more and more disturbing.  This is certainly not how you should take to social media to engage with people.  The owner’s overtake the Applebee’s fiasco as the number one fail in SM so far in 2013.  Well done!

(* The owners are saying their page was hacked and that it wasn’t them making these comments.  “I’m not here to talk about the past, I’m only here to talk about the future” – Mark McGwire.  This statement comes to mind when hearing this now common excuse/explanation of “my page was hacked”.) 

#3 – “Old Spice Takes Over YouTube in Viral Marketing Push” – ICUCModeration.com

Premise: Old Spice has brought back Terry Crews for two 30 second ads that have been launched on YouTube to sell their latest extension, shave gels.  The digital campaign will also include an interactive ad on YouTube’s masthead, which is said to include user-generated content.

Thoughts: Old Spice is at it again.  In our very first edition of Sunday Musings, there was an article regarding how much digital ad spend could be conducted for the price of one Super Bowl ad.  Old Spice seems to get it and have been very successful in the past with their digital campaigns.  The two new ads are pretty good, but may not show/explain the new product line as much as they might want or need to.

While we are here, don’t forget to vote on the new poll on the site.  The site with the most votes will be the premise for a future blog entry.  Of the two ads, “Baby” is the one I like a little more – this one has a bit more humor to it, but doesn’t do as well in branding the product line as the “Shave” ad.  Here is the “Baby” ad, what do you think?

#4 – “QR Codes: Are They Dead Yet?” – By Ilya Pozin on LinkedIn.com  

Premise: The author poses a great question about where the world is with QR codes – usage, engagement, etc.  QR codes have been around for ~20 years and adaptation to them continue to struggle, despite the tremendous growth in smartphones.  There are two points for consideration presented in the write-up for this: business aren’t using them correctly and/or smartphone users fail to see the value in scanning a QR code.

Thoughts: I happen to agree with both points and that it is a combination of the two as to why QR codes are nearly worthless in my opinion.  About three months ago, I scanned / tried to scan two QR codes the same day.  I noticed that the same agency had made the sale to two local establishments and it piqued my interest.  One QR code did not scan at all.  The second worked appropriately and I received an email the next day for a coupon/discount off of my next trip to the restaurant.  However, I haven’t heard from said restaurant ever again.  What was the point of becoming a “VIP member by scanning our QR code”?  I have no idea.  (Please stop wasting money and getting sold by others on needing QR codes in your marketing strategy.)

#5 – “4 Brands That Did Mother’s Day Campaigns Right” – Likeable.com

Premise: Likeable put together a list of the top branding efforts from last weekend’s Mother’s Day holiday.  There were four brands/companies selected here and the strategies for each are succinctly summarized by the author.

Thoughts: Out of the four selected, I thought Almay had the best campaign here.  The company did a nice job of tying in their brand with celebrity sponsorship (Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson), a prize for the winner (trip to NYC), and overall engagement by asking you to tell your mother-daughter moment.  This was a trifecta of winning elements and how to build a little buzz for your brand.

Did any of these stories in branding and digital marketing catch your attention this week?

Filed Under: Sunday Musings Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Sunday Musings w/ Shore Branding – 4-28-13

April 28, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Branding and Digital Marketing

Branding and Digital Marketing

Here are this week’s ‘Sunday Musings’ – the top five stories in branding and digital marketing.  You can find the archives of this weekly write-up under the Blog-Sunday Musings tab at the top of the page.

#1 – “Starbucks Hopes to Grow Loyalty Program with Expansion to the Grocery Aisle” – AaramShopPro.com

Premise: Starbucks has some of the most loyal fans and brand ambassadors in the world.  The company is looking to increase their loyalty and engagement with the brand by allowing purchases in the grocery / retail store count towards their Starbucks Rewards program.  There will be a sticker on each product in the store that the shopper will need to peel off and add to their account themselves in order to receive credit for the purchase.

Thoughts: It looks like Starbucks has found another means of building/driving loyalty and engaging with those that are most connected with the brand.  Building stronger connections through retail and driving people to their rewards account online can/should help build an even stronger relationship between the brand and its customers.

#2 – “Facebook Challenges Yelp with Mobile Pages Redesign Featuring Actions, Local Biz Details and Ratings” – TechCrunch.com  

Premise: Facebook has redesigned its mobile Pages to more prominently show reviews of each page or business and what is local to the individual user.  The redesign was launched earlier this week on the iOS version and is coming to Android’s platform in May.  The article here provides several visuals comparing the old and new look to Facebook Pages.

Thoughts: In its continued shift toward mobile, Facebook’s latest updates certainly make Pages more actionable and more detailed at first glance.  I agree with the author of this article; the look of the redesign provides more easily accessible content and a better use of space.  The redesign does look a lot like a Yelp business page.  It will be interesting to see if Facebook can better compete in the local search space, given the strength of Yelp and others (Foursquare, Google Places, etc.).  

#3 – “Branding Like Apple: 20 Ways to Make Your Biz Stand Out” – BigGirlBranding.com

Premise: The article provides twenty different ways to help your brand or business stand out with others.  These recommendations or steps are presented in a straightforward manner with a few blurbs following each to provide a little more detail.

Thoughts: We’ve mentioned this a few times here; branding isn’t rocket science, but it is very easy to miss a step, focus in the wrong areas, and/or trip up along the way.  These steps/recommendations are good to keep by your side / in your back pocket as a reminder for your business on what to do and how to do it better than your competition.

To point to just one of the recommendations here, I particularly liked #18 – “Culture a tradition”.  I really like the thought behind this; make your customers comfortable right from the beginning.  They should know exactly what to expect from you or your company right away.

#4 – “Google+ for Brands: 4 Reasons Your Brand Should Be On It” – Blog.Hootsuite.com  

Premise: While many are quick to dismiss the platform, Google+ has grown to 500 million users, of which almost 350 million are considered active users.  This write-up provides more rationale as to why you or your brand/business need to be using the network.  With a lot more detail in the article itself, there are four steps or reasons for your brand to be on G+: 1. Better Discovery, 2. Deeper Engagement, 3. Marketing Performance, and 4. Measurable Impact.

Thoughts: Past Sunday Musings have focused on G+ and a need to leverage the site, particularly around #1 and #2 from this article – which includes our personal recommendations to engage in G+’s Communities.  The connections across Google’s platforms presented in #3 and #4 here are just as important to your brand/business.  Working with and fully understanding the capabilities of Google’s AdWords, Ripples, and Analytics will help your brand better understand your audience and to make the necessary tweaks to your online presence and to optimize your message/efforts.

#5 – “Celebrity Endorsement – 5 Key Questions You Should Ask” – Alison Cressey on BrandingMagazine.com

Premise: One would typically believe that celebrities help sell your brand or product.  Before spending money on hiring a celebrity to promote your business, this write-up provides a few questions you should ask yourself to ensure you are getting the most out of your investment.

Thoughts: Interesting take on how or when you should consider celebrity endorsement here, with an appropriate caveat to why you might consider passing on this marketing technique.  I particularly “enjoyed” reading about Oprah’s promotional efforts of the Surface tablet … while using an iPad.  I would not be happy if I was Steve Ballmer and I would be pretty embarrassed if that was my campaign … and/or infuriated with Oprah.

The questions and thoughts here make a lot of sense.  You need to make sure the celebrity endorsing your products connects with and is relevant to your target market / audience.  You can quickly waste a lot of cash by not fully understanding these components.

What caught your eye this week in branding and digital marketing?

Filed Under: Sunday Musings Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Sunday Musings w/ Shore Branding – 4-21-13

April 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Sunday Musings 2

Branding and Digital Marketing

We’re back after a week’s hiatus with our ‘Sunday Musings’ – the top five stories in branding and digital marketing from the past week.  As always, you can find the archives of this weekly write-up under the Blog-Sunday Musings tab at the top of the page.

#1 – “9 Ways to Become a Better Facebook Community Manager” – SocialMediaExaminer.com

Premise: If you are looking to open a Facebook Community page or want to strengthen an existing one, SME provides nine easy to employ steps towards optimization.  Your community is a deep extension of your brand, so you’ll want to ensure you follow these steps to engage with your audience.

Thoughts: There are several items in here that may seem like commonsense to some but continue to trip up many.  Particularly of interest and importance was #4 – Know the industry; if you are running someone else’s Facebook Community, you must be engaged in said business or industry.

I am also a firm believer in each of the following; #2 – Have access to visuals, #6 – Answer questions quickly, and #8 – Respond calmly to negative posts.  While not always easy to do, particularly #6 and #8, you must take a step back and remember that your community is an extension of your brand and any trip-ups can have a large, negative influence on you or your brand.

#2 – “Google is testing One Today, an Android app for giving $1 micro-donations to good causes” – TheNextWeb.com  

Premise: Google has launched a new app, One Today, on its Android platform that allows users donate as little as $1 to charities and organizations of their own choice or preference as they are made available on the app.  The app is an extension of Google for Nonprofits.  While access is currently by invitation only, you can download the app in Google Play now and await the email invitation.

Thoughts: I love efforts like this from Google (and others).  As TNW states, while $1 may not seem like much, the ability to share your donation with others helps build word-of-mouth for each respective cause.  While I await the official invitation to join, in looking at screenshots, it seems as if you can donate more than $1 to any particular cause that may be of interest to you. 

#3 – “5 Reasons Why Building Your Online Brand is Vital” – 36Creative.com

Premise: In today’s world, building your brand online isn’t a choice or option, it is a necessity.  This article provides five solid reasons as to why you must build and leverage an online presence.

Thoughts: This felt like a nice summation of why you need to be online in order to build your brand in the 21st century.  It is a concise story that should help convince you and/or others to leverage the internet for your brand/business.  The fifth reason in the article – ‘Learn more about your customers’ – is an item that isn’t taken advantage of enough.  If you aren’t using analytics to better understand your audience, you are setting yourself up for failure.

#4 – “5 Easy Steps To Becoming A Google+ Wizard” – RivalIQ.com  

Premise: While people and brands continue to ignore Google+, the author creates a compelling case as to why this is a mistake.  There are clear benefits to being on Google+ right now – an engaged audience and advantages in SEO.  After this, there are five steps provided on setting up your G+ profile correctly and how to leverage the site appropriately.

Thoughts: When starting Shore Branding a few months ago, it was clear that beyond the web site itself, I was going to set up a Twitter page and a Google+ page; Facebook and Pinterest were added later on after thinking more about each.  Google+ is a tremendous tool to take advantage of for your business.  I completely agree with the two core benefits laid out in this article on why you should leverage G+.  As I have mentioned before, the Communities feature on G+ (the #3 step in this article) is a huge advantage for the platform that should be taken more advantage of by brands/companies.  Overall, this was a strong, in-depth summary of why you need to consider Google+.

#5 – “How Brands Shouldn’t Handle a Tragedy on Social Media” – Frank Eliason on LinkedIn.com

Premise: As you are likely all well aware, this past week presented more tragedy in the world, specifically in Boston and Texas.  While brands will always focus on their business, there always seems to be an outlier that takes things too far on social media.  Where is the line drawn?  This write-up provides a few thoughts, as well as secondary links, to help us remember what the appropriate balance is or should be.

Thoughts: The example provided at the top of this write-up from Epicurious and their tweets from the Boston Marathon makes my blood boil.  Brands and businesses need to draw the line and society really needs to get a grip of themselves sometimes.  Watching this week unfold, particularly on Friday through the news stations on TV and on Twitter, it was amazing to get a glimpse as to how things have changed so dramatically in just the past few years.

Twitter, and links from others on Twitter, provided “better” news than watching MSNBC, CNN, and/or Fox.  (Avoiding all political backlash by checking all three stations Friday; they were equally bad.)  Those stations were literally reading online comments, Twitter feeds, etc.  When they weren’t, they were making a mockery of news reporting.  The means of getting our news has certainly changed with the likes of Twitter and other online sources.  How far will this go and drastic will these changes get remains to be seen.

What caught your eye this week in branding and digital marketing?

Our thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by this week’s events.

Filed Under: Sunday Musings Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Sunday Musings w/ Shore Branding – 4-7-13

April 6, 2013 By 1 Comment

Sunday Musings 1

Here are this week’s ‘Sunday Musings’ – the top five stories in branding and digital marketing from the past seven six days.  As always, you can find the archives of this weekly write-up under the Blog-Sunday Musings tab at the top of the page.

Please note that there will not be a Musings next Sunday, 4/14.  We’ll be returning to our regularly scheduled write-up the following weekend, 4/21.

#1 – “Facebook Home – Facebook take control over Android Phones” – HotInSocialMedia.com

Premise: On Thursday, Facebook announced its latest plans for mobile – Facebook Home.  This is not being billed as Facebook’s own mobile phone or operating system, but the means in which to create a more social device.  The first device that will have the Home feature will be from HTC on AT&T.

Thoughts: This seems like a good idea for Android and its open platform, bringing in the Facebook diehards onto their OS.  It seems a little counterintuitive to the direction Facebook has been heading with their partnerships with Microsoft and Bing.  Perhaps that is the intent however, to re-balance their positioning across the tech behemoths.  To be perfectly honest, I have no interest in a Facebook Home driven phone, but I can see the value in it for both companies.

#2 – “The Marketing Value of YouTube” – SEOMOZ.org 

Premise: Should you or your business have a YouTube page?  The article provides a lot of information on whether or not setting up a YouTube page is right for you and the rationale behind the decision.  Beyond building awareness for your brand, there are advantages to be found by using YouTube for your business, including its integration with other social networks.  The write-up then goes into the various types of content that can be put on your site, recommendations on whether or not you should have a page, how to measure success of the page itself, and FAQ’s.

Thoughts: There is a tremendous amount of information available in this write-up for consideration.  If your business is weighing whether or not you should start a YouTube page, I would consider this a very good starting point for that discussion.  The analytics piece towards the end will also help you better understand what is working and what might not be … while not relying on “view counts”.     

#3 – “April Fools’ Day: Brands Show Off Their Funny Side on Social Media” – BrandChannel.com

Premise: The week started off on April Fools’ Day and brands were quick to pounce on social media with a number of great gags for their brands and products.  BrandChannel.com has taken a stab at collecting some of the best from the web here in this write-up.

Thoughts: My favorite April Fools’ Day product came from Scope and its Bacon-flavored mouthwash.  I even fell for this for a second until I was reminded what day it was.  Their ad was well put together and the overall idea/concept isn’t too far from reality.  Also, how many different pranks does Google need to create?

#4 – “What digital marketing will look like in 5 years” – iMediaConnection.com 

Premise: In an exclusive interview, Intel’s Brian David Johnson answers questions on the future of digital marketing, technology, and role of TV’s, magazines, etc. through a Google+ Hangout.  You’ll see five separate videos here, each related to a particular topic and lasting between 1-2 minutes.

Thoughts: Good thoughts and answers here from Intel’s Futurist.  My favorite answer out of the five videos posted is under the “Will TV and magazines die?” headline.  Many are quick to say that X and Y are dead/done, and that isn’t necessarily the case, they are just evolving into something a little different.

#5 – “Why You Might Want to Be More Negative in Your Marketing” – blog.hubspot.com

Premise: The author provides 8 different areas in which one might choose to leverage a negative thought, expression, etc. in their marketing efforts.  The article goes through these various options and how/why consumers are engaged by this type of marketing.  Note that towards the end of the article, they are clear that a shift or push into negative marketing can backfire.

Thoughts: I wouldn’t have even classified several of these negative marketing efforts, but they all could create buzz or have you fall flat.  You’ve certainly seen negative titles and headlines, it is what drives you to click around on the Internet so often.  I’m not a fan of #6 on this list – ‘Stir up some controversy’.  This irks me the wrong way, particularly when it seems so unbelievable and that someone or some company is just putting it out there to drive reaction from others.  My favorite on the list: #8 – ‘Make fun of yourself’.  Self-deprecating humor is humor at its best.

Have you tried to go negative in any of your marketing?  If so, did it work?  Should I preface this article with “Do not click on this link, you will never be the same” when sharing on social networks?

What else may have caught your eye in branding and digital marketing news this week?

Again, just a reminder, there will not be a ‘Sunday Musings’ next week, 4/14.  We will return the following week with more thoughts and stories in branding and digital marketing on 4/21.

Filed Under: Sunday Musings Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Sunday Musings w/ Shore Branding – 3/10/13

March 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Sunday Musings 3

Here is the first ‘Sunday Musings’ since going live with the blog this past week.  You can find past entries under the Blog-Sunday Musings tab at the top of the page.  The top five stories to catch my attention in branding and digital marketing this week are as follows:

#1 – “McDonald’s takes No. 1 spot in 4Q Restaurant Social Media Index” – NRN.com

Premise: McDonald’s overtakes Starbucks as the number one brand in the ‘Restaurant Social Media Index’ (RSMI) in Q4’12.  McDonald’s has seen tremendous growth on Twitter and Facebook in recent months according to the index, particularly in building consumer engagement and sentiment – as tracked by Digital Coco.

Thoughts: McDonald’s surpassed the titan that is Starbucks on social media, building its presence on the most prominent SM sites.  See, you can still win there if you are doing it correctly!  At the time of writing, McDonald’s falls short of the overall number of Followers and Likes on Twitter and Facebook, respectively, but has made the conscious effort to engage its customer base.

While short vs. Starbucks, McDonald’s 27.5 million Likes on Facebook dwarf its direct competitors in fast food; Burger King has 6 million, Taco Bell almost 10 million, and Wendy’s is under 3 million.  While there is certainly a stronger global presence for McDonald’s vs. these competitors, those gaps are outstanding advantages for the golden arches.

It is also important to note that this isn’t a “sound the alarms” for Starbucks and their SM efforts, and the author of the article does a good job of making this point.  In the current world we live in of overreaction to any piece of news, it was nice to see them not take that tone “against” Starbucks and say that they were a diminishing brand on SM.

#2 – “How Starbucks Uses Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+” – Econsultancy.com

Premise: Econsultancy.com has been reviewing various company’s social media efforts and strategy across platforms and took a look at Starbucks this past week.  The author provides a quick overview of Starbucks’ efforts on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and Instagram and highlights how well received the company is by its “followers” on each.

Thoughts: Reading through the article/review, I started to wonder how or why Starbucks has such a loyal following on SM platforms given the uninspiring review.  However, it clearly works with its fans and has come to be known as a golden star in social media – as mentioned above in the first article as well.

One note: I’ll be covering this in the near future specifically, but I have to mention it here given the content Starbucks puts out across platforms; I cannot stand posts/updates that are pushed out at the same time across SM sites.  Facebook posts that show up in Twitter feeds and vice versa make me cringe.  Take the ten minutes to write a unique message for your followers on each.  

#3 – “SXSWi Day 1: Grumpy Cat, 3D Printing and Other Highlights” – Mashable.com

Premise: The South by Southwest festival kicked off earlier this week and Mashable provides an overview on the highlights from day one.  Successes from SXSW include hubs from Las Vegas, American Airlines’ tent to help promote its merger, and 3D printing.  Cats also stole the show…

Thoughts: Even if Grumpy Cat makes me laugh every time, can we skip any further thoughts on cats?  Good.  I really need to get back to Austin and visit SXSW sooner rather than later.  As SXSW continues to grow, more and more brands are dedicating more resources to sponsorship and events for the festival.

Have you been to SXSW?  If so, what did you think and what were your personal highlights?

#4 – “Pizza Hut To Hold 140-Second Interviews For Social Media Manager Position at SXSW” – Forbes.com 

Premise: Pizza Hut is looking to hire a new Social Media Manager and is going about it in quite the unique way at SXSW.  You can take a look at the job description here as well: BecauseImGreat.com.  The pizza maker is interviewing candidates in record time and will continue to do so via Google+ Hangouts in a few days.  For those interested and on location at SXSW, interviewing is actually happening today at the Austin Hilton between 1pm – 5pm.

Thoughts: In one word: Phenomenal!  Yes, this is another article that points us to SXSW, but this is quite the unique means of trying to find the right person for such an important position in the company.  I have seen several articles and news stories where companies are leveraging G+ Hangouts and Skype to conduct interviews, but have never seen the coordination with Twitter’s mantra (140 characters / seconds).

Good luck to anyone that is reading this and heading over to the Hilton on Sunday.

#5 – “16 Ways Businesses Are Using Twitter Vine” – SocialMediaExaminer.com

Premise: Vine continues to pick up traction with brands and companies finding new ways to leverage the medium.  SME has a few tips and recommendations on what to do, based on what has been seen and shown from both large and small companies over the first few months of Vine’s existence.  Here’s the #1 rule: “Engage your followers in conversation”.

Thoughts: While Vine continues to be an Apple only app (?!?!) it continues to grow.  The power of Twitter speaks volumes here, as competitors to Vine such as Tout do not seem to be growing at the same rate.  SME provides a nice array of tips and recommendations here, as well as examples of what others have been doing with Vine thus far.  It should not be any surprise that the number one rule is “Engage”.  If it is a surprise, we need to talk.

As you can see, a lot of branding news caught my eye this week, particularly at SXSW.  What do you think of Vine and the future of online videos?  As mentioned earlier, I would love to hear more from those that have attended (or are attending) SXSW.

Filed Under: Sunday Musings Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Sunday Musings w/ Shore Branding – 3/3/13

March 3, 2013 By 1 Comment

Sunday Musings 2

Here are this week’s links and stories that caught my attention in branding and digital marketing this week.

#1 – “Why Some Brand Extensions Are Brilliant and Others Are Just Awkward” – Time.com

Premise: Brand extensions are happening all of the time – some of them work tremendously, while others are tremendous flops.  This article provides a few, recent examples of both.  The good: Chipotle and NyQuil; the bad: Zippo and Virgin.

Thoughts: Failed brand extensions and product launches that go too far beyond a brand’s core principles drive me a little batty.  If a brand feels the need to reinvent their wheel and go in a completely different direction, just start a new brand and give it a unique name.  Know your strengths and your limitations of where you can go, and “Focus” on what you are doing right to ensure you have a sustainable business.

(The “ “ around focus is intentional, as we’ll be starting a book review this coming week on some of my favorites around the world of branding and digital marketing.  Cliffhanger alert.)

#2 – “Groupon’s Andrew Mason: ‘I was fired’” – AdAge.com

Premise: After Groupon’s latest quarterly report, the board finally pulled the plug on its founder and CEO, Andrew Mason.  The article pastes in Mason’s full email to his employees.

Thoughts: I have sparingly used Groupon over the past few years but never truly understood how this could be a sustainable business model, particularly with the likes of Google and Amazon continuously looking to get into this space.  Groupon has proven to be one big mess of a company since going public, burning through cash at an alarming rate.  (Mason once turned down a $6 billion offer from Google several years ago.  Ouch.)

With all of that said, I thought Mason’s email to employees, as well as his general humor on social media about being let go, were done in good fashion.

#3 – “Zynga Joins Gamble on Online Gambling” – MobileMarketingWatch.com

Premise: It isn’t a matter of “if” but “when” online gambling comes in full force to the United States.  Nevada and (my very own) New Jersey are pushing down on the accelerator here and others are sure to follow.  Zynga and its CEO Mark Pincus are looking to join the fray, taking online gambling and making it “social”.

Thoughts: Zynga’s move towards “real” online gambling is a no brainer for the company.  The potential revenue from this is tremendous.  The company already enjoys millions of players for its Zynga Poker game and has recently launched ‘Go Slots’ and ‘Lucky Play’ (a sportsbook) on its own web site.  Similar to Groupon, Zynga has had a tough time convincing investors the company has a sustainable business.  However, the quicker online gambling is adopted in the US, the quicker Zynga can turn around its business.

(Disclosure: I bought Zynga stock when it first went public and have since bought on the huge drop-off.  Still holding now and waiting for … well, the above to come to fruition.)

#4 – “Making LinkedIn Work For Your Business” – manireblog.net.  

Premise: LinkedIn continues to mold itself into a preeminent spot on the web for businesses.  The author takes us through a few of the more powerful steps in which LinkedIn can be leveraged, most specifically on lead generation.  With the redesign of the site’s ‘company pages’ feature, businesses have the opportunity to customize their design and message on their page.

Thoughts: As we have mentioned here a number of times over the first month of the Sunday Musings, LinkedIn has continued to shape the functionality of its site for both businesses and individuals.  While a few of the thoughts and recommendations may seem a little basic to some, this article does a nice job of explaining what you should be covering off on if you are creating or updating your businesses LinkedIn page.

#5 – “Google Glass Changes Everything Including Inbound Marketing” – Square2Marketing.com

Premise: Google Glass has been launched and rather than just “Ooh” and “Aah” over its design and capabilities, this article takes a unique perspective on how Google Glass can have a significant impact on inbound marketing.

Thoughts: This is an interesting spin on what Google Glass can do for businesses and marketers.  The continuous search for more content, knowledge and power takes another step towards being at our fingertips 24/7 with Google Glass.  Connecting and sharing content through voice command is going to be taking a significant step forward in 2013 and into 2014 with Glass.

Take a look at the official video and feel free to “Ooh” and “Aah”:

There was a lot of news in technology this week, particularly in three companies (Groupon, Zynga, and LinkedIn) that went public more recently.  While LinkedIn has seen tremendous growth over that time, the others have struggled.  What do you think the future is for any of these three?                   

Filed Under: Sunday Musings Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Sunday Musings w/ Shore Branding – 2/24/13

February 24, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Sunday Musings 1

Here are this week’s links and stories that caught my attention in digital marketing and branding across the Internet this week.

#1 – “Mobile World Congress – 2013 Preview” – MobileWorldCongress.com 

Premise: Starting today and continuing through 2/28, the Mobile World Congress conference is taking place in Barcelona, Spain.  As mobile continues to evolve and become more prevalent, the conference takes you through all of the new and forthcoming innovations in the mobile world/community.

Thoughts: While far too late to start looking into travel to Barcelona, there is content provided on the web from this conference that is worth looking at it if you are integrating mobile into your brand/business strategy.  Note that they do have live look-ins at conference materials within a few links on the site.  You can also read through the highlights of previous conferences.

#2 – “Google+ Communities and Why They’re Important To You” – SocialMediaRevolver.com

Premise: While detractors are quick to dismiss Google+, you/they may want to reconsider your/their plans to be on the platform to help build your social media presence.  The Communities pages on G+ are a valuable resource for businesses.  Andrew Scherer, the author of this articles, provides two major factors for consideration for why you should use G+ – Integration and Power.  A unique selling point (USP) for G+ remains the Hangout feature as well.

Thoughts: I have found G+ Communities to be a wealth of knowledge and opinions on a number of topics – social media strategy, branding, SEO, and Google Analytics.  I also find Communities to be much more engaging than LinkedIn’s pages.  (Note, I have never used Facebook Groups to discuss these topics.)  I completely agree with Andrew’s points that he makes in this article and would recommend to anyone to at least take a few days to search and read through Communities that have common interests to your specialty or field.

#3 – “Why Price Will Always Trump Brand and Why It Shouldn’t Matter To Marketers” – Forbes.com

Premise: The author of this article, Steve Olenski makes an interesting argument that says pricing has become more important than branding.  The article includes several data points that suggest fans of brands are typically looking for deals, rewards, promotions, etc.

Thoughts: I’ve cut this premise short because I don’t want to speak further for the article itself.  I found the article to be a walking contradiction and I’m interested to hear what others may think.  I do not believe that price always trumps branding, which is what the title of the article would lead one to think.  However, there are multiple contradictions throughout the article to say otherwise.  It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that people have ‘traded down’ in any number of products they use on a regular basis around the house, and elsewhere.  However, there are also items that I’m not willing to trade down on due to the strong connection I have made with them, their overall quality, etc.  What do you think of the premise on this one?  Am I reading into the title too deeply?

#4 – “Why LinkedIn is a Sleeping Giant in Publishing” – Digiday.com

Premise: The author of this article, Josh Sternberg takes us through how and why LinkedIn is an ideal place to put your content on LinkedIn and how the site is just beginning to scratch the surface of its potential in this arena.  With the launch of LinkedIn’s “Influencers” (examples: Richard Branson, Mark Cuban, Guy Kawasaki, etc.) the site has become much more “social”.

Thoughts: I have to admit that what LinkedIn has done since going public in May of 2011 has been very impressive.  What used to be a site that held my online resume and skillset, I now find myself checking into the site just about every day to read the news, several Influencers, and postings within the Groups that I’ve joined over time.  While the site has transformed itself into something much greater than what it was, there is still tremendous potential for LinkedIn to go much, much further.  There was one other interesting fact in the article that I never really thought of explicitly – but you see very little spam and ridiculous commentary on LinkedIn postings, given the straightforward nature of how those are published in the public and tie back to your name/account.

#5 – “How to Use Pinterest for Business” – desivelikova.com 

Premise: Pinterest is one of, if not the fastest growing sites the world has ever seen.  The author puts together a strong infographic for how to use Pinterest to build your business and then provides several detailed steps/recommendations on best practices.

Thoughts: Admittedly, I did not jump on the Pinterest bandwagon right away.  I found it to be full of content that wasn’t of interest to me originally.  However, over time and with the growth of infographics, I have found the site to be much more engaging and a place to peruse to find interesting content and recommendations for social media sites.  For more advanced users of the site, definitely look into recommendations #5 (measuring your page’s performance) and #7 (monitoring your pins).

What caught your eye this week?  Did any of the information above help you or your business?

Filed Under: Sunday Musings Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Poll Question: Which social media sites do you leverage the most?

February 23, 2013 By 1 Comment
Which social media sites do you prefer?

Which social media sites do you prefer?

You have probably noticed the poll on the right sidebar of each page – Which social media sites do you leverage the most?  This poll will be leveraged to kick-off a series of write-ups that Shore Branding will be blogging about over the next few months.  The social media site with the most votes at the end of March ’13 will be the focal point of the first blog entry in the series.  The write-up on said site will consist of recommendations and thoughts on how to best leverage the site for businesses, a “do and don’t” list for your consideration, as well as infographics for the site that have been put together for each.

Over the course of time, each of the social media sites in this poll will become separate blog entries that include similar thoughts and recommendations for users and businesses of each.  Let us know which site you use most frequently and in the comments below and/or let us know what you like most about your selection and what benefits you may have already gained from leveraging the site.  We are interested in hearing what may have worked for you.

Filed Under: Shore Branding's Blog Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Sunday Musings w/ Shore Branding – 2/17/13

February 17, 2013 By 2 Comments

Sunday Musings 3

Here are the links and stories that caught my attention in digital marketing and branding this week.  As mentioned in the first Sunday Musings entry last week, we’ll be updating this section each week with stories that caught my attention and found to be of particular interest.

#1 – “The Brilliant “Most Viewed” Award from LinkedIn…” – MarketingCommunicationsInk.com 

Premise: LinkedIn went over the 200 million user mark recently and they sent out notifications to the top 1%, 5%, and 10% most viewed profiles in 2012.  Their strategy of sharing this news across the web and with others seems to have been a success, as this was one of many articles written up about the initiative.

Thoughts: The writer of this particular link/article went through a similar set of emotions and thoughts that I had earlier this week when I received the email from LinkedIn saying that I was in the top 10% as well.  Was it spam, how many people does this actually consist of, and then admiration that LinkedIn was creating a good amount of buzz for their site.  I would assume this will now be an annual tradition for the site moving forward.  Here is the infographic that LinkedIn provided with the email that illustrates some of the more basic stats for their site.

#2 – “Here’s How People Look at Your Facebook Profile” – Mashable.com

Premise: Mashable provides some interesting perspective on how and where viewers tend to look on a number of social media / digital web sites through eye tracking.

Thoughts: I almost didn’t click on this due to the title and thinking it was only about Facebook.  However, I’m fascinated by eye tracking testing and where people are going/looking when they get to a web site.  Open up the gallery towards the bottom of the article to see the eye tracking results across a number of popular SM sites, including; Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Klout, etc.

#3 – “64 Google+ Content Strategies” – copyblogger.com

Premise: Copyblogger puts together a number of recommendations and thoughts on how to use Google+, along with the overall recommendation that you should use G+.  The article includes an in depth infographic at the end for your consideration.

Thoughts: Interesting thoughts and ideas here from the copyblogger.com team.  I tend to agree with a lot of their thoughts, including how to share, leverage G+’s Circles, linking your blog, etc.  While I have not used G+ too much as a personal web site in the mold of Facebook, I find the content in the Communities and the ability to speak to specific people through Circles to be tremendous assets for the site.  The Hangouts feature is still just at the cusp of what it can be and what it can become in the business world.

#4 – “Poland Spring blows Rubio #watergate moment, fails Twitter 101” – CNET.com

Premise: Earlier this week President Obama gave his State of the Union speech.  The Republican response to the speech was given by Florida Senator, Marco Rubio.  During the latter’s speech, there was a Twitter storm due to Rubio’s need to reach for a drink of (Poland Spring) water several times.  This could have been an excellent time for someone on the Poland Spring team to log into their Twitter account and jump in on the fun to promote their brand, but they failed miserably.

Thoughts: This is one of my biggest pleas with companies, if you aren’t going to use a site consistently to get your message out there, why bother signing up or post anything at all?  I could understand wanting to grab the page/name itself, but to post for some time and then just give up is another thing.  At the time of this writing, Poland Spring hasn’t tweeted since 7/26/10.  This was a tremendous opportunity for Poland Spring to get out in front of the action as it was happening and capitalize on it.

After Rubio’s speech, his team must have seen the news that this was creating and tweeted the following – a second, golden opportunity for Poland Spring to capitalize on!

#5 – “American Express Syncs with Twitter to Unlock the Purchasing Power of the #Hashtag” – AmericanExpress.com Press Release

Premise: Amex continues to strengthen its digital presence with the announcement that consumers can now tweet specific hashtags and buy products on Twitter.  The early partnerships with Amex include Amazon, Sony, Donna Karan’s Urban Zen Bracelet, and Xbox.  All you have to do is sync your Amex card to your Twitter account and you are all set to start purchasing through the site.

Thoughts: Continuing to invent new means through the purchase channel on digital channels has been a real strength for Amex relative to their direct competitors.  This is another great idea for trial.  My one concern is the ease of how people can likely tweet the key words and then claim they didn’t mean to or want to do so or that they were just ‘fooling around’.  This really just comes down to user self-discipline.  Overall, I think this is a great idea and has the potential to grow with more partners.

What do you think?  Did any of these particular stories grab your attention as well?  If so, why?  Let me know if the comment section below.

Filed Under: Sunday Musings Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,