Archives for 2012

January 5, 2012 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

Unreality is the New Reality for Facebook Pages

Let’s go ahead and call 2012 the year that augmented reality took over Facebook marketing. “Aug-what?” you ask. Augmented reality, according to Wikipedia, is the “live, direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data.” In case you don’t speak Wiki, we’ll translate for you: Augmented reality features computer generated elements mixed with real life media like photos and videos to create a hyperrealistic and fun experience.

Remember Orville Redenbacher, that kindly old gentlemen in the bow tie and glasses who used to sell popcorn on TV? Well, even though Orville’s been gone for quite some time, his popcorn lives on and is a leader in augmented reality and Facebook integration. The ConAgra-owned company invites users to play with their food on Facebook. The Pop Cam encourages fans to enable their webcams and try to catch virtual pieces of flying popcorn. The Pop Cam keeps track of the pieces users “catch” in their mouths and awards points. Naturally, as you play the game, messages for moms about the health benefits of popcorn routinely show up on the screen But the star here is the cool factor of augmented reality, a factor brands like Volkswagen have also tapped into.

Offering users a one-of-a-kind Facebook experience is now the goal of brands looking to take social media marketing to another level, and augmented reality does just that. Admittedly, augmented reality isn’t something for every brand as it’s still expensive to develop and produce. Even the folks at ConAgra say they toyed with the technology “for years.” But as with all social media innovations, the big brands seem to introduce and perfect them and the little guys take ’em and run. So we bet that it’ll only be a matter of time until small brands figure out how to rock augmented reality Facebook pages.

January 4, 2012 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

You Hold the Key to Blog Comment Awesomeness!

When you’re blogging for business, comments on that blog are highly coveted. Comments help a blog’s search engine ranking and help bring people back to your site to continue a conversation. Sure, there’s a lot of spam you have to sift through, but in the end, bloggers want readers to respond to what they’ve written. Bloggers are writers and writers are egomaniacs and they want people to react to what they’ve written. I can say all this because I’ll freely admit to my own egotism as quick as I’ll tell you I’m a professional writer. But what’s the secret to getting comments?

SEO gurus and self-proclaimed social media marketing know-it-alls would like you to believe there is a precise formula for getting comments. Don’t believe them for a second. Those of us who work in the blogging trenches day after day know that the secret to blog comments is good content and interaction. The easiest thing you can do to get more comments on your blog is go read similar blogs in your field and make comments. Sounds simple, I know… but finding the right blogs to comments on takes time and research. After you’ve located your blogging comrades, open your mouth and give them feedback. Again, easy — but the results are amazing. Bloggers, especially longtime bloggers, know that the platform is a social one and by commenting back on your blog, they’ll be increasing their chances for new readers, too.

The added bonus of reading blogs by folks in your same industry? You might actually learn something while you’re meeting people who have the same career as you. It’s like a non-stop networking event, all without having to get dressed up and choke down bad appetizers. Establishing a healthy and informed back and forth with other bloggers also lets your non-blogging readers know that your blog has an opinion and you’re not too high and mighty to talk to readers. Comments are also a great place to answer questions about your company and what you do.

Yet the greatest weapon you have to get more comments is you. Your bad self, that fountain of personality in the mirror who sprinkles his or her genius on every blog is what will make readers comment. So share the love — put “you” in your content and in your comments and just sit back and watch the readers weigh in!

January 3, 2012 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

Rupert Murdoch Gets Schooled on Twitter

Look out Kardashians and Ashton, there’s a new Twitter sensation in town. Rupert Murdoch joined Twitter recently. The 80-year-old mogul who once poo-pooed the Internet as a place solely for predators and porn, has joined the ranks of celebrities, politicians and big brands in trying to use Twitter marketing to help re-invent his image. See, 2011 wasn’t so kind to Murdoch, and Twitter is a great way to have a friendly chat with tweeps to say “Hey, I’m just like you — just richer!”

The billionaire scooped up more than 40,000 followers in less than 48 hours and looked like he was taking to Twitter like a Jersey Shore star takes to spray tanning. Yet it wasn’t long until Murdoch got a taste for how quickly the Twitter tides can turn.

Yesterday Murdoch tweeted “Maybe Brits have too many holidays for a broke country!” in reference to England’s many winter holidays. As it usually rolls in TwitterLand, it only took a few minutes for Murdoch to get flooded with angry replies. Even his wife tweeted, “RUPERT!! delete tweet!!” Punsters, critics and tweeps filled with UK pride all lined up to smack Murdoch for his comment. Later, his wife defended him saying, “”EVERY1 @rupertmurdoch was only having a joke PROMSIE!!!” While Murdoch himself lamented “I’m getting killed for fooling around here and friends frightened what I may really say!”

Still, it wasn’t a total loss: The media mogul again apologized and quickly turned the tables by answering questions from followers and sharing his New Year’s resolutions. Good for you, Rupert! While we can’t commend all of Murdoch’s business practices, we have to give the old dude props for being himself on social media.

Twitter marketing specialists often see this kind of thing happen to business owners. We help clients smooth over these kinds of Twitstorms on a fairly regular basis, and can tell you this: The smart move isn’t to hop off of Twitter but to keep tweeting and keep communicating.