Today I had the privilege of being asked to speak and share my thoughts on social media and it’s current “state of the union” (if you will). The #PRSApd event was interesting- it unexpectedly (the event organizers did not know this would happen) was in an underground basement with no cell phone reception- which certainly made for an interesting ‘no Tweets’ presentation!

If you’re interested here is the PPT slides I shared at the session:

Notice I moved the Phone app? Surprisingly, I use it less than Email. How about you? Are you using your smartphone more as a computer than you are an actual phone? #showmeYOURhomescreen!!!

There’s something to be said about the trend over the recent years about the usage of infographics. You’ve probably seen many online (but may not have been aware they’re called infographics). This design trend is a great way to convey complex data information clearly and concisely. Let’s be real- data and numbers for most people isn’t exactly sexy and interesting.

Visual.ly is trying very hard to become the homebase and repository to all things infographics. They have over 10,000 in their database and average over 2 million visits per month.  Today, they released a “Create” section where you can choose from different themes and data sources to dynamically make an infographic (right now it’s just Facebook and Twitter). It appears they’ll be building out this feature on the site for customization and different types to choose from. Right now they have these auto-generated themes you can choose from:

• Twitter Showdown (account vs. account)
• Life of a Hashtag (performance of a hashtag)
• Facebook Monster (data visualization of your Facebook usage)
• Facebook Insider (FB page Insights visualization)

…just for fun- I did a comparison of Justin Bieber and my twitter account using the Twitter Showdown template

The most recent popular Internet meme “What People Think I Do / What I Really Do” is trending all over Facebook and Twitter. And it’s a delicate balance for businesses and brands to try to play in the space of internet #memes and trends. We helped one of our clients Lee Jeans post/create this fun huh?

I noticed that most of my friends aren’t using Pinterest for video? I scanned all my friends and the major businesses and brands I could find (Today Show, HGTV, Whole Foods) and none of them had pinned a video.

Why is that?

Perhaps it’s because the “Add a Pin” prompt says this:

…which the way it’s worded is confusing (“Find Images” probably throws people off).

Or perhaps- it’s because people don’t know that you can pin videos?

It’s simple to do. You can add video from YouTube to Pinterest like this:

I even created my own board for my video blogs:

So- back to my question: why aren’t most of my friends and brands/businesses not using Pinterest for video? There’s an entire section in the main navigation dedicated to ‘Videos‘. You can even view videos on the iPhone App:

What’s your take? What do you think?

Are you pinning videos? Why- or why not?

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Last year I had to purchase new glasses. I even blogged about my Warby Parker Experiment in which I used social media to crowd source the frame style I purchased. Thanks for all your help btw!

I was cleaning my glasses the other day and noticed hairline cracks in one lens. I decided to call Warby Parker to see what my options were to get it fixed. In under 5-minutes, the person I talked to sent me a free shipping label + free repair for my broken glasses.

Annnnnd I’m a big proponent of using social media to not just share only the bad customer service experiences- but to also like to give praise when it’s deserved. So I tweeted this. And in less than 10-minutes, “Katie” from WP responded with this Tweet and YouTube video:

@rm Loved it so much Katie thought she would make you a video! warby.me/AghaLF #WarbyVision

— Warby Parker (@WarbyParker) February 7, 2012

And it didn’t stop there- my friends were responding and RT’ing my Tweets. Katie and WP noticed and then made this video for my friend Will @wgPR:

Why is this amazing? WP is turning brand champions into advocates by giving them “handles” of content (in this case a YouTube video) to promote their great experience.

So simple.

Easy.

And smart.

[golf claps] to you Katie + WP

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Working on social + digital campaigns for clients- every so often you get lucky enough to lead a special project. One that you know is right- smart- and just plain cool. This latest project I’ve helped lead and launch is something I’m really proud to share. A true team effort that had multiple agencies, numerous collaboration meetings, and extensive research on the Involver social media markup (SML) platform. Oh yeah- and this project had an impossible timeline (but doesn’t every project? )

I could attempt to try to describe this Hallmark “Tell Them” campaign. But all you need to do is watch this commercial. Come on, it’s only 30-seconds. Watch it-

And here’s the Facebook App we helped develop and launch this week:

The most notable innovation about this project?

50% of the 845+ million active monthly Facebook users browse the social network via an “App”. Meaning- they use a smartphone to do it. Not a desktop computer. Until recently, the Facebook App did not let users view “Page Tabs” or FBML/iFramed pages. Most Pages today, when you click links from Pages on your News Feed you’re redirected to the Wall. However, in Dec/January 2012 Facebook released capabilities to select preferred developers to allow for mobile optimization. Very few brands and businesses have taken advantage of this feature since it’s so new.

…our DEG CSS ninjas pulled it off!

http://inv.lv/z3WkU7 <<– click on this with your iPhone or Android phone. You’ll notice the same desktop, full browser experience- on mobile, using iOS or Android!

Please make your vow- and take it for a test-drive …and be sure to watch for the national TV campaign (now through Valentines Day) that exclusively has a TV end-frame driving traffic to our Facebook App!
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I’m excited to share with you the launch of one of my team‘s latest projects- the official H&R Block “Block Talk” blog! I know you might be asking yourself, what would one of the world’s largest tax service companies have to say on a corporate blog (that people will actually read)? Many things. And it’s not just about (boring) tax information. For example, the post on”Tech Entrepreneur Millionaires Under 30“ is damn interesting <– and it’s an infographic to boot

Working closely with the client- we determined that one strategic objective for this project was understanding that the blog can be a channel- that (with the right content and outreach/distribution) can demonstrate enduring relevance (past and present) as helpful experts around the topics and services regarding taxes.

The graphics used, copy & text, and functional features we built into the blog were all strategic- in order to best communicate with design elements of “trust”, “innovation”, and “relevance” regarding the brand.

…so go ahead and take the blog for a test-drive. Feel free to look around and ask me questions if you’d like in the comments  http://blogs.hrblock.com

KCTV5 News posted video of the interview i did RE: older gens + “the Twitter” here: http://kctv.m0bl.net/r/rsh3x

Have you heard of Title Boxing? Some would say it’s a fairly new trend in fitness (they even claim if you workout there for one hour just three times a week and you will lose at least one pound a week without dieting).

We just launched a new Facebook giveaway app for Title Boxing (a client). Here are 3 learnings I wanted to share given the many clients we work with for these types of promotions. 3 tips to keep in mind when developing a giveway or contest:

1.) The “5-second rule” applies.
When deciding on a contest or giveaway, it should take less than 5-seconds to understand what it is and how to enter. “Clever” isn’t always the most effective. And far too often in the boardrooms and those posh marketing conference rooms people get caught up in complicated promotions. The attention span of a user on Facebook is much lower than the average user. Facebook is inherently designed for media snacking, so a contest that takes time and work is typically less successful. Rule of thumb: make it simple and tell them in words how “easy it is to enter”.

2.) Ask for their email address.
Giveaways and contests are highly effective email acquisition tactics. We believe you have to “give to get”. And customers are ok with this. So make the [email address] field required. Also, the information you require on the form should be dependent upon the minimum amount of data you need to segment and take action on from an email and CRM perspective. Don’t get greedy and ask for more. Remember my advice from Rule #1.

Also, in compliance with Facebook Promotions Guidelines, you cannot use Facebook to notify winners, such as by sending them a message, chat, or wall post alerting them to their win. So having their email address is vital.

3.) When you build it, they won’t enter.
Just because you build an amazing contest or giveaway app, it doesn’t mean hundreds or thousands of people will flock to enter. Cascade and flex your digital channels (email, website, twitter, facebook) with a drip roll-out to drive traffic, stimulate buzz, and attention about contest. Bonus Tip: one of the best promotional strategies for a giveaway or contest is to work with influential bloggers or existing communities to push and support the promotion <– coorindate this prior to the launch

It’s incredible to see the speed of conversation(s) and mention(s) on Twitter about this Virginia earthquake today. Pat and I pulled up TweetDeck and saw this!

**update** Twitter reported officially that within a minute of the reported earthquake, there were over 40,000 #earthquake related tweets. And there were about 5,500 Tweets per second (TPS). For context, this TPS is more than Osama Bin Laden’s death & on par w/ the Japanese quake.

It’s been a while since I’ve shared what I’ve been up to at work. So, it’s time for show and tell
I lead the Social Media practice at @digitalev and we just launched a Facebook Contest that is a case study in the making! (i wish i could share all the stats and analytics) We worked together with the marketing team at Hallmark to develop and launch a contest that supports the focus of “Life is a Special Occasion” (a branding campaign). We have a team of ninja developers that are trained and certified on the Involver Social Media Marketing Platform. This Hallmark contest is built and powered using the Involver social markup language.

Over 11,000+ people entered the contest, their brand page has received a huge spike in LIKES, and it’s resulted in hundreds of thousands+ of Facebook Tab views on their page.

The idea behind the contest was simple. Give away a really awesome prize ($5,000 bucks and record a video of the winner) to the best “any day” special occasion. Hallmark believes that life is made up of small little moments that are special occasions. And we wanted to encourage people to share with everyone what they are!

There were some really creative contest entries received:

Much of the success for this campaign is attributed to the Hallmark marketing team’s drip roll-out across all digital channels, as well as a targeted outreach to mommy bloggers.

…an email was pushed to customers:

A Facebook status update to our 200,000+ FB fans:

Tweets were sent:

…engagement with key “mommy blog” influencers:

This contest campaign resulted in a huge acquisition spike in “New Likes” to the page:

Someone gave me a heads-up to kudos on the Twitterverse from a stranger that was browsing and using a website developed by the company I work for (@digitalev). Any time someone says “your website is sexy” = #win! Check it out with your phone: http://m.flykci.com

I’ve always hated buying glasses. It’s hard. I never know what shapes or styles I should be looking for. And on top of all that, they are expensive. Buy glasses is a two-’fer; it’s difficult and expensive.

A few weeks ago, I shattered my glasses while traveling (bummer, i know). I started shopping the marketing for options for my new pair of glasses. Then I remembered hearing about an online designer glasses startup company called Warby Parker. These guys got a ton of tech-blog press earlier in the year- and their business model is impressive. I even heard one of their founders Neil Blumenthal speak at “Big Omaha”. They even carry a Toms Shoes-like promise: “Buy A Pair, Give A Pair” <– which I think is really cool. The unique part of their business that will grab your attention, is every pair of glasses cost $95. Yeah, you read that right. This includes the frames -and- lenses. Now that’s cool huh? Oh and they have free shipping and returns for all orders.

It all sounded too good to be true at first...
…so I decided to look-them-up and test drive if they really were the real-deal.

Before you commit to dropping cash for glasses that you haven’t tried on (b/c you order them online), Warby Parker let’s you pick 5 frames that they ship to you (for free, and they all have clear lenses).

Here’s what it looked like when the box came in the mail:

Then, I decided …why not crowdsource my purchase? I figured- my friends likely know better than I do which glasses look best on me, so why not ask them? This is the part I struggle with a lot. Why not let my friends decide for me? So I took some photos- and posted them to Facebook. I asked people to vote by leaving a comment or a “Like”. And almost immediately, the feedback rolled in…

Option #1: (clearly was the favorite of the 5)

Style: “Thompson“

Option #2: (this one was the “super geek” pair …)

Style: “Huxley“

Option #3:

Style: “Wiloughby“

Option #4: (i like these, i called these the “hipster” pair)

Style: “Zagg“

Option #5: (these were good- i couldn’t tell if the brown is/was my style)

Style: “Langston“

…my profile page had nothing but Warby Parker “glasses try-on” photos across the top

Overall, I was really happy with my purchase. The ordering process was super easy- they called my doctor and took care of everything with my prescription verification. Check ‘em out- these guys are doing a lot of things right. www.warbyparker.com
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PR pro Justin Goldsborough interviewed me on #52CommsMixup. I’m honored to be considered apart of his series. You can watch the interview and what I had to say over on Justin’s blog.