As much as we love the unprecedented access to newsmakers and the powerful search engine of Twitter, there is a dark side to the micro blogging service. In some cases, spammers and twitter bots pollute your feed and your @tweets. Sometimes your timeline is overrun with the solo opera (Me, Me, Me, ME), self-promo artists and links that go nowhere. Since we know these are a few of the things we can’t stand about how some people use Twitter, it is important for anyone wanting to use Twitter for its intended purpose to know what types of behavior you need to avoid.
Here is the list of dubious Twitter behaviors:
1. The Snob – When you follow back fewer than 10% of the people that follow you. If you do not choose to follow people back, you are not engaging with your audience. The winning formula is being open, transparent and freely sharing with information.
Interestingly, breaking this rule is the norm for celebrities, but we know there are different social media rules for celebrities. For example, if your name is Lady Gaga with more than 23 million followers, we’ll cut you slack for following back fewer than 2.3 million.
2. Blah, Blah, Blah – You average more than 24 tweets per day (excluding @reply.) These people are pumping out information and not engaging. This tweet volume is the fast track to being ignored or worse…saying so much without saying anything makes you background noise, like a ceiling fan.
3. What He Said – If your tweets either average more than 70% retweets, or more than 50% famous quotes, nobody is going to consider you a thought leader. You become a “hype man” always telling people what someone else said. Mix in an original thought.
4. Snoozefest – If you have fewer than 30% of people follow you back, you are following too many of the first three categories and at the risk of insult…your twitter feed is kinda boring.
5 – 8. Spam-tastic – the following makes you look like you are spamming, even if you don’t think you are:
If more than 90% of your content is pushed out from an RSS feed (look like a twitter bot), or
More than 50% links to apps (like Foursquare, and paper.li), or
More than 25% of the time you post the same link URL (self-promo), or
More than 80% of your tweets are links (shameless plugs)
If you are doing one of these, you look like you are spamming, if you do more than one – you are a spammer. Unless spam is your end game, incorporate more appropriate Twitter behavior: ask a question, answer a question, and respond to an issue with your opinion.
I have examples of each one of these categories; I’ll share on request. For example, tweet me to find out who averages more than 125 tweets per day and NEVER replies.
Shout out to @twitcleaner for cataloging the type of behavior and setting thresholds to let us know where innocent Twitter mistakes can make you look terrible. Did we miss anything? Share your thoughts here or on Facebook at Weise Communications and follow us on Twitter at @Weise_Ideas.
Reporters, news-gathering organizations, celebrities and many businesses have unleashed Twitter as a tool to find, engage and expand their fans and followers.
However, when marketers start tweeting, they can’t understand why they are not making connections and seeing results. I heard a colleague describe Twitter as opening your glove compartment, shouting your info into it and slamming the door shut. Not particularly satisfying.
Resisting the urge to say “You’re not doing it right,” I promised to deliver four tips to improve your Twitter presence that can be implemented today.
1. Make your Twitter bio meaningful and searchable – You have 160 characters of searchable content, use the keywords you wish to be associated with you and/or your company.
Below are two profiles, one has 17 followers and the other has more than 146,000 followers, can you tell which profile has the bigger following?
I have a deep relationship with sleep and I’m about whatever, man!
Social Media Thought Leader, Consultant, Speaker | Author The New Relationship Marketing | Coauthor Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day | Scottish-Canadian
I’ll spare the first bio the embarrassment. The second bio belongs to @MariSmith. Mari recently co-hosted a content-rich webinar with @GuyKawasaki. The webinar is titled “7 Hottest Social Media Business Trends Impacting Your Profits Today.” Since I’m using Mari as an unauthorized example, check out her webinar for other social media trends to leverage today.
2. Use Twitter Lists to gain credibility about a subject – A Twitter list is a selected group of Twitter users. All Tweeps have the ability to create and be a caretaker of a Twitter list. When you click to view a Twitter list, you’ll see a stream of Tweets from only the users included in that list. As you build lists of Twitter users with content that you believe is valuable on your subject expertise, you become a resource for others as your lists are shared.
Here is a hidden SEO tip: Link your Twitter feed to your website (RSS feed) and include your Twitter handle (@username) in the naming convention of your list. When your Twitter list is shared with others, your list will link back to your website through your Twitter handle. It takes patience and a strong Twitter list curator mentality, but as your credibility increases, it will also impact your SEO.
3. Maintain laser-like focus on your subjects – Friends and colleagues know that I am a proud graduate of the University of Oklahoma and a huge fan of Oklahoma football (Boomer Sooner!) However, my twitter feed positions me professionally as focused on marketing, social media and SEO. It is not the venue to discuss the latest recruit, coaching decision or blowout victory. We recommend multiple twitter accounts, one focused on your professional brand and another that feeds your personal passions.
4. Twitter is a conversation, engage your audience – Nobody really cares what you had for lunch. Instead keep these four words in mind: ask, answer, retweet and respond. The key to engaging is asking and answering questions, retweeting interesting items on topic and responding to subject related inquiries.
If you are looking for an easy way to get involved, Twitter comes to the rescue, through @twchat. There is a collection of nearly 600 chats you can participate, check out this schedule of chats. Your bound to find at least one that you can engage and grow your audience.
To summarize your Twitter action items: optimize your bio, curate Twitter lists, use multiple Twitter accounts and participate in a Twitter chat. You can get these done today.
Let us know how much impact you see after implementing these tips. Share your thoughts here or on Facebook at Weise Communications and follow us on Twitter at @Weise_Ideas.
Be on the lookout this Wednesday for “Back Tweet Driver: Twitter Habits to Avoid” on the SideNote.
Its free, its accessible, and it reaches billions of people. Social media is providing three key factors that should be putting dollar signs in the eyes of franchisors.
Being active in your marketing efforts while maintaining control over how your brand is portrayed is a key for franchise success. Creating awareness, engaging customers, building customer loyalty, and boosting sales are all goals for franchisors, and social media doesn’t just accomplish these things; it does it with a smile.
Smashburger, a fast-casual, gourmet burger franchise is a prime example of how a small business can catapult into the big leagues via social media. Birthing from three Denver locations, this restaurant became a smash hit with its expansion to 150 locations nationwide. With more than 77,000 followers on Facebook, reaching out to bloggers and their tweeting prowess, they have solidified the social media tools for expanding a franchise.
People like to talk about themselves and what they want and like. Give your customers the chance to feel like they are a part of how your product or service is expanding. Use queries relating to feedback on a new product or answer their questions and complaints. If your franchisee is going to prosper, they have to listen to the desires of their target market. Take these examples from Smashburger’s Facebook and Twitter:
Make your interaction enticing
Posting information about a new product or service can be effective, but allowing the customer to be a part of the decision is even better. Trivia contests, voting pools and giveaways allow the customer to feel like their opinions are creating your brand. Interactive coupons also keep customers engaged and coming back to your page to check out what is being offered today; keeping your business in the forefront of their mind. Smashburger called out for votes and shared a link where they could vote to help their burger make it to the final round of the Dallas Morning News Burger Madness bracket:
Keep it interesting
Consistency in updating your social media profile will keep people interested. That said, humor and playfulness should not be overlooked. Simply creating a chuckle from your customer will improve their retention of the message you are conveying. Check out how Smashburger used humor to reach their customers:
Moral of the story, if you aren’t using social media you aren’t gaining the best exposure for your businesses. It is an opportunity to engage customers and that engagement can lead to loyal customers. Be sure to allocate enough resources to effectively manage your social media presence. Your franchisee will thank you. And even more importantly, they won’t go rogue.
A big thank you to Bre Wolta for her research and help uncovering Smashburger’s social media success.
There are few holidays that are not centered around chocolate and/or desserts, and Easter is no exception.
Mars M&Ms has grasped this reality and flung it into a new mobile marketing advertising campaign to drive sales for the coming holiday.
The M&M mobile ads capture attention with phrases such as, “Make every basket complete. M&M chocolates for Easter,” according to Mobile Marketer. Once they tap on the ad, users are educated on how to incorporate the candies into their Easter dessert recipes. It drives the consumer to a mobile microsite where they are greeted by the infamous M&M characters and step-by-step recipes.
The brilliance of the mobile marketing is its capability to drive on impulse. People who receive the ad when they are already out and about have it fresh in their mind that they should not only buy the candy, but they should do so because they have a recipe that they need it for; making the purchase a necessity, not just a desire.
Next to Valentines Day, Easter is the biggest chocolate buying holiday, and these ‘virtual end caps’ are a bright idea for the spring season.
What recipe will you make with the pastel M&M candies? Give in, it’s Easter.
Just when we all have gotten used to the “new” look of Facebook, the beast has evolved once again.
It seems that Facebook is trying to keep people on their toes with the endless face-lifts, and while most of us struggle to figure out how to simply maneuver to view photos, businesses are using the new Timeline to their full advantage.
How you ask? Here are a few perks of the new Timeline that will get your company ready for the switch:
Cover photo and profile image
Instead of just one small image to represent your brand, you can now also use another image as your cover photo. This photo spans the top of your page and is the background for your smaller profile image.
Large pinned posts
Timeline will not allow you to create a default-landing page, however you can manage the posts that appear on your wall. By moving a pinned post to the top of your wall, you can keep the most important and intriguing information and images in the forefront.
Ability to set company milestones
The Milestone section of your Timeline can update your fans about big events in the life of your company. People can visually see the history of your company and relate past experiences to themselves and other companies similar to you.
Facebook Offers
Similar to the Facebook Deals seen on the old Facebook format, the Facebook Offers are sent out to your fans via the news feeds. Not only is this more visible, but it is more personable when they click to claim the offer and it is sent directly to their email.
Whether you are a new company or a mature one, the new Timeline can help to increase awareness of your brand and expand your network.
Give it a go, and let us know how the re-facing of Facebook is working for you, or if you need help adjusting- give us a call!
The Weise Communications team is back from the International Franchise Association (IFA) conference in Orlando. The conference was full of highlights, including newest Hall of Fame inductee Jim Amos and his moving prayer breakfast speech; Bonny LeVine award-winner, SuperWash COO, Susan Black-Beth; the two keynote speeches – one was from host of the O’Reilly Factor, Bill O’Reilly and the other was New York Times best seller, Guy Kawasaki. There was even an appearance by Shaquille O’Neal, performing a random act of Shaqness on behalf of the Original Soupman. The four-day conference didn’t disappoint. After sessions, roundtables and a host of meetings, here are the top five things Tracy and I learned at the conference.
1. In 2011, there was a lot of discussion about access to financing as the biggest hurdle to overcome for franchise systems to grow. In 2012, financing wasn’t nearly as significant of a topic. There appears to be much more optimism that economy is turning and that the rumored lowering of the corporate tax rate from 35% – 28% will keep the U.S. competitive in the global economy.
2. Millennials, those born between 1980 – 2000, currently make up 25 percent of US population and account for $200 billion in direct spending. This generation is going to be very important for marketers; here are four considerations when marketing to millennials:
They consider themselves health fanatics and live a lifestyle to back it up.
They actively support causes and prefer to spend with companies that support causes as well.
They are early adopters of technology and avid social media participants – more connections and greater frequency.
They create and consume more “word of mouth, mouse and thumb.”
3. Social media in a vacuum is not going to sell you a franchise. Any franchisor that doesn’t believe in the value of social media most likely has the wrong mindset. Social media is not a vehicle to pitch products and services; it is one of the tactics a franchisor should use to develop a relationship with a prospect. According to Jeff Hayzlett, your social media goal should be to engage, educate, excite and evangelize. Thanks Jeff, your session was awesome!
4. There was a lot of interest in franchise sales lead generation. Despite franchisors overwhelming their business development system with poor quality leads, they kept asking the question: “How do I get more leads?” Weise Communications believes that franchisors should be more interested in the quality of lead they generate rather than the volume of leads. There are plenty of methods to generate volumes of poor leads. If the franchisors were more interested in conversion percentage, they wouldn’t stand for the tactics that waste time. Instead, they would ask, “How do I close the sale?”
5. Veterans are going to be a target and a trend for franchise sales and franchisors should strongly consider participating in Operation Enduring Freedom through the VetFran Program. For the uninitiated, VetFran is a voluntary effort of IFA members that offers financial incentives to encourage franchise ownership to honorably discharged veterans.
We have a sixth thing we learned, you must be very careful at the passenger drop-off at the Orlando Airport. Cars, taxis and shuttle vans are constantly moving in and out of very tight spaces. It is possible for a person removing luggage out of the trunk of a car to get their legs crushed between their car and a run-away shuttle van. The results of Tracy’s MRI will be in later this week.
Let us know if you think we missed something. Share your thoughts about IFA with us on Facebook at Weise Communications and follow @Weise_Ideas on Twitter.
Pinterest has turned the act of “pinning” into a downright obsession among its 10 million users, providing never-ending pages of images that suck you in and leave you scrolling for more. Needless to say, this site has taken procrastination to the next level.
Maybe it is the ease of pinning a variety of interests to your own boards that other people can “like” as well, or maybe it is just simply enticing because of the wealth of diverse images at your fingertips. In any case, the female fan base has found reason to take up pinning as their new hobby.
Not only is Pinterest surpassing Facebook, Tumblr and the like in driving traffic to top websites such as marthastewartweddings.com, cookinglight.com, and self.com but according to The Week, it is doing so at an exponential rate unseen in other social media channels.
Once an image is repined, it is exposed to an entire new circle of people. A cycle of advertising exposure that is essentially never-ending.
It makes sense, then, that businesses should jump on board this speed train. And that, my friends, is exactly what is happening. Because when it comes down to it, this is target marketing at its finest.
Businesses considering Pinterest can:
Create their own pin boards that represent their company and their values. Think past and future designs, products, interesting product uses, ect.
Smaller companies can even go as far as pinning interests that its employees have, making their company more personally relatable.
Add pin buttons (similar to the Facebook “like” button) to their website so people surfing their site can follow their boards on Pinterest.
Feature new and upcoming products on these boards so the company can get a feel for the popularity based on the number of repins. In short, it is test marketing without the legwork.
Obviously Pinterest is a great social media channel for any company who is advertising products that can be represented visually (food, magazines, fashion, automobiles, home improvement, art, etc.). But it doesn’t have to stop there. For instance, travel agencies can use visually enticing beaches or monuments to capture attention and fitness centers can use images of fit models to make people stop, think and click for more.
When it comes down to it, the basic psychology is this: people want to share their interests, but more importantly they want what everyone else has. The higher the repin number, the more appealing that product becomes and the more attention it gets.
What do you think about Pinterest and how is your company including it in your social media efforts? Have you pinned today?
It was a double jaw-dropping statistic from former Google CEO Eric Schmidt at the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) Annual Leadership Meeting. Schmidt said that YouTube has reached 200 million playbacks of video content, on mobile devices…(first jaw drop), every day (second jaw drop).
With the explosive growth of iPad and the continued adoption of smartphones, it is clear to Weise Communications that mobile is rapidly becoming the primary device used to access the internet. For marketers, it will be crucial to influence organizations to incorporate SEO practices in mobile sites.
Technological advancements in location-based search and integrated social search results will impact how people use mobile search and how browsers deliver results. In order to increase traffic to mobile pages, it is essential for companies to leverage mobile SEO practices in order to increase traffic and provide a better user experience.
I recently attended a mobile marketing roundtable co-hosted by Alex Valderrama and Greg Olson of Growl, a Denver-area mobile marketing agency. They presented three mobile SEO tips that are necessary to consider:
1) Create a mobile specific landing page that detects the device the person searching is using and make sure you integrate mobile into traditional website strategy. People using the mobile gateway will not replace the traditional desktop search; instead, it helps reach new customers and sets you apart from the competition.
2) There is no rule that you must have a robust mobile site, instead, start small. First, launch the mobile site as a web app rather than native app. Then, measure results and grow the mobile site. Most importantly, have a share button on every mobile thing that you do.
3) Whether or not you are targeting mobile users, people are looking at your site on a mobile device. The quickest solution is to create a landing page with basic information that a mobile users wants: hours of operation, location and directions, etc.
At the same IAB meeting, Mr. Schmidt also shared that 78 percent of smartphone owners use their phones while they shop. “This is the future and everyone will adapt,” Schmidt said. “Because people are fundamentally better off with a better, smarter and more empowered customer.”
I’ve even downloaded the Red Laser app. I use this app shopping all the time, I scan the barcode of an item and this app provides results of nearby places also selling the same item and the price they charge. Red Laser has already saved me money.
Let us know if you’ve joined the mobile revolution, are you using your smartphone or iPad to access the internet more than your desktop? Has your company adopted a mobile SEO strategy? Share your thoughts here, on our Facebook page at Weise Communications, or message us on Twitter at @Weise_Ideas.
Everyone’s got their lists – the best, the worst, the funniest, the cutest, etc. My approach was totally different.
Here’s my play-by-play/color commentary on all the commercials shown during this year’s Super Bowl. I was live posting these on Facebook during the game and there was plenty of debate. Real-time discussions were very interesting and many comments are still coming in.
What is below is just a quick thought on each commercial’s ideas, production value, brand stewardship, effort, etc. and finally a FINAL SCORE of each and how I thought it scored 1 to 10. 10 being the best.
Suzuki “Sled”
THIS WAS MY FAVORITE! It was great because it was unexpected, unlike most of the other commercials that you knew what was coming. The music got you to tap your toe and snap your fingers, the dogs were great bouncing to the music along with the driver, of which had a great smile, and you could tell he REALLY BELIEVED in the decision he made. He knew he had made a great decision for his family…even though his wife may not understand…the family would be in a better place with this car.
FINAL SCORE: 10
8:14pm DETROIT/ DIRTY HARRY: ANY COMMERCIAL ABOUT THE REVITALIZATION OF DETROIT, I LOVE IT. The messaging is SO strong and I love the way they have positioned themselves with IMPORTED FROM DETROIT.
FINAL SCORE: 9
8:10pm CADILLAC: really? if you have to call out your competition (BMW 3 series) in your commercial, you’ve already lost. Nice try GM.
FINAL SCORE: 4
8:00pm SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE (SMART PHONE): A PHONE WITH A PEN? I HATE MUSICALS….and especially the ones that include spontaneous flash mobs of singing people. AND it looks like this spot was shot on the same back lot in LA as the Budweiser commercials.(Just saying.)
FINAL SCORE: 5
7:55pm CAREERBUILDER.COM/ MONKEYS : monkeys, deprecating humor = funny. Funny gets you points for the SB voting.
FINAL SCORE: 7.5
7:53pm KIA/OPTIMA/MISTER SAND MAN/ADRIANA LIMA/ great production value! great idea: concept: ok.
FINAL SCORE: 7.5
7:49pm BUD LIGHT: HEREWEGO THE DOG! I think my little boy needs a dog. Just like this one. Oh…and since there’s a dog in the commercial it will do well in the voting….
FINAL SCORE: 8
7:45pm HYUNDAI/ONE WORD GENESIS COUPE: weak…348 Horsepower…now that’s impressive. I didn’t know they could make a Hyundai with such a strong engine…but isn’t a little overkill for that brand?
FINAL SCORE: 6
7:38pm DISCLAIMER: MOVIE TRAILERS AND ‘THE VOICE” commercials DON’T COUNT AS SB COMMERCIALS…even though the Betty White commercial for THE VOICE was adorable…any thing with her in it always gets props.
7:36pm HONDA CRV/FERRIS BUELLER/Matthew’s Day Off: finally they showed it….deep into the 2nd half….2 minutes into the 4th quarter: I think we’ve all seen this commercial at least 27 times with all the press it got this week. Great idea: comfortable production value: the only thing that would have made it better would have been a cameo appearance by the wife (Sarah Jessica Parker)
FINAL SCORE: 8.5
7:31pm THE NFL: ONE OF THE BEST SPOTS YET! Using the history of the league in a great progression down the field was genius. How could anyone deny the richness of the NFL’s history and it’s promise to continue the this rich tradition. Hats off to the NFL. FINAL SCORE: 8.5
7:25pm BRIDGESTONE TIRES #2: Nice evolution of the campaign. Production value: spot on. Keep up the great work Bridgestone!
FINAL SCORE: 8.5
7:23pm BUDWEISER #2: BETTER THAN the first ad…more relateable to most people watching. I didn’t understand the 2011 music in a commercial that didn’t obviously get past the early 1990s? Nice evolution of the campaign AND with some of the same venues as the first commercial..the time evolution connection is subtle but well done.
FINAL SCORE: 7.5
7:18pm GE #3: Great Pride in America’s manufacturing! This campaign will be around a while. I approve! I wonder if Jack Welch had anything to do with this new idea.
FINAL SCORE: 8
7:16pm ACURA NSX/JERRY SEINFIELD; FUNNY…HUGE PRODUCTION FOR CAR THAT’S NOT REALLY FUNNY. Acura’s NSX is one of the worlds most spectacular cars and they pitted Leno and Seinfeld against each other. Sort of on target.
FINAL SCORE: 6.5
7:12pm CENTURY 21: SMARTER. BOLDER. FASTER. : eh…Deon Sanders was in his 2nd .
FINAL SCORE: 4
7:10pm OIKOS GREEK YOGURT: Any time John Stamos gets knocked out, it’s a good thing.
FINAL SCORE: 6
7:07pm COKE POLAR BEARS #3: COKE MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER: duh?!
FINAL SCORE: 8
7:05pm CAMRY/REINVENTED...wa?
FINAL SCORE: 7.5
7:03pm FIAT/ABARTH: You’ll never forget the first time you see one. A nice way to keep your attention. Gratuitous legs, heels, cleavage, and a mini car tearing it up on a closed course.
FINAL SCORE: 7
6:58pm COMCAST: SUPER MONSTER HOUSE RACING!!! by Xfinity! Comcast: Great production value, simple idea, effective:
FINAL SCORE: 7.5
6:42pm TOYOTA CAMRY/THE CAMRY EFFECT: send us your story: Hasn’t this been done a bazillion times? the real story here is the fact you can ‘Shazam’ (http://www.shazam.com/) this commercial on your smart phone to enter the contest: something that’s NOT BEEN DONE AT ALL! for new technology efforts:
FINAL SCORE: 8.5
6:28pm JUSTFAB.COM : it’s a shoe commercial for a website: boring: production value low.
FINALS SCORE: 2
6:26pm AMERICAN FAMILY INSURANCE: People talking on a white background. no production value w no concept.
FINAL SCORE: 1
6:25pm OFFICE DEPOT: free pc tune-ups as told by an elf-like store associate and NASCAR driver: boring:
FINAL SCORE: 2
6:22pm HALF TIME COMMERCIALS: NFL.COM FANTASY: EH. A little too ghetto for me.
FINAL SCORE: 5
6:19pm ETRADE: SPEED DATING BABY: stick with what works. last years commercials were better: this iteration lacks real humor. Maybe eTrade needs to move on from the talking babies.
FINAL SCORE: 3.5
6:17pm DORITOS #2/BUNGIE BABY: funny: Customer created: not bad: Taunting is always appreciated in my world:
FINAL SCORE: 6
6:14pm CARS.COM/MY CONFIDENCE/FLOATING HEAD: funny, a little creepy.
FINAL SCORE: 5
6:13pm SKETCHERS: MR. QUIGGLY: funny, unexpected, and it features a Tone Loc tune…good but not great.
FINAL SCORE: 7.5
6:10pm TELEFLORA/Valentines: Give and You Will Receive: Genius to use one of the hottest super models in the world (not to mention, a Victoria Secrets model- ADRIANA LIMA) and the only line in the commercial is a great one. Small production but a Big Idea:
FINAL SCORE: 8
6:06pm CHEVY SONIC: It’s amazing what a car company will do to appeal to its demographic. I guess they want to be like Red Bull.
FINAL SCORE: 6 (FOR WOW FACTOR ONLY)
6:03pm COKE POLAR BEARS #2 NO DROP: Cute. Nice idea. SUSPENSEFUL I’m a COKE man so their brand promise lives strong in this commercial: AGAIN!
FINAL SCORE: 7.5
6:00pm H&M: BECKHAM UNDERWEAR Does everyone really need to see Beckham in his tightie whities? I thought H&M was a ladies clothing store?
FINAL SCORE: 2
5:57pm VW BUG/FAT DOG: Back better than ever: Nice idea. Emotional. Everyone loves dogs…I love VWs so I’m biased that I like the commercial. but the switch into the Darth Vader/Star Wars…whats up with that? a flashback to last years Kid Vader commercial?
FINAL SCORE: 7.5
5:51pm TAXACT.com FEEL THE FREE funny story, great suspense…I’m sure their servers just exploded.
FINAL SCORE: 7
5:47pm GE TURBINES #2: Turbines that make the beer…Budweiser Beer. Great idea to make GE relevant in today’s world. Too bad I can’t afford to buy a turbine.
FINAL SCORE: 7.5
5:45pm DORITOS/MAN’S BEST FRIEND : I have a cat and I think it was funny! I think this was one of the customer created commercial.
FINAL SCORE: 7
5:44pm BUDWEISER: Since 1876: Great production, HUGE PRODUCTION… and amazing how the shaving cream stayed on the guys face! It’s no field goal kicking Clydesdale, but good.
FINAL SCORE: 5
5:39pm LEXUS GS: THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING: of what? Big/cool production for a car that looks like the rest of the pack.
FINAL SCORE: 2
5:38pm GO DADDY.COM: .co – we all know there’s never ever going to have anything revealed in these commercials so why bother watching them.
FINAL SCORE: 1
5:36pm BRIDGESTONE TIRES #1: Good, funny idea to make a point. Cameos by Deon Sanders and Troy Aikman.
FINAL SCORE: 6
5:31pm COKE POLAR BEARS: Cute. Nice idea. I’m a COKE man so their brand promise lives strong in this commercial.
FINAL SCORE: 7
5:28pm BEST BUY: All mobile phone carriers are available at one store. Who cares…the word on the street is that Best Buy is going out of business soon.
FINAL SCORE: 1
5:26pm M&MS/Chocolate Naked M&M: Funny! not to mention the Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle song…who wouldn’t like an M&M commercial.
FINAL SCORE: 8
5:23pm BUD LIGHT PLATINUM #2: An evolution of the first spot, but no real idea here, just people at a party…just like half of the other beer commercials on tonight.
FINAL SCORE: 3
5:21pm PEPSI/ELTON JOHN: Pepsi for All: I’m a Coke drinker so this commercial did nothing for me, but it’s always amazing to see Flava Flav pop up in the weirdest places. Elton John was cool, but the lady that sang for her Pepsi(Huge production for little pay-off)
FINAL SCORE: 1
5:18pm AUDI HEADLIGHTS/VAMPIRE BONFIRE: really? I could see this idea coming from a mile away, corny, less than appropriate for Audi’s brand:
FINAL SCORE: 3
5:15pm BUD LIGHT PLATINUM: huge production for little pay-off, a new beer intro needs more.Why would I buy a beer that is portrayed as something crafted in a high-tech foundry? It almost looked like a cell phone commercial.
FINAL SCORE: 2
5:14pm Hyundai: Rocky Movie Theme Song: toe tapping idea, little payoff.
FINAL SCORE: 5
Last week, I had the privilege to be interviewed by Angel Tuccy and Eric Reamer of the Experience Pros Radio Show on KLZ in Denver to discuss search engine optimization – SEO (Click on pic of Angel and Eric for the podcast) Unfortunately, we ran out of time before I could provide a hot SEO business tip that any business with a physical location can implement today.
Google Places is a free service provided by Google that combines a physical address with the robust Google Maps application. Google Places allows an individual to review and evaluate business listings. For marketing professionals,of of the best reasons to understand Google Places is that Google has a clear preference for businesses listed in Google Places when providing search results.
Here is an example, I entered the search term “copying” and the first page of Google has two paid ads, a wiki entry about the subject copying, two company websites FedEx Office and Staples, then the Google Places results. Interestingly, the top three selections in the Google Places listings all have customer reviews.
Now that you see Google Places is important to Google ranking, there are some to do’s that are important:
Since Google Places uses an algorithm to list the most relevant results, you should include the most important keywords for your business in the 200-character description of the listing.
Listings are allowed to include up to five photos. Use appropriate keyword titles for the pictures that will also help with SEO. It is important to control the photos attached to your Google Places listing because with the fleet of street view camera cars, Google reserves the right to use their sources to add photos to your listing.
Encourage customers to leave reviews on the Google Places page. You can set up a program to give a customer a discount on a return visit for a positive review. One note of caution: Do not submit multiple reviews from the same IP address. The people at Google are smart, if you cram a bunch of reviews from the same IP address, Google will identify and consider this type of behavior a violation.
Be sure to add your Google Places site to your analytics. In addition to traffic, the analytics dashboard will show you the search terms used to find your Google Places listing. This will provide valuable information as you can focus your content creation on relevant search terms.
Let us know if you’ve used Google Places and seen impact on your SEO. Share your thoughts here or on Facebook at Weise Communications and follow us on Twitter at @Weise_Ideas.
As much as we love the unprecedented access to newsmakers and the powerful search engine of Twitter, there is a dark side to the micro blogging service. In some cases, spammers and twitter bots pollute your feed and your @tweets. Sometimes your timeline is overrun with the solo opera (Me, Me, Me, ME), self-promo artists and links that go nowhere. Since we know these are a few of the things we can’t stand about how some people use Twitter, it is important for anyone wanting to use Twitter for its intended purpose to know what types of behavior you need to avoid.
5 – 8. Spam-tastic – the following makes you look like you are spamming, even if you don’t think you are:
Reporters, news-gathering organizations, celebrities and many businesses have unleashed 
Its free, its accessible, and it reaches billions of people. Social media is providing three key factors that should be putting dollar signs in the eyes of franchisors.
It was a double jaw-dropping statistic from former 
on Facebook
on Twitter
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