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Successful Event Marketing with Contests – A San Diego Science Festival Case Study.

March 9, 2010 by patrickdillon

This is the best all around contest we’ve seen in a long time.  From concept to execution this campaign took an integrated marketing approach that required thought, planning and effort from multiple teams, but the results were more than worth the effort.

We were approached by Sneaker Academy in late September 2009 to help create a “Mascot Design Competition” for a non-profit local event called San Diego Science Festival organized by UC San Diego.  SA was looking to build their own solution, but a mutual friend presented our product and it seemed like a better fit for a few reasons.  Here were their concerns:

  1. They needed something turn-key
  2. They wanted something simple & engaging
  3. They liked the on-demand product integration – meaning kids could submit a design, and but their creation on a t-shirt of other products during the contest
  4. They had an Oct. 1 launch deadline, so we had about 10 days (NO PROBLEM!)

The concept, as developed by SA, was to create a mascot drawing contest that area students and local designers could participate in to create the official mascot for the festival.  The contest ran for two and a half months and generated the following results:

  1. 201 participants
  2. 328 submissions
  3. 413,000 votes

All submissions were voted on by the San Diego community.  The top submissions were then voted on by a final panel of judges to determine the grand prize winner…

"Albert Globestein"

SA had a professional artist re-draw the design to use in their marketing…

SD Science Festival Mascot

“Artistic Hub’s voting application provided a great platform to support our Marketing and PR strategy for the San Diego Science Festival. We planned a surprise unveiling at the winner’s school which extended Festival exposure and credibility in the community through media coverage and an on-campus presence. Most importantly, the contest was fun for everyone involved.” – Jessica McKimmie, Chancellor of Sneaker Academy Marketing

Just one last note: the “surprise unveiling” involved bringing in the actual mascot from the San Diego Padres MLB team to hand over a $1,000 check to the winning student.  What a great touch!

Thanks to Sneaker Academy for making this campaign a great success!

Posted in Event Marketing, Fundraising, Marketing | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

Great Company, Great Cause – Partnerships With Industry

March 8, 2010 by Jimmy Hendricks

I met with an amazing company in San Diego last Friday that has an amazing mission, Patnerships with Industry.

Here is what their website says they can do:

PWI provides job training, placement, and ongoing support services for adults with developmental disabilities to work in the community. In collaboration with outstanding partnerships with over 350 employers, PWI creates employment opportunities for individuals and meets employers’ labor needs. Founded in 1985, PWI serves over 650 individuals daily.

After meeting with them, here is what they can do for your business:

PWI gives developmentally challenged adults jobs by providing a very cost-effective outsourcing solution for San Diego businesses who have busy work, repetitive project work, or bulk packaging needs. For example Cox Cable use them to clean and repackage remotes. A car company uses PWI to put plastic packaging on a rubber shock absorber.

PWI has project managers that monitor the job, a great assembly room, insurance, and they manage all the payroll for the staff. Its a win/win for San Diego companies.

So if you are San Diego company, contact PWI, if you need:

  • A thousand products put in packaging
  • Thousands of envelopes stuffed an mailed
  • Staff for a repetitive job that needs quality control

Its a great solution and a great benefit to the community!

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Management | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

12 SEO Tips We Learned from Business OnLine

February 25, 2010 by Jimmy Hendricks

The past couple days I attended Online Marketing Summit in San Diego. The conferences was maxed out and especially excellent if you are interested in email and SEO.

The event was well organized, talks were top notch, and I met some great people, but the #1 thing I learned was some great SEO tips. I sat down for 15 minutes with Thomas Beatty a Sr. Analyst with Business OnLine for an SEO audit of our online contest software company Artistic Hub.

In 15 minutes I learned some basic but very valuable SEO best practices that we are implementing immediately. Since i believe in the power of Paying It Forward I wanted to share. We just created this summary so these aren’t implemented yet, but will be by next week.

12 SEO tips I learned from Business OnLine

1)    Make sure your title matches your keywords

  • Old: Online Contest Software | Photo Contest Applications | White-label Contest Platform | Artistic Hub
  • New: Contest Software | Photo Contest Software | Customizable Contest Software | Artistic Hub

2)    Modify your description to be accurate and keyword focused:

  • Old: “Artistic Hub is a white-label contest application company. Our contest platform can power photo contests, design contests, audio contests, or video contests.”
  • New: “Artistic Hub is the leading contest software company. Our contest software can be customized for photo contests, design contests, audio contests, or video contests.”

3)    Modified and consistent keywords:

  • We were using software, application, and platform inconsistently. We are combining all the terms to use software.

4)    Use keywords accurately in content:

  • The top two searches for us are “contest software” and “photo contest software”. Anytime we use these we should use text and we want to use the combination as much as possible without forcing it.

5)    Use text for navigation not images:

  • We are big on design and a lot of our links are images so we are modifying to be text.

6)    Modify top navigation to be text and keyword focused:

  • Our Applications -> Our Contest Software
  • How It Works -> How Our Contests Work
  • Features -> Contest Features

7)   Modify sub navigation text under features to be text and keyword focused

  • Branding and Integration -> Contest Branding and Integration
  • Management Center -> Contest Management
  • Distribution Strategy -> Contest Distribution
  • Re-read the content and change any references to applications or software to “contest software”. Should always be ….our contest software…

8)    Use descriptive alt tags on all our images. Here is an article for reference and here is what we are changing:

  • Add alt tag to our AH icon on top “ Artistic Hub Contest Software, Photo Contest Software, Online Contest Software”
  • Add alt tags to all of our “Our Application” hover over images

9)    Use top keywords if appropriate in our bottom navigation:

  • Change “our applications” to “Our Contest Software”
  • Add software to the end of each sub link ex: “photo contest software”

10)    Add a Custom 404 Page. Here is a 404 info reference

  • Anytime someone enters an extension on “http://artistichub.com/blahblah” it should show a custom 404 page with some text like “Sorry you didn’t find what you are looking for. Were you looking for one of these things. The page would then list our navigation links.

11)    Modify plain page anchors to use keywords

  • http://artistichub.com/#t02 should say  http://artistichub.com/#OurContestSoftware

12)    Break out our website into pages with below the fold content.

  • We are using a one page website design and Thomas’ suggestion was to break out the website into pages. We are keen on design so he showed me an example of how the Venetian in Vegas uses flash with content below the fold. The home page looks awesome with great flash, but as you scroll down you will see a page of text so search spiders can index the content properly

So this is what we learned and these are easy best practices that anyone can implement. If you are looking for bigger SEO projects I highly recommend Business OnLine.

Posted in Marketing, socialmedia | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment »

9 Ways to Build Your E-mail List

February 21, 2010 by Jimmy Hendricks

One of the most valuable and highest ROI forms of marketing is via email. Most businesses realize this but their biggest challenge is building their email list. Clients ask us every day for tips on building their email lists so I wanted to share some of the advice we give. Next week I’ll cover tips to having a great newsletter, because once a company develops an email list the next step is to communicate.

Here are 9 Ways to Build Your Email List

  1. Add an Email Opt-in on Your Website and Facebook – The easiest way to get emails is to ask. Simply add an email opt-in form on your website and any social media sites your company maintains.
  2. Online Contests – The second way to drive a lot of email submissions is to run a contest for your customers. This is one of the biggest benefits our clients receive at Artistic Hub when they work with this. We consistently add 100-300 emails a month to our local clients databases and for our larger accounts 1,000 – 3,000 emails a month. The key is to make the contest fun, easy to enter, and offer a compelling prize. The more compelling the prize the more people are motivated to participate.
  3. Create a Fish Bowl for Employees – As your company grows, employees will come in contact with hundreds and thousands of people. Train them to ask people when they get their card if they can add them to your email list. Make sure to ask or you will offend people, but if they say yes sign them up. Once you have trained your staff leave a “Fish Bowl” or box for your employees to put business cards in. Restaurants utilize this strategy all the time and there is even a company called Fish Bowl that manages the program for a very small price.
  4. Offer a % off Incentive – A sometimes overlooked way to increase email opt-ins is to give a discount or incentive. Simply promoting a 10% off or $10 off coupon if someone signs up for your newsletter works great.
  5. Give Something Away for Free - Instead of a discount another option is to give some information away for free. A white-paper, a report, or an industry analysis that your company has done that could be beneficial to a prospect’s research.
  6. Add A Guest Book Online or In Your Store - For businesses that have a retail or storefront, simply adding a guest books at the entrance and near the registers is an additional capture point. Many people will sign-up while they are waiting to make a purchase. Use similar messaging online.
  7. Ask for Emails with Purchases Online or In Person – Another place to ask for email sign-ups is after a customer makes a purchase. This can be in person or online. Online after a customer’s payment is confirmed they should see a message asking if they want to receive updates and specials. Many times this can also be a check box right after they enter their email.
  8. Ask for Sign-ups in Email Confirmations – The second time to ask for email sign-ups after a customer makes a purchase is in the receipt or confirmation email you send them. You are allowed to message a person after a transaction if they give you their email, but you can’t just add them to your email list. So, make sure in your standard email confirmation text you ask them again if they want to receive future communications.
  9. During Customer Service or Inquiry Calls – Most calls businesses get are either customer inquiries or customer service calls. Train your staff to ask each person if they can have their email and if they want to receive updates or future special offers.

The key with building an email list is to just start. Over time the list will build and your sales will go up.

If you have other great ideas, please add them in the comments!

Posted in Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Best Social Media in Business Nomination

February 17, 2010 by Jimmy Hendricks

I wanted to thank the San Diego community for nominating our blog for Best Social Media in Business.

Social Media and this blog have both paid a big part in our success. We have established credibility, grown our market, and attracted new customers.

Every business has experts in their company and a relevant corporate blog is the best way to express this expertise.

If you haven’t voted, please cast your vote here and check out some of the other great companies  in San Diego.

Posted in Marketing, socialmedia | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

2 Philosophies on Designing a Social Media Strategy

February 15, 2010 by Jimmy Hendricks

Over the weekend I was brainstorming ideas for social media campaigns for a large consumer product. The company is super conservative and social media in their industry is almost non-existent. As a result, I wanted to make sure that I set the right frame for the client before I went into a laundry list of ideas. I developed this as an introduction titled “Social Media Philosophy”. I believe writing a good introduction with any proposal helps the client understand where you are coming from. Let me know what you think.

Social Media Philosophy

The goal with social media is to create something that people want to promote and share. Promotion and sharing, the goals of “social media”, can be accomplished in two completely different ways.

One option is being novel and fun. Burger King is a great brand example with their subservient chicken and unfriend Facebook campaign. This works great for brands that spend a ton of money on lots of short campaigns arnd are willing to push the envelope. The advantages of this strategy are quick viral marketing and huge word of mouth. The disadvantages are the campaigns tend to die just as quick and are really a fad/novelty.

The other option is to develop campaigns and strategies that are really useful, provide value to clients, and support the community of their customers. Mini Cooper’s car community, North American Motoring, is a great example.  They have created a simple forum for Mini Cooper owners to share issues, give feedback , and brag a little through photo galleries.This strategy works great for higher priced products, premium brands, conservative companies, and companies that already have large a customer base. The advantages of this strategy are providing value to owners, attracting new customers, and once established the strategies tend to grow and are easy to sustain. The disadvantages are there are no expectations of a big “pop” immediately and it takes some time to develop. These disadvantages though can be offset by companies with a large database of past customers.

Posted in Marketing, socialmedia | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Angels and Airwaves New Album Love – Free Release

February 13, 2010 by Jimmy Hendricks

I wanted to share the link  for the new release of Angel and Airwaves album Love and their short film fittingly with the same title Love.

Their new album Love is released on the timely Valentines Day weekend and I’m looking forward to listening.

Angels went the route of a free release with a tip/donation jar. I love this route and its been proven to work by bands like Radio Head in the past. I also believe this is the new route of music. Bands will work with a label for a few years, gain popularity, hone their skills, and then go independent. Its awesome.

You can download the album exclusively at Fuel.TV

The trailer for their short film Love can be seen at their community Modlife.

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, socialmedia | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Vans Style Photo Contest Launches on GrindTV.com

February 10, 2010 by Jimmy Hendricks

We are excited to launch a new campaign with Vans on GrindTV.com.

Vans Style Photo Contest Launched February 9, 2010

Posted in Marketing, socialmedia | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

Marketplaces 2010 – The Local Vertical Opportunity – San Diego, CA March 22-24 –

February 10, 2010 by Jimmy Hendricks

March 22- 24 there is an awesome conference, Marketplaces 2010, coming to San Diego. I wanted to share this event as I will be attending.

Here is a list of the headline speakers and I’ve posted their press release below for more detailed information.

Speakers:

  • Jon Brod – Exec VP of AOL Ventures
  • Jon Herratti – CEO of CitySearch
  • Andrew Mason – Founder and CEO of Groupon
  • Sam Sebastian – Director, Local & B2B Markets Google
  • Craig Smith – CEO of Service Magic

If your company is looking to go local, market local, or do biz dev with any of the above companies I recommend attending.

Here is the link to register: Marketplaces 2010

#Press Release#

Local media execs to gather at BIA/Kelsey’s Marketplaces 2010 conference, March 22-24 in San Diego, to examine the outlook and business opportunities in online vertical media

CHANTILLY, Va. (Feb. 10, 2010) – While only 5 percent of small and medium-sized businesses say they currently advertise in online vertical directories, nearly two-thirds (64 percent) express a willingness to buy online vertical directory ads, according to BIA/Kelsey’s Local Commerce Monitor study. It is this local vertical advertising opportunity that will be the focus of BIA/Kelsey’s upcoming Marketplaces 2010 conference (www.kelseygroup.com/marketplaces2010), which takes place March 22-24 in San Diego.

“More than half a billion dollars have recently poured into the local vertical media and advertising space,” said Peter Krasilovsky, vice president and program director, Marketplaces, BIA/Kelsey. “At Marketplaces, we’ll take a close look at the market opportunity in verticals, and we’ll hear from the companies that are successfully using vertical approaches in search and content to drive audiences and value.”

The Marketplaces 2010 program will feature more than 50 influential executives from across local media, vertical sites and services, including five keynote addresses by Jon Brod, Executive VP, AOL Ventures; Jay Herratti, CEO, Citysearch; Andrew Mason, Founder and CEO, Groupon; Sam Sebastian, Director, Local & B2B Markets, Google; and Craig Smith, CEO, ServiceMagic.

The conference will also include 11 general sessions, a bonus pre-conference session devoted to the latest tools for marketplaces success and a SuperForum focused on the mobile vertical space.

Marketplaces’ “Mobile Vertical SuperForum” is a fast-paced series of micro-sessions on the rapidly changing mobile vertical landscape. The SuperForum will include a mobile kick-off address, product demos and deep discussions around the growing opportunities in mobile. Companies participating in the Mobile Vertical SuperForum include Big in Japan (ShopSavvy), CallSpark, LocalAdXchange, Loopt, MoVoxx, OpenTable, RepairPal and Yelp.

Highlights from the conference agenda include:

  • Vertical Ad Networks Revisited
  • Applying Social Media to Vertical Marketplaces
  • The Engines of Vertical Search
  • The New Content Aggregators
  • Small Business Marketplaces
  • The New City Guides
  • The New Directory/Marketplace Plays
  • Back to Square One: Refocus on Revenues

Conference sponsors include Acxiom, AgendiZe, Amdocs, Local.com, Local Matters and Localeze. Groupon is the promotional partner for Marketplaces. Association partners are Association of Directory Publishers (ADP), Great Outdoor Network (GON), International Classified Media Association (ICMA), National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and Yellow Pages Association (YPA). The conference media partner is the Advanced Interactive Media Group (AIM Group). For more information on Marketplaces 2010, visit www.kelseygroup.com/marketplaces2010.

About Local Commerce Monitor
Local Commerce Monitor is BIA/Kelsey’s annual tracking survey of small and medium-sized businesses, conducted with research partner ConStat since 1999. The survey measures where SMBs are spending their advertising and promotional budgets and how their media usage and spending habits are evolving. Local Commerce Monitor draws its sample of business respondents from a mix of nationally scoped MSAs, which include first- and second-tier markets. Local Commerce Monitor Wave XIII was conducted in August 2009 via an online survey of 302 SMBs.

About BIA/Kelsey

BIA/Kelsey advises companies in the local media space through consulting and valuation services, research, Continuous Advisory Services and conferences. Since 1983 BIA/Kelsey has been a resource to the media, mobile advertising, telecommunications, Yellow Pages and electronic directory markets, as well as to government agencies, law firms and investment companies looking to understand trends and revenue drivers. BIA/Kelsey’s annual conferences draw executives from across industries seeking expert guidance on how companies are finding innovative ways to grow. Additional information is available at www.bia.com and www.kelseygroup.com. The company’s blogs are located at http://blog.bia.com/bia/ and http://blog.kelseygroup.com/, and it can be found on Twitter through http://twitter.com/BIAKelsey.

###

For more information contact:

Eileen Pacheco

For BIA/Kelsey

(781) 556-1026

eileen@tango-group.com

MacKenzie Lovings

BIA/Kelsey

(703) 818-2425

mlovings@bia.com

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Contests Are Great for Lead Generation

February 8, 2010 by Jimmy Hendricks

One of the market trends we have realized is that contests are not just for big brands and companies. They are very effective local lead generation tools. Companies that are looking to increase the response rate and build local email lists have a lot of success with using our platform.

Here is a scenario for home remodeling companies.

Why it works!

A homeowner is reading the local paper. They see an ad for a sale on some area of home improvement, but maybe they aren’t in the market at the moment. They have no reason to call a business, or keep their information so they ignore the ad. Now imagine they see the same ad promoting a “Best Kitchen or Best Backyard” photo contest or a theme related to a business, to win a free grill. By submitting a photo, the homeowner has a chance to win. They are now motivated to visit a company’s website and enter a photo to win. The contest captures their email so a company can send them future promotions. Now when they’re ready to make an improvement they call. As the theme of the contest changes each month, hundreds of people enter, quickly building an email list for future marketing.

How it works!

• Artistic Hub provides and out-of-the-box software to automate photo contests directly on a businesses site
• We provide everything from technology, setup, creative design, hosting, rules/terms/conditions, and implementation
• A new winner is announced monthly, so homeowners keep coming back to participate in new contests
• The customer tells their friends to vote on their photo, exposing a company to more potential customers
• The contest captures the email for each participant to build a large email marketing database very quickly

Benefits to a business!

• Quickly build a large email marketing list of target
customers who have opted in
• Increase site traffic, site time, and return visitors
• Measurable return on print advertising (better call to action)
• Better margins through email marketing

Benefits to Coop Advertisers!

• Better return/results from print advertising
• Email marketing database for long term advertising
• More sales = more revenue for co-op partner
• Differentiators in local market

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