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#Hashtags We Salute You!

Posted By Vanessa Mentor as communications, on the web

Posted 11.09.2012

November 6 2012 is a day that will go down in history. It was an event that not just Americans, but everyone worldwide was captivated by. President Barack Obama was just re-elected president and was giving his victory speech. Everyone was mesmerized; not just by Obama but something beyond him….literally. Standing in the crowd directly behind the president was a woman with an American Flag stuck into her hair. Millions of people found the bobbing flag in her hairdo so distracting that, within minutes, Twitter was buzzing and thanks to the hashtag #Flaginhairlady she became a trending Twitter topic worldwide.

Aside from being a 15-minutes-of-fame jumpstarter, hashtags are an essential tool for social media marketing. For those who don’t know, a hashtag is the term for the pound symbol (#). When you use a hashtag in front of a word or phrase you are allowing your post to be categorized with similar posts therefore making it easily searchable. There are a few things to note about the use of hashtags. First of all when you are hashtagging you cannot use numbers symbols or spaces in your hashtag. Secondly, hashtags are currently only recognized on Twitter, Google+, Instagram, and Pinterest (However this hasn’t stopped people from including them in Facebook and other social network posts).

Hashtagging a post is great for visibility because it helps you get your message to a broader audience. For example, let’s say you are launching a new line of clothing targeted towards busy moms and are tweeting about your grand opening. You could post a tweet like this “#activemoms check out our new online shop for cool comfy clothing that fits your lifestyle.” The hashtag is going to allow anyone who searches for conversations on active moms to find your post.

Aside from tapping into already trending topics or general words, you can also create your own unique hashtag. This is great if you have an event or are in the middle of a marketing campaign . This allows you to see how successful your efforts are and what people are saying about your brand versus a general topic.

Overall hashtags are a wonderful way to gain visibility on social media. They allow you to expand your network as well as track your efforts. If you master the use of hashtags you will be sure to stand out from the crowd just like #Flaginhairlady.

#FLAGINHAIRLADY

Tags: blue daring, blue daring consulting, chicago, Creating a buzz, creating buzz, facebook, flaginhairlady, hashtag, marketing, social media, social networking, twitter, Vanessa Mentor, vanewpc, vmentor
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Social Media RIGHT Now

Posted By Vanessa Mentor as communications, on the web, outreach

Posted 10.18.2012

Over the past few years there has been a shift in the world. Society as whole has developed a new found appreciation for design and renewed respect for quality, artistic vision, and beauty. These are words that have always been associated with right brain thinkers. The right side of the brain is said to control creativity and the left side is for more analytic thinking, More and more brands are investing in creativity and we are seeing a right brain powered movement across all fields.

The right brain perspective has found it’s way to social media. Instead of typing lengthy or limited (ahem twitter) status updates, users are now engaging their networks through beautiful photography. They say a picture speaks a thousand words but if you asked Instagram they might tell you that a picture is worth 1 billion . That is the amount Facebook paid to purchase Instagram earlier this year. Instagram is a social mobile application that allows users to share their life through photography and artsy photo filtering. Brands have been engaging with their audiences on Instagram by encouraging users to post photos of their customers enjoying their products ala Taco Bell. Other Brands, GE for example, have also been taking this opportunity to post exclusive behind the scenes photos allowing their customers to know more about their process and taking a creative approach to transparency. Think of ways you and your staff can tell you companies stories through creative pictures and sign up for Instagram. Remember whatever theme you chose the use of hash tags will help you keep track of who you are engaging and will help build brand awareness.

cant go wrong with RIGHT

Another right brain powered site that is on the scene is Pinterest. Pinterest is like an online cork board The idea behind the site is to allow users to organize and share all the beautiful things they find on the web. Fantastic interior design, magical wedding dresses, delectable recipes, stunning brand work, it can all be found on Pinterest. A simple way to get in on the Pinterest action is to add a Pinterest button as one of the share tools on your website. This is great for companies that have an ecommerce site (Nordstrom for example has implemented the Pinterest share button) because the posts on Pinterest will lead their customers back to the site to purchase. If you are a brand that is a bit more corporate you can still get on the Pinterest train. Set-up an account and share things your brand values, appreciates, or that your target audience could learn from. Meador staffing is a great example of a company using Pinterest to share resources with their audience.

By embracing creativity you can discover different ways to share your vision without having to repeat the same calculated elevator speech you’ve been using for years .Ditch the pitch and brainstorm on ways you could use these social networks to visualize your message (We can help if you need a little creative boost!) Whatever you do DO NOT ignore this trend; a right mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Tags: communications, Creating a buzz, creating buzz, doing things right, instagram, marketing, pinterest, right brain, right thinking, social media, social networking, Vanessa Mentor, vanewpc, vmentor
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Take Me To Your Leader

Posted By Vanessa Mentor as branding, on the web, strategic planning

Posted 11.09.2011

The idea of a spokesperson is nothing new in the world of marketing. For years companies have been paying celebrities to endorse their brands and products in hopes that their target audience will follow suite. These days the face of celebrity has changed. In a world full of reality TV, blogging, and YouTube, today’s “celebrities” are just everyday people. Now that the public is more exposed to everyday faces, the influence of celebrities has slightly decreased. Enter Brand Ambassadors.

A brand ambassador is a key influencer in any given topic that agrees to endorse your product to their audience. For example, this year The Limited clothing brand launched a new plus-size brand called Eloquii. Instead of reaching out to one of the many full figured actresses in Hollywood, The Limited hired plus-size fashion blogger Gabi Gregg of gabifresh.com. Gabi’s blog is read by thousands of readers who look to her for plus-sized fashion inspiration. If Gabi posts a blog about a gorgeous piece from Eloquii you better believe tons of her readers, who already emulate her style, will run to the site and purchase that very article of clothing.

Even your existing audience can serve as brand ambassadors. Whenever someone in your company’s social network shares content linking back to you, they are spreading the word. If you are still warming up to the idea of social media (and you really should be on board by now!) try creating a traditional marketing campaign that encourages your network to serve as brand ambassadors. Perhaps you can send out stickers for clients to display on their doors or windows, or maybe infuse an incentive into a referral-based campaign. The idea of brand ambassadors works for two reasons: it is based on the fail-proof equity of word-of-mouth and second it allows your brand to tap into the trust already built between an influencer and their audience. If you are unsure exactly who is the best person to reach out to for an ambassador partnership you can try tools like Klout. Klout is a website that measures peoples online influence and can help you get your products/brand in the right hands.

By building partnerships with brand ambassadors you will be able to precisely pinpoint your audience. So stop playing phone tag with Tom Cruise’s people and start identifying the attainable celebrities that will help give your brand some real cred.

Tags: brand ambassadors, creating buzz, launching a new product, social media, Vanessa Mentor, vanewpc, vmentor
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