Facebook Graph Search for Brands

As Facebook has recently launched the Beta version of its Graph Search, many marketers are eager to learn what this could mean for brands. With the tool being rolled out in a very limited beta program, you can sign up to be on the waiting list to find out when you can start using Graph Search. Facebook still guarantees its privacy for users. Everyone’s searches will garner different results depending on the content your friends have shared with you or the content they've made public on Facebook.

Graph Search was created for Facebook users to search the site and gather results based on information that your friends have liked or shared. For example, if you were to search for “Restaurants my friends have been to,” a list of restaurants would show up based on check-ins that your friends have made through Facebook or any other type of location-based information that they made public. A different search of “Restaurants nearby” will return results for highly rated restaurants nearby, and “Pictures at nearby restaurants my friends like” will gather results of photos tagged at nearby restaurants that your friends have liked on Facebook. 

What does this mean for brands?

Graph Search is another great (and free) marketing tool. Perhaps a friend is interested in what gyms their friends are using to decide which gym they want to become a member of. Searching for “gyms my friends go to” will bring back results which may be the deciding factor for the user. To take advantage of the tool and optimize your brand page for maximum visibility:

• Share branded content from your page as the photos and videos will be searchable
• Be sure to keep your page information updated as you may rebrand or move locations
• Take advantage of the check-in opportunities by making sure you claim your page (if you haven’t done so already) and provide “deals” through Facebook to encourage users to visit and check-in to your store locations

Be sure to try out Graph Search for yourself to understand the way consumers interact and use the tool. Sign up for the wait list here.

Instagram Buzz

With all the hype going on about Instagram, I've decided to write a little bit about this mobile app. Instagram is a free photo sharing application that allows users to take photos, apply a digital filter to the photos, and then share the photos with friends and followers. This app was originally available only for the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch when it launched. Two years later, in April 2012, it became available on Android. There were over a million downloads of the Instagram app when it was finally released on the Android system. A few days after that, Facebook acquired Instagram and its 13 employees for $1 billion in cash and stock. Amazing how quickly things change in the digital world, wouldn’t you agree?

Being that Instagram launched in October 2010, now has over 25 million users and is known as one of the most popular mobile-only social networks, why would businesses not consider playing a role on Instagram? You can post fun altered photos of your products and begin a hashtag trend for your followers. Starbucks has already jumped on the wagon and has over 400,000 followers. The point of Instagram is to share photos, so as a business you can share photos of things that relate to your brand personality or just great mobile photos of your products - be creative! Another awesome thing about Instagram is that you are also able to share your photos on Facebook and Twitter. The more social networks the better!

Here are 3 main reasons why your business should join Instagram:

1. Most people are very visual- Instagram is great because it gives us the opportunity to share fun photos of our daily lives. How interesting would it be to your fans to follow unique photos of your business's life? You can show how much fun you have in the workplace and even take little "sneak peek" photos and have your followers figure out what the photo is. Keep them engaged, that's why they're following you! Just remember to keep in mind that Instagrammers don't want to see product photography, but more artistic photography that's been filtered.

2. There are millions of users using this app- The digital world is making changes all the time, just make sure you are caught up with the newest fad and stay in the loop. After Instagram became available on the Android, there were millions of downloads through the Android system, that pretty much means that Instagram is sort of a big deal.

3. You can create fun contests- With the usage of hashtags, it makes it easy to track and create contests. Have your fans post a creative photo with a certain hashtag that represents your products or services and give out fun prizes. The more interactive your consumers are, the more they begin to feel like "family" to your brand.

Preparing for the "Real World"

As a soon-to-be graduating senior, I just wanted to share what I’m doing to help prepare myself for life after college and hope that you will gain something from reading. My main focus currently is to graduate from San Diego State University and get hired on board with an innovative digital marketing company as a Social Media Strategiest. I want to finally step out of the college era and step into the “real world” era. As much as I love learning; studying and taking multiple choice exams can get old, real quick. If school was just all about taking on internships and working, I would graduate summa cum lade - no doubt. But unfortunately this isn’t how it works. Here is what I'm doing to prepare myself for the "real world":

I didn’t wait for opportunities to come my way, I went searching for them. Two of the best decisions I’ve made was joining SDSU’s Advertising Club and Ad 2 San Diego. I was so nervous about joining a club and meeting new people by myself, but I am happy I stepped outside my comfort zone. From these two clubs, I’ve made new friends, networked with great people and that made finding an internship much easier. I’ve come to realize that stepping out of your comfort zone is the best way to make your dream come true. Go out there and get as involved as you can, step outside your comfort box and have fun!

I took on multiple internships that were not paid, and I did it with pride. Experience is priceless, remember that. You need to have the right attitude to play in this game. If you are truly passionate about what you plan on doing after college, you will be willing to for the experience in a heartbeat. Haven’t you ever had anyone tell you? “Do what you love, and the money will follow.”

I created  my own website and business cards to market myself. This demonstrates that I am digitally savvy and know how to use technology to market myself. If I can’t market myself, how would I expect to market clients for my future employers?

I started this blog to demonstrate my passion for marketing. At first my blog was just going to be about my life, just for fun. But then as I began reading more articles about social media, I wanted to start taking notes of things I thought were interesting and helpful. Instead of taking notes on paper, I decided use my blog as a place to share those notes. Things I learn about social media that intrigue me, I include in my blog to share wealth with my peers.

I created a vision board. In order to stay focused on my dreams and goals, I bought a small cork-board where I put up things that would motivate me. I placed this cork-board on a wall that I would see every day as I got up to get ready and so far it’s been doing its job.

(From top left to bottom right: Business card with 'Senior Social Media Strategiest' as my title, '$100,000 bill', SDSU Cap/gown, photo of Eiffel Tower, very happy photo of me, photo of the Magic Fountain of Montjuic.)

The business card represents the position I will, one day, hold. The $100,000 bill represents the income I inspire to make. The photo of the cap and gown is my motivation for working hard towards graduation. The photos of the Eiffel Tower and Magic Fountain are the two places I would love to visit again in the near future, and the happy photo of myself reminds me to smile and appreciate life.

I believe that everything you have in your life, you have attracted. If it’s your dream job you want, then you’ve got to attract it by working hard and staying focused. I trust I’ve inspired you to go out there and knock down opportunity doors. Just do it! I dare you. ;) and I leave you with a quote that inspires me.

 “Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door.” ~Kyle Chandler

You can also find this post on www.marketingmelodie.com

Interview tips I've learned along the way

As I’m getting ready to graduate in August, I’ve come to realize that there is one thing I should be working on, and that’s how to make a great first impression.  I’ll be interviewing for jobs soon and during an interview, the first impression is everything. You’ve got to make that first impression last. As I'm preparing to graduate I've already been to a few interviews and have learned so much. Here are a few tips for the recent grad or anyone in the job market!

Go to the interview dressed professionally- That means business attire! I always wear a pencil skirt or slacks with a collared shirt and a blazer. If I was a guy, I would wear slacks with a long sleeve collared shirt and a tie. It's always better to be over dressed, than under dressed in the case of an interview.

During the interview- Take a deep breath and speak at the pace that the interviewer is speaking at. You want to be on the same page with them, so don’t speak too fast, but don’t speak too slow either. Speaking too fast is easy to do when you're nervous. The best thing you can do is to be aware of this which will help you slow down. If you think you're talking too fast, you probably are!

Sell yourself- A Job interview is the time and place to sell! Answer your question in a way that always tie back into how you can benefit the company. Remember: “features tell and benefits sell.” Also, make sure to do a ton of research on the company before the interview process. You don’t want to be stuck when they ask you, “So tell me what you know about our company.”

Don’t be nervous!- I know it is easier said than done. You may believe that the company is interviewing you and that you need an unforgettable answer to every question, but take a look around and realize that you’re also interviewing the company. You want to make sure that this is truly a company you will be happy working for.

Any questions?- Always ask questions at the end of the interview. When you don’t have any questions, it gets interpreted as, “she doesn’t have much interest in the company.” This may not be the best time to start asking about benefits and salary. However, do ask about what they are looking for from the position they are seeking to hire and if opportunities of moving up within the company is feasible. It's a good idea to go in to the interview with 2 or 3 questions to ask so you're prepared with they ask "Do you have any questions?". If questions come up during the interview, don't be afraid to ask, especially if it's a clarifying question.

Last but not least, keep in mind:

"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door"

You can also find this post on www.marketingmelodie.com

Klout Perks

We all influence one another, the question is, how much of an influence are we? In 2008, a social media analytic website called Klout was founded to help us measure our level of influence on our audience. Klout gives each individual a score from 1 to 100, based on the individual’s ability to drive action through their social networks. Actions are considered as how many mentions and retweets you receive on Twitter; comments, wall-posts and likes on Facebook and so on for all the other social media networks that you are able to link Klout to. Klout also gives you an idea of the topics you are influential on, and if the people in your network agree with Klout, they can give you a +K.

Just recently, I discovered Klout Perks. By having a Klout account you are eligible for Klout Perks, but certain perks are targeted to specific users based on their score, influential topics, location and more. The perks consist of free or discounted products and/or services. From analyzing all the Klout Perks that have been offered, I've come up with three reasons companies may benefit from offering Klout Perks:

1. It’s great brand exposure.
As individuals are browsing through all the perks because their curiosity got the best of them, and whether or not they qualify for the perk, they are still being exposed to your brand. The best part is, your brand is getting a ton of impressions, but you don’t have to pay the CPI price!

2. It’s a viral opportunity for your business.
Some of the most influential individuals will be redeeming one of your sponsored packages. These individuals are the ones that are highly active in their social networks and will be telling their fans about the fun perks they’ve received through Klout, which means they will be talking about your brand!

3. You can use Klout to measure your outreach success!
Klout gives you a lot of insight in the digital world. See who you influence the most, whether it may be a competitor or a loyal fan. You can also see the topics you are influential on, and how your influence compares to your competitors.

Here is an example of how successful Popchip's campaign went:

Popchips' campaign was targeted towards healthy trendsetters. They offered a popchips sample kit, hoping that this would be shared and passed along to friends and family. Only 300 influencers were able to claim the perk but there was 14,819 tweets about the perk along with 46.7 million impressions of the perk.

Are you interested in getting your business involved with Klout? All you've got to do is contact Klout here!

Case Study: Volkswagen Punch Dub Campaign

In 2010, Volkswagen collaborated with Duetsh LA to create the 'Punch Dub' campaign. The campaign consisted of many YouTube videos,  a Super Bowl commercial and a game called 'Punch Dub' where every time you saw a Volkswagen, you called out the color of the car and punched the person next to you. This game was a remake of the original game 'Punch Bug' and was created to develop more awareness of Volkswagen and its 13 different models. I found this campaign to be one of the best that I have ever seen because not only did sales go up 40% that year, but people will selectively look out for Volkswagen cars to play the game, and Volkswagen found a way to integrate themselves into the culture as everyone continues to play 'Punch Dub.' 

Sluggy Patterson is a fictitious character that was made up to explain 'Punch Dub' and what rules pertained to the game. As Volkswagen attempted to create viral videos for the 'Punch Dub' campaign through YouTube, the most views one of their videos received was a little over 600, which is not very many. However, the videos are pretty funny and these are my two favorite videos of Sluggy Patterson:

What are your thoughts on the Volkswagen Punch Dub campaign?

All About Foursquare

Foursquare is a location-based social network used mostly on mobile devices. You use your smart phone to check-in at the venue you’re currently at. Foursquare check-ins can earn you a new badge, points (that I still don’t know what they’re good for) and some businesses offer special deals when you check-in at their venues. With Foursquare, you can simultaneously post your check-in on Facebook and Twitter, something that checking in just on Facebook doesn’t allow. Facebook check-ins only offer a new status update to show your friends where you’re at. 

   

 As a business, you wouldn’t necessarily create a Foursquare account to be part of the fun. You would claim your business instead. Once the business is claimed, business owners are able to add specials to help bring in more traffic to the business location. One thing that businesses should keep in mind is that when a special is created, employees should be aware of the special. This would help avoid confusion when a customer comes in and shows them the unlocked special. It makes the experience less frustrating for the consumer.

 I found this Foursquare comedy skit on YouTube, and I thought it was funny so I wanted to share. Also, I drive a Toyota Camry and I noticed that the car the guys are driving is a Camry! Enjoy. :)

You can also find this blog on http://www.marketingmelodie.com/

Pinning Is Winning!

By now, most of us have heard about Pinterest, the new social media network. Pinterest is a virtual pin board that allows you to pin, repin, like and comment on pictures and videos that your friends or others upload on the site. I know this doesn’t sound very fun, but trust me, it gets addicting. When you go on the website, you are bound to find pictures or videos of things that interest you. Consequently, you are then tempted to pin it to your board so that you may save it for later or just share with your friends. The content that you pin will always lead back to the source it came from, whether it is a blog, a retail site, etc.

Pinterest is also fascinating because you can’t just sign up for an account, you must be invited. You can sign up to wait for an invite or you can find a Pinner that will personally send you an invitation. Yeah, it’s like VIP status.  No worries though, just give me a tweet or a message on Google+ and I’ll invite you. ;)

www.pinterest.com/stephanietrinh

But wait, there’s more. As a company, having a Pinterest account may be a good investment, think about it.

1. You’ll get discovered.
People go on Pinterest to find things, whether it’s a new book to read, a new recipe to bake or inspiration for the room they want to redesign. Content gets shared very quickly on Pinterest and that’s a great thing.

2. You keep your customers updated.
Like Twitter, Pinners are able to choose who they want to follow. As you keep your board updated with new pins, your followers are able to stay up to date and can repin the things they love.

3. You let your consumers know the different sides of you.
With the option of having multiple boards, you’re able to show your followers what your personality is like. You can make a boards with content that represent you. One board can have quotes and sayings, another board with your favorite products and a different board with pictures of things that stand for the lifestyle you represent. Yoplait Yogurt is a great example of one of the companies on Pinterest:

www.pinterest.com/yoplait

Remember: Pinning is winning! :)


You can also find this blog on http://www.marketingmelodie.com/

Mamma Chia

As this semester flew by, one of the presentations due for my direct marketing course was to create viral marketing on Facebook and Twitter for an emerging company called Mamma Chia. Mamma Chia is a chia vitality beverage that is "fun for your mouth and great for your body!"  I love this product, it tastes great and the benefits of chia seeds are really amazing. Thank goodness I was assigned a product that I truly am passionate about, it made things a lot easier.

One of the main focus of the project was to make Mamma Chia's Twitter timeline more interesting. I came up with a Twitter contest for Mamma Chia to promote hashtag #mammapicCHIA. Contestants were to tweet at @mammachia1 their creative photos of their Mamma Chia drinks along with a creative title, hashtag #mammapicCHIA and they must be following Mamma Chia in order to be entered for a chance to win an iPad2. This would help Mamma Chia's timeline stay interesting as they retweet their favorite entries and if followers wanted to see the rest of the entries, they can just search the hashtag. Loyal consumers of this product already tweet pictures of their Mamma Chia beverage on Twitter constantly, therefore, I thought it would be a great idea to keep them engaged and have a chance to win something that they would really want.

Here are some examples of the "pic-chias" :)

 

^ This is mine!

I also mentioned that Mamma Chia should start using Klout. Klout is a website that provides free social media analytics on how users influence their audience. For a company, this is important because the whole point of having social media is to influence consumers to buy your product or become aware of your brand. Not to mention, it's also a great tool for spying at competitors, keeping track of how they are doing with their influence towards their audience.

I am so proud of the video my group members and I recorded for this project; we worked so hard and did so well, I wanted to share! :)

Successful Marketing? Make it Cause Related.

Cause related marketing is one of the most successful forms of marketing. People have a hedonistic need to feel involved and part of something. A brand that sells a certain lifestyle or movement are the ones who last in the competition.

We can look at examples such as Livestrong bracelets, Toms shoes, anything that is pink to support the Breast Cancer Awareness campaign and more. When consumers purchase these items, they are willing to pay a little more than they normally would because they feel as though they are doing good. If a consumer buys a pair of Toms shoes, they know that they are helping a child somewhere because Toms donates a pair of shoes for every pair purchased. If you're going to support a brand, why not support a brand that gives back?

The founder of Pura Vida Bracelets was a guest speaker for my Direct Marketing class today at San Diego State University, and I was really intrigued at the meaning behind his brand. Pura vida means "pure life" in Spanish. When you purchase a bracelet, it helps provide more jobs for artisans in Costa Rica along with reminding yourself to enjoy life slowly, celebrate good fortune & not taking anything for granted. There is more to the story but the meaning behind the bracelet was what got me; I am now a supporter of Pura Vida Bracelets. :)

Isn't it just so amazing how consumers are happy to pay for a bracelet made of waterproof strings with a small charm attached because the brand stands for something that the consumer feels represents them?

Cause related marketing = success. Point blank period.

The Secret to LinkedIn

Although we all may have a LinkedIn, most of us don't use it to its full potential. With over 135 million users on this social media site world wide, we need to take advantage! It's a great networking tool to have, on top of your Twitter and Facebook. Here are some useful tips to make the most of your LinkedIn profile:

• In order for your profile to be more searchable, it needs to be at least 85% completed. Just remember, "first impressions are everything, and skimping on your personal profile will quickly decrease your value."
• Don't think that you can only connect with people you personally know on LinkedIn. There are over 135 million users to connect with, start connecting with aquantiances and HR reps to maximize your network. It will help you create more business opportunities.
• Keep your LinkedIn profile updated. You never know who may land on your profile, and as I mentioned earlier: first impressions are everything.
• You can customize your LinkedIn URL. Just click on the edit profile tab to change it. This is my URL: http://www.linkedin.com/in/trinhstephanie
• Don't forget to recommend! As Business Insider stated, "The more you give, the more you receive. A solid recommendation can potentially save someone's else life by setting them up with their future employer."
• Follow and join as all the groups that you are interested in so that you can stay up to date on these companies/organizations.

Now go out there and network!

From Business Insider

Cause Marketing Night 2011

The event turned out great! I had an amazing time and I was able to meet many new people including the founder of Pybob, Shelly Bowen. She is definitely the sweetest person ever. :)

There were many great paintings donated for the event and it was a lot of fun being able to watch bidders go through bidding wars for their favorite artwork - so much excitement and cheering!

 

Here's a photo from the auction.

The Masterpieces from Cause Marketing Night 2011

Recap of Cause Marketing Night 2011

Ad 2 San Diego

I've recently joined Ad 2 San Diego, an organization for people who are 32 and under and are in the San Diego advertising, marketing, and communications community. Ad 2 San Diego helps create future advertising and marketing industry leaders through education, leadership development and networking programs. I'm part of the communications committee and part of what we do is blogs, newsletters, promotional emails, etc. I had the honor of posting my first blog post about an upcoming event Ad 2 San Diego is hosting, Cause Marketing Night 201, and I am excited to share it with everyone!

Click here to see my blog for Ad 2 San Diego!

Google+

Do you have a Google+? If not, then what are you waiting for!? It is definitely going to be the next best thing since Facebook. It took Facebook 2.5 years to get 18 million users. It took Google+ only 21 days.

When you add friends on Google+, it automatically asks you to place them in a listed "circle" and when you post updates, you choose which circles you want to the post to be visible to. This is perfect for mixing business and pleasure! Now you can add your coworkers and family and not worry about them judging your posts that were meant for friends only.

Also, when you download the Google+ app onto your Android, every time you take pictures, those pictures automatically upload into a private photo album for you on your Google+. I find this to be very convenient, and I love it!

This is what my Google+ looks like:

... and yes, I'm following Tyra banks on Google+.  :)

What is Social Media Marketing... exactly?

 Social Media Marketing is not just about updating a company's Twitter, or posting Facebook posts. Anyone can do that. Social Media Marketing is about trying to see how much traffic can be gained through these social media sites and interacting with fans. Having followers on a company's social media site helps bring more brand awareness and keeps the consumer up to date on special promotions and news about the company. Not to mention, the more followers or "likes" you have, the better you look.

When a company posts links up on their social media sites, it is of their best self-interest to be able to track how many people have clicked on the links. There are ways to track the links, and a company's main goal is to get a lot of clicks because that means that the company is doing a great job at engaging their fans.

I use bitly.com to shorten my URL links for Twitter and it also allows me to view the stats on how many times the link has been clicked on. An account will need to be created to keep track of the clicks, but you can also sign in through Twitter or Facebook. Bitly.com is a great resource to have for marketing; plus, it's completely free!

Twitter. Make it More Personal.

I was volunteering at Marketing Melodie's Digital Media Now seminar and I learned quite a bit about personal branding from Melodie.

Here are some helpful tips I learned about Twitter:

When using Twitter, it is important to know that interacting with the your followers and creating hashtags to track what people say about your brand (ex. #marketingnerd) are some things that help bring in more traffic and followers to your Twitter account. You don't want your twitter to be boring and sound like a spam page, personalize it a bit! Create some dialogue with your followers. Post/retweet information that you found useful, and is related to the industry that you are interested in. Intrigue your followers, ask them questions and get them to interact with you. Give your Twitter some personality, but don't break the rule of being professional. You can do all this and still keep it professional. ;)

 www.marketingmelodie.com

Why Marketing?

I find marketing to be a very fun and creative industry. There is always so much to learn and everyday is a new adventure - It's not just the same transactions being performed from day to day. Also, marketing is very broad and it pertains to so much that being bored will never be an option. That packaging on your cereal box, the commercials you watch on T.V., the surveys you take online, the business page you just "liked" on Facebook, the contest you just entered - they're all marketing! My main focus and passion is on social media and advertising. Social media can be used for so many different purposes, it's amazing. For example:

Twitter - Customers are able to follow businesses on Twitter to stay updated on sales and promotions. Also, if you have a question, give the business a tweet and they will tweet you right back with an answer. Simple and easy. Not to mention, businesses could also add a little excitement into their timeline by having contests with fun prizes which will make the customers feel more involved.

Facebook - Facebook is similar to Twitter. Ask a question or leave a comment on the business's page, and receive an answer. Contests can also be run on Facebook to get more brand awareness out. Additionally, I find Facebook to be a great way of getting free marketing for businesses because although students usually don't click on the ads that run on the side, they do enjoy tagging themselves into places they visit. If many of my friends were tagging themselves at some new restaurant in town, and writing about how amazing the restaurant is, I'll now be aware of this new place and potentially go try it out. Heck, if I really love it enough, I'll even "like" the page.

Blogging - Blogging is just another way for consumers to get updated detailed information about the company and how it's doing. I admire Starbucks and the way they use their social media because they use it very well. Here is an example of one of Starbuck's blogs.

YouTube - Great place for commercials and any videos that may help advertise the brand. Right next to Google, YouTube is the second most used search engine - now that's pretty impressive.

Well we get the point of how effective social media is when it comes to marketing a brand. The whole point is to get brand awareness out to the consumers and with my generation being addicted to social media, it's not difficult to get the job done. As for advertising, who wouldn't want to help create billboards and commercials? That has got to be the best job ever! If you weren't considering a career in the marketing world, I hope I've helped influenced you so that you are now, it's a great industry! :)

thinkLA Advertising Career Day

I went to the thinkLA Advertising Career Day on October 21 and had so much fun! I'm glad that some of the SDSU Ad Club members and I decided to show a lot of dedication by driving all the way up to L.A. for one day to be able to tour one of the agencies and meet some others. I had the pleasure of being able to tour Horizon Media, the largest independent media agency in the industry. The place was beautiful, definitely everything a Marketer could ever dream of! I didn't get pictures of the place, but I was able to get a picture in front of their logo. Lol. It works.

 The girls and I at the thinkLA event

At Horizon Media

Getting Involved

Within the last month, I've finally made the commitment to join a club at school. I joined the SDSU Advertising Club, and it's probably the best decision I've made so far in college besides declaring as a Marketing major. I've already learned so much, the guest speakers that come to the meetings are inspirational and amazing, and my networks have definitely expanded-which is the most important thing. Marketing is all about networking, so meeting new people is good, and I also love making new friends!

On top of joining the SDSU Ad  Club, I also joined AD 2 San Diego which is chapter of the San Diego Ad Club. These clubs will keep me busy and on my toes which is what I like, so catch me if you can, I won't have much spare time for awhile!

Aztec for life, baby.

For the past three years, I've attended one San Diego State football game with my family and every game just gets even better. It's my last year at San Diego State University this year so I guess we can conclude that this game was the most sentimental of all the games. Great times with family, school spirit and a whole lot of cheering for my favorite team. I will definitely be an Aztec for life. And to top it all off, the fireworks show after the game was breathtaking, better than Disneyland's show if you ask me.. I love my school! I love my team! Go Aztecs! Do what you do, and keep winning!