November 11, 2009 by Simon Baer
Crowd Sourcing and Engagement are probably the two biggest buzz terms in marketing today. My non-marketing friends know about interactive marketing; know that it’s here to stay, and know a handful of terms and buzz and then wonder what in the hell I do.
Of course any interactive campaign has several goals:
- Fan/customer engagement
- Crowd-sourcing
- Differentiating yourself from competitors
- Drive time on site and impressions
- Increase ad revenue
- Email capture
- Attract new customers or advertisers
It’s possible to have several goals but it’s best to identify your primary objectives. Although it is possible to have both as objectives, one has to take precedence over the other or the campaign could be viewed as a failure. The two basic types of campaigns that our technology can be used for are crowd-sourcing efforts or customer/fan engagement. Engagement campaigns can be fun, safe ways for brands or media properties to interact with their fans while crowd-sourcing campaigns can be a great way to tap into the community for creative work.
Here are the distinctions between crowd-sourcing campaigns and engagement campaign.
Engagement
- Low barrier to participation- Photo contests with very broad themes are the best way to guarantee high participation. Ihoops is an NCAA/NBA collaborative; their theme is simple—youth basketball.
- Results are not as quantifiable- Around the office we use the term ‘fan engagement’ rather than ‘customer engagement’ because customers that are fans will champion your brand to passive customers. Tapatio Hot Sauce is a perfect example- The hot sauce is sold and served in restaurants across North America so it must have millions of passive customers but it has formed a quirky and massive following of 27,000 facebook fans who have demonstrated they are willing to share their love with their friends. This month’s contest is best “Tapatio costume contest.” There are a suprising number of Tapatio themed costumes out there—by hosting the contest Tapatio has given these fans a chance to share their enthusiasm.
- Engagement campaigns can be sustained long-term- Themes can be loosely based, seasonal or change based on the community. Starting December, Sacramento Press will start a series of neighborhood photo contests. These have a very low barrier to entry, can be recycled easily and can easily attract local sponsors.
Measures of Success for Engagement Campaigns: quantity of submissions, number of votes, and time on site
Crowd-sourcing
- High barrier to participation- Anything other than drawings and doodles requires a certain level of expertise especially video editing and graphic design.
- Must reach out to people outside of brand- The San Diego Science Festival asked us to help them host a contest for a new mascot. Initially submissions were below their expectations but the AOR began reaching out to design students and comic book artists and have dramatically improved the quality of submissions.
- Requires worthwhile incentives- If you want someone to submit quality work you have to give them incentives. Simple enough right?
- Difficult to maintain long-term campaign- Most of these campaigns are one-offs for new product design, logos or mascots. Plus the high barrier to entry and high-value prizes make long-term campaigns unattractive.
Measures of Success for Crowd-sourcing Campaign: Quality of submissions- at least one usable design, hopefully several
This post was inspired by a post on Creativity Unbound by Edward Boches about a new agency that will specialize in crowd-sourcing campaigns. It will be interesting to see how Victor and Spoils will do. One of their biggest challenges will be maintaining enough clients when they’re only running short term campaigns. They should be able to negate this by; establishing a network of designers, solid relationships with AORs and reaching out to top-tier customers with multiple brands. Their business model is solid and they seem like a talented team. (Actually they seem like a team of evil lawyers but we’ll see their true colors once the new website is up- via crowd-sourcing of course!)
Posted in Marketing, Simon Baer, socialmedia | Tagged AOR, Community Engagement, creativity unbound, crowd-sourcing, crowdsourcing, customer engagement, deward boches, email capture, engagement, facebook, fan engagement, graphic design, Ihoops, increase ad revenue, interactive marketing, NBA, NCAA, photo contest themes, sacramento press, San Diego Science Festival, tapatio hot sauce, victor and spoils, Youth Basketball | 2 Comments »
November 4, 2009 by collarfreedotcom
One of the biggest questions we hear all the time: “How can we better engage our customers?”
Here are two points to think about first and 5 ideas to considering implementing.
First, treat customers they way you want them to act. We commonly call customers, “Fans”. We want customers to not just purchase or be passive. We want them to be evangelists and engage with the brand. The way you treat people is the way they act so make them feel special!
Second, it is not about doing everything. It is about doing a few things really well and growing programs from feedback given by your fans. We see so many companies and online communities try to offer everything from the beginning and it is not only too much but they don’t have the capacity to manage the programs.
Here are five ideas I believe are the most effective at engaging your community and driving participation.
1. Community Management
The most important thing in any relationship is communication. As a brand or online community grows, hiring someone to communicate with new users will pay dividends in a big way. Over time you cannot communicate with every user, but the early adopters often are the ones that promote your brand the most. Later you can keep the interaction going with short surveys when one on one communication isn’t reasonable.
Key questions to ask through emails or surveys:
- What do you love about our brand?
- Why did you join our community? (…or Fan Page)
- What features do you like about our community?
- What features do you want to see?
Chris Brogan wrote a good post on what a Community Manager means to him. Many of the quantifiable reasons can also been seen in this blog Virtuous Circle of Online Community.
2. Contests
Contests are one of the best ways to engage a fan base during a peak period or for an on-going basis. They are effective at increasing traffic, creating user-generated content, and building email marketing lists as people opt-in more frequently.
Here are a few ideas:
- Facebook Contests: Campaigns on your fan page give people a reason to come back after they have clicked “become a fan.” STA Travel has done a great job partnering with Threadless.com. We also recommend Wildfire Apps for Facebook campaigns.
- Photo Contests: Best sports photo, cutest pet, or coolest travel photos are a few broad concepts but the ideas are limitless. Photo contests also drive the highest participation because of the ease of entry. Our photo contest for Eteamz.com averages 1,000,000 impressions a month and an average voting time over 8:00 minutes.
3. Fostering Forums and Discussion Threads
Monitoring forums and community threads is a simpler version of community management. Sometimes just posting thoughts and getting feedback from users is the foundation a brand needs to create evangelists and an online community.
Forums are an old method, but done right are very effective. Mini Cooper does an excellent job with their North American Motoring Community.
Social Media Explorer also referenced a good book on starting and managing a forum among other tips.
4. Polls
Polls and min-surveys are another simple community management tool that can provide great feedback as long as it’s not intrusive to the user experience.
My recommendations:
- Don’t use pop-ups!
- Simple is better
- Use multiple buttons
Beverage companies can ask consumers to vote on their favorite drink, news websites can ask users about the stories they are interested in, and brands can even have people vote on their favorite commercials.
5. Sweepstakes
Sweepstakes and simple email entry forms are basic, but with the right advertiser or offers they can be a big hit. Conde Naste’s online magazine sites run them all the time and average upwards of 10,000 to 15,000 entries per campaign. Their advertisers love this and this is a very efficient way of building subscriber lists.
Please leave good examples you have seen in the comments.
Posted in Marketing, socialmedia | Tagged Brand Engagement, Community Engagement, Community Management, Design Contests, Forums, Photo Contests, Polls, Surveys, Sweepstakes, Video Contests | Leave a Comment »
November 3, 2009 by Simon Baer
My favorite part of Halloween is the lack of real identity that one holds on to on a daily basis. Sure it’s an opportunity for the button-down businessman to live his Brett Michaels fantasy for the day but there are more subtle identity-benders that make the night so interesting.
First, it is totally acceptable not to bother learning people’s real names; for those of us with poor passing memory, this is a life-saver. No longer do you need to worry if her name is Kristy, Christine, or Kristina. For the rest of the evening the spunky blonde can be known as Kate Gosselin.
Second, your identity for the evening is in the eye of the beholder. This year I was Ferret Boy (loosely based on an elementary-school friend. Plus an excuse to buy an awesome ferret shirt!) Apparently my rendition of Ferret Boy looks a lot like Napoleon Dynamite, Napoleon it is I guess.
My third point, (this is how this ties into a work blog) is that people’s Halloween characters tend to be a reaffirmation of their real-life character.
Landmark Events helped us to host a kick-ass party at the Pearl Hotel, about halfway through the evening we gathered those of us present for a team photo. Everyone was spot-on in their costume selection. The design girls wowed us with their creativity and superb execution. Eric made a 200 pound ex-MP look dainty with a set of DDs and a sheer white shirt. Both Jimmy and Pat slipped into costumes that looked so easy and natural they might not have been costumes (seriously Pat, the Peewee Herman get-up should not be that easy).
So… I guess this inadvertently relates to my last post. Want to know if your organization will be successful? Throw them a costume party and see who shows up- The more ridiculous the costumes the more successful the team.
Posted in Management, Simon Baer | Tagged brett michaels, costume party, costumes, ferrets, halloween, halloween party, identity, kate gosselin, landmark events, napoleon dynamite, pearl hotel, success | Leave a Comment »
October 28, 2009 by Simon Baer
Human interaction is a great way to establish connections, swap ideas, and find out what’s happening outside of your bubble. Attending conferences, exhibiting, and/or speaking at these events will grow your business and establish credibility for both you and your company.
Here is a list we’re putting together of the top internet marketing, 2.0, and interactive conferences for 2010. Please add any conferences we missed for 2010 in the comments.
January
Kellogg Marketing Conference— 1/22-23 Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Attendees: Marketers (of all kinds), Sales Managers, Brand Managers, Small/Medium Business Owners, MBAs
Social Media Conference 1/27 – 1/29 Miami, FL
February
Online Marketing Summit—2/22-25 San Diego!!!
Attendees: Brand Marketers, Strategists, SEO Marketers, Digital Media
March
Search Marketing Expo West—3/2-4 Santa Clara, CA
Attendees: SEM, SEO marketers, E-commerce managers
Media Summit New York – 3/10-11 NYC
Attendees: Advertising Sales, Digital Advertising, Station Managers, Producers
PMA Annual Integrated Marketing Conference 3/24 – 3/25 Chicago, IL
Social Media Conference NW 3/25 – Mount Vernon, WA
Sports Event Marketing Experience—3/26-27 Washington DC
Attendees: Pro and College Sports Marketing and Managers
Inbound Marketing Summit – 3/30 San Francisco
Attendees: Brand Managers, New Media Managers
Where 2.0 Conference 3/30 – 4/1 San Jose, CA
April
Kellogg School of Management Technology Conferece—4/21 Northwestern University, Evantston, IL
Advertising Age Digital Conference – 4/13 -4/14 New York City
SXSW Interactive 4/12 -4/16 Austin, TX
Ad Tech – San Francisco 4/20-4/22 Moscone Center West
May
Community 2.0 Conference – 5/3 -5/5 Boston, MA
June
AAF National Conference 6/10 -6/12
October
Blogworld and New Media Expo 10/14 -10/16 Las Vegas, NV
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Simon Baer | Tagged 2010, advertising, brand managers, conferences, digital advertising, interactive, internet marketing, kellogg conferences, kellogg school of management, media summit, new media, NYC, online marketing, San Diego, SEM, SEO, social media, Sports Marketing, spring 2010, summit, SXSW | 2 Comments »
October 28, 2009 by collarfreedotcom
We are excited to launch our most recent photo contest in partnership with the NBA, NCAA, and The Active Network. Adidas, Nike, and Right Guard are also founding partners.
Kids, parents, and families can now submit and vote on their favorite basketball photo. From experience, we know these type of interactive activities engage visitors while the community builds.
iHoops, the official joint youth basketball initiative of the NCAA and the NBA, has launched its web site, iHoops.com, which provides support services and programs for parents, players, coaches, officials, and administrators of youth basketball programs.
“iHoops.com will serve as an essential resource for the youth basketball community,” said Kevin Weiberg, iHoops CEO. “This site will be the definitive online source where everyone intimately involved in youth basketball can find the valuable tools and information they need to succeed.
Here is the full press release: Ihoops Press Release
And watch for the television and courtside advertising that starts tonight during the NBA game! The television ad should be played around half time of the Boston Celtics/Cleveland Cavaliers game which starts at 4:30 p.m. Pacific time on TNT.
You can also see the commercial here: Ihoops Commercial
To find out more information about our applications email patrick@artistichub.com or visit www.artistichub.com
Posted in Marketing | Tagged Active Network, Artistic Hub, Basketball, Ihoops, NBA, NCAA, Photo Contest, Youth Basketball | Leave a Comment »
October 26, 2009 by Simon Baer
My first post will be about trust. Not the most thrilling topic but a crucial element at a startup. I say this because in many ways trust is a very real assets at a start-up, it’s free and it can be used to create a very dynamic and productive work environment.
Admittedly, I’ve had my doubts about my role at the company and the company as a whole. Am I a valuable to the team? Do I fit in? What happens if the company doesn’t work out?
In the end there are only two questions that matter. And the answers are yes and yes. You are valuable to the team and you fit in great.
Resources at a startup are tight. You and the company are each other’s biggest investors— in this economy there is no shortage of talented, ambitious (and more experienced) help out there. Whenever doubts pop into your mind remind yourself that if the company is dedicating a portion of these coveted resources towards your salary, you are worth it or you wouldn’t be here. On the flip side, I am young, ambitious and underpaid. I give up short term income for invaluable training, a work environment that suits me perfectly and ultimately long term success. I believe in our co-founders, the business model and our product or I wouldn’t be here. With open and frank communication, ambition and focus a young entrepreneur in a startup can have as much job security as an OB/GYN or funeral director 
Trust Fall
Posted in Management, Simon Baer, Training | Tagged college, entrepreneur, finding a job, first job, New Job, Start up, startup, Trust, young | Leave a Comment »
October 22, 2009 by collarfreedotcom
Simon Baer will be guest blogging on ‘Life of a Founder’ he is the youngest and newest member of the Artistic Hub team.
He started with the Sales team in May and has since moved to an operational role. His responsibilities cover everything from project management and CRM to cleaning the fridge. While Jimmy’s posts cover the life of a start up from a founder’s perspective, Simon’s posts will be written from his perspective; fresh out of college and thrown into the mix at a startup.
Success from Below!!
Posted in Management | Tagged Simon Baer | Leave a Comment »
October 21, 2009 by collarfreedotcom
One of the biggest things I’m a believer of is one on one meetings with key members of your team each week. When you are a start-up everyone is a key member and over time its your managers and directors.
You can have more impact in 3o minutes to 1 hour with a person than you can ever have over email or in a motivational/sales meeting.
“One on ones” as I call them should be given by every manager who ever wants to build a great team.
The goals for the meetings are:
- Give members of your team an open forum to vent when they are stressed
- Provide a special forum for training someone that makes them realize they are special and unique
- Provide a forum that you can correct a person’s work or behavior without making them feel insecure
- Most importantly, make time to teach a person and create value and goals in their position
One good hour with a person on your staff can make a huge impact in your business. I’m a big resistor to group and useless meetings, but meeting with someone to define their goals and objectives is invaluable.
The #1 thing most employees complain about is lack of direction and purpose.
Fill these and you will have a motivated and driven staff.
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Management | Tagged 1 on 1, leadership, Management, Training | Leave a Comment »
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