By now, most of us have heard about the transport company, Uber. Riders log into the app, enter their pick up location and are connected with an available driver. Riders are even able to pick the kind of car that drives them ensuring they arrive to their destination in style.

Recently, Uber has introduced a new, cheaper version of the app where pre-screened drivers are able to pick up riders in their own car. The advancement in the highly popular app has raised some safety concerns among critics, however, the company assures their service is completely safe and reliable. Drivers are screened with a complete background check and a follow up is conducted after the ride.

Recently, the taxi company received a major marketing boost from one of the word biggest DJ’s. DeadMau5 signed up as an Uber driver for a night in Toronto, best of all he filmed the whole thing. Check it out!

While this campaign is a little unconventional for Tim Hortons, it definitely worked. Any PR or marketing professional knows that associating the campaign with the product is very important, and Tims pulled this off in a spectacular way.

Check out this campaign for yourself and tell us what you think!

With the rapid evolution of technology and social media, keeping  up with changing marketing and PR trends can be a full- time job. Lucky for us, there are some great conferences in Toronto that will  update us on the latests and greatest in the PR and marketing fields.  So, if you are looking to brush up on some of your skills, here are our top conference picks for 2014:

Social Media Marketing Conference | April 29, 2014

Social media evolves at such a quick pace it makes it very difficult for companies to keep up with changing platforms. The Social Media Marketing Conference, provides insight into the social media world and how companies are diversifying their interaction with audiences.

Digital Media Summit | May 7, 2014

If you are into social media or digital marketing, this is the conference for you. Focusing on the digital side of branding and marketing, the Digital Media Summit introduces ideas that are hugely relevant to today’s changing media environment. Featured speakers include: Umang Shah (Director, Social Strategy, Walmart), Mike Tippet (Hootsuite) and Creighton Burke (VP, Mobile Strategy, Live Nation)

The Art of Marketing | May 28, 2014

With guest speakers including: Malcolm Gladwell, Marc Ecko, Denise Lee Yohn, Matthew Dixon and Scott Stratten; this years conference is sure to be an educational one. Taking place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, this one-day event brings together some of the most renowned thought leaders in the marketing business.

Ideacity | June 18-20, 2014

This three-day Conference is ram packed full of thought provoking idea makers. Ideacity brings 50 of the most creative minds together to present to a highly engaged audience. Past speakers include: Jake Andraka (6-year-old cancer researcher), Carl Dietrich (inventor of a flying car) and Joseph Coughlin (Director of MIT’s AgeLab).

Sure, the brands that do engage in this type of stunt do get a considerable amount of online impressions, but are they memorable enough to boost sales? Chances are, video concepts are remembered, but if not tied tightly to the brand messaging, the producer of the content is quickly forgotten.

Check out Kmart’s “Ship My Pants” video below.

Does this make you want to buy from Kmart? Will you remember that it was Kmart who made this video months from now, or could it easily be mistaken for Target, Walmart, or some other big box retailer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

What does this mean for you and your business? It means that now more than ever, YOU have the ability to control your communications by developing content that will attract your desired demographic – ultimately driving sales, conversions and brand loyalty.

The below infographic from WebBizIdeas outlines 17 of the top content suggestions to help escalate your traffic, and build more meaningful content for your audience. Take a look:

Are there any other types of content that you think should be included in this list? Share them below in the comments!

Posting quality content frequently and consistently is one of the biggest challenges of maintaining a good blog. Keeping an editorial calendar can greatly increase your blog’s chances for success by enabling you to plan and track your content strategically. Here are some tips to keep in mind in order to effectively manage and organize your editorial calendar.

1. Access to calendar: If you’re working with more than one person on a blog, have the editorial calendar uploaded on one central location, such as a Google Calendar or Drive. This enables other users that have access to the file to edit it and add new ideas at a moment’s notice. If it’s just you working on the blog, it’s still great to have a copy of the editorial calendar living online so it’s always readily available.
2. Sync to mobile calendar: If you aren’t checking your calendar frequently, you could be missing important information or deadlines that are coming up. If you sync the calendar to your phone, you can set alerts or reminders so you never miss a beat.
3. Deadlines: If you plan to publish a certain number of posts per week, an editorial calendar will help you keep publishing dates consistent. For example, if Tuesdays and Thursdays will be your main posting dates, put those two days down in your calendar as deadlines.  If necessary, make the deadlines red so they stand out. It’s easier to keep track of publishing your content when you see it highlighted in front of you on a calendar.
4. Content: This seems like a no-brainer, but if you don’t have ideas for future posts clearly written out, then it might become difficult to keep up with the main theme or idea of your blog. The content of your blog is the structure of your blog. If you have inconsistent content, your blog will be a random, jumbled mess of posts. Jot down notes for what you plan to write about at least a month in advance.
5. Purpose: Always keep a solid reminder as to why you’re writing about that particular subject and the audience for which you’re writing. For every post you plan on publishing, make a note for yourself below it that tells you the audience and purpose of that particular post. This helps you decide whether the content is suitable for the overall theme of your blog.
6. Keep notes when on-the-go: If you’re old school, carrying around a small notebook and a pen is great for those spontaneous bursts of inspiration. When you’re on the go and don’t have your computer near you, make sure to write it down in the notebook and later add it to your calendar. Alternatively, if you’ve synced your editorial calendar to your smart phone, you can input notes on the calendar right from your phone. Whichever way you do it, just make sure you always have an accessible place to write down those ideas! There’s nothing worse than getting a great idea and forgetting it five minutes later.
7. Social media: If you’re going to be promoting your blog on social media sites, be sure to include a separate category on your editorial calendar for tweets, status updates, etc. For example, you can include a light blue category as a reminder to post on Twitter that day, or a dark blue category to post on Facebook. Include what you’ll be posting so its available when you need it.
8. Images: Gather photos in advance for every blog post you plan on publishing. This eliminates having to search last-minute for the right photo to go along with the blog post, which can be stressful when the deadline is an hour away. Don’t forget to include any links to the original source of the photo, unless its your own.
9. Tags/SEO: This can easily be overlooked when planning content for a blog post. Make sure  you list all the tags or SEO keywords you plan to use, that way you can save time by having them available on the calendar and transferring them directly into your blog post.

Although we do admit that it’s a bit time consuming in the beginning, creating an editorial calendar will help keep you and your blog on track. Once you already have a calendar established, you will find it much easier to keep all of your content organized.

Sources:

http://properpropaganda.net/2013/08/13-tips-to-create-a-killer-editorial-calendar-for-your-company-blog/
http://blog.journalistics.com/2013/how-to-create-an-editorial-calendar/

What do you think, clever brand activation or just plain silly?

This week, we’d like to introduce you to Viral, Social, and Authentic Marketing (which he calls Un-Marketing) expert, Scott Stratten!

1.    What’s your official job title, and where did you go to school?

Professional Ranter. Sheridan College in Oakville, ON Canada

2.    Elevator pitch. Describe yourself in a nutshell (or sea shell, or
any shell for that matter).

Author, Speaker and kind of a big deal on fairly irrelevant social media
sites which inflates my self-importance.

3.    Why did you pursue what you’re doing now? What was the inspiration?

Trying to stop people from being “sold” ways to market their business wrong.
Ever since I saw a friend do a cold-call immediately after he told off
someone for cold-calling him.

4.    What is the best part of your day-to-day? 

That I have no idea what day it is. Not looking forward to the weekend,
because every day is awesome and has it’s benefits.

5.    What’s the most challenging?

That I have no idea what day it is.

6.    If you took a look in the cliché crystal ball, what do you see for
yourself?

Less hair, more books, three more ulcers.

7.    How do you embrace disruption in your work and personal life? 

Disruption is my middle name. Well, it’s William, but it’s Latin for
“disruption”. My entire being is meant to disrupt the ways people do
business.

8.    What is the most memorable moment in your career?

Seeing my first book on a store bookshelf was amazing.

9.    Do you support any initiatives or charities?  

No Kid Hungry (http://www.nokidhungry.org).  We have too much to not give children
even a little.

10.    Tell us what you see yourself doing at 65 years old.

Resenting the fact that I didn’t start a family band.

11.    Just for fun: if you had to pick one app in the whole APPVERSE, what
would it be?

PokerStars. I have a problem.

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Inside PR

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Inside PR is hosted by three veterans from the PR world. Every week, they gather to discuss current issues in the field, address listener comments/questions and sometimes, interview other notable PR professionals.

The Hobson & Holtz Report

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Co-hosts, Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson go on air every week for The Hobson & Holtz Report. They provide professional reviews on all current news in online communications and public relations. Their line up also includes interviews with newsmakers and influencers of the field, along with book reviews and guest speakers.

Trafcom News Podcast

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Hosted by Donna Papacosta, you will hear everything you need to know on how to communicate better with your fellow coworkers and clients with the Trafcom News Podcast. The show provides in-depth discussions and interviews with important professionals in the field of business communications.

Six Pixels of Separation

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Listen to the Six Pixels of Separation podcast for all things marketing and social media. Presented from a digital marketing perspective, it will give you the basics of the all you need to know. Check out their ‘The Twist Image Blog‘ as well for more marketing and communications insights!

Marketing Over Coffee

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Recorded in a local coffee shop every week, Marketing Over Coffee is a 2o minute conversation between co-hosts John Wall and Christopher Penn. They cover topics in both classic and new marketing, as well as all kinds of tips and tricks for working in the field!

Young PR Pros

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Young PR Pros is the go-to podcast for all aspiring interns and young professionals. This is a great radio show to get advice on how to improve and advance your budding career!

• Everyone wants multimedia – press releases with multimedia get 77% more responses compared to text-only formats. 
• Blogs with videos are linked to 3x more than text-only posts
• No one reads – 79% of people just scan web articles (you can include us in the 79%!)
• It’s estimated that people see 5000 marketing messages per day
• Every 60 seconds, 168 million emails are sent!

All these and more in the image below.

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Orbitz Drink

Any self-respecting Canadian should remember this creation, brought to you by the makers of Clearly Canadian (which coincidentally has also shut its doors for business). Undoubtedly you had a chance to try this drink at least once – but after that first experience, it’s doubtful you bought this chunky sensation again. With flavours like Vanilla Orange and Blueberry Melon Strawberry, it’s really no wonder that this product didn’t take off.

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Crystal Pepsi

In an effort to appear pure and clean, Pepsi launched a crystal-clear, caffeine-free version of their product in 1992. According to Wikipedia, the product was launched in hopes of being a “clear alternative” to regular colas, and managed to perform well in its first year. Sales quickly fell, and the line was discontinued shortly after. We happened to stumble upon a video of someone ingesting Crystal Pepsi – but be forewarned, it isn’t for the faint of heart.

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McDonald’s Pizza

Ok, this one was really a stretch. For those who can remember, back in the 90′s McDonald’s introduced their very own pizza- but it came with many drawbacks. First off, wait times for ordering a personal pie were 20 minutes and up, making the experience completely different from traditional fast food. Secondly, it just tasted bad (like, REALLY bad) – we remember it well. Another interesting tidbit we found during our research? McDonald’s also tried to introduce lasagna and spaghetti: another move that didn’t seem very authentic to the brand.

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Doritos 3D

We searched high and low to find out why these were discontinued, but weren’t able to find a real explanation – so we’ll elaborate on our personal experience. This particular line introduced by the snack food giant smelled horrible and tasted funky. Upon opening up the bag, you immediately knew this wasn’t going to be the same caliber of chip you’d expect from your favourite junk food brand. That said, we do have a message for its creators: if you’re listening Frito-Lay, can you please bring back “Collisions”? Particularly, the hot wing and blue cheese variety? Thanks in advance.

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Colgate Dinners

We’re scratching our heads as to why this ever would have made it past R&D phase, but we hear that the reasoning was quite simple: makers thought that people would want to eat Colgate meals and then brush up with the brand’s top product directly after. Admittedly, we never got to experience this 1982 invention – but it comes as no surprise that it didn’t exactly make waves in the consumer food department.

All of these examples really bring home how important it is to remain authentic to your brand. It’s fine to diversify, but first make sure there is a defined need for your new product(s) – and that they fit with your brand’s identity. People connect to your brand and make purchase decisions based on the associations your product brings. We can’t fault these companies for wanting to try something new and different, but perhaps they could’ve avoided some of these embarrassments with a little more thought and research.

Are there any extinct products you can remember from days gone by? Share them in the comments!

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As PR pros, we’re always looking for chances to learn new techniques and embrace the changes digital innovation is bringing to our industry. There are many opportunities to attend networking events and listen to industry leaders speak on a variety of communication topics. Here at EDPR, we value the educational aspect of many of the wonderful conferences that occur every year in Toronto, so much so that we thought we would take a minute and share our top picks with you!

Marketing Magazine’s Data Driven Marketing Conference (August 20, 2013)

Providing information for businesses to stay competitive in today’s market. This one-day conference will have you hearing from industry leaders and examining a variety of case studies.

Register here.

Incentive Works 2013 (August 20 + 21)

Does event planning fall under your job duties? For those PR pros who also plan events, there will be workshops available to those who want to learn the newest trends in event planning, improve skills and learn from industry experts.

Register here.

BlissDom Canada 2013 (October 3-5, Mississauga, ON)

Bringing together bloggers, social media specialists, relevant brands and agencies to engage in a conversation on new ways to connect, create and up their game using social media. You’ll be able to catch the EDPR team here for the entirety of the conference – be sure to follow us on Twitter to stay in touch!

Register here.

Public Sector For Social Media 2013 (November 5-6, Ottawa, ON)

Okay, so maybe this doesn’t fall under Toronto, but Ottawa is not too far away! This conference focuses on the rapid growth social media has had over communication in today’s work space. Here, you can use expert advice on how to start, grow and maintain your social media strategy.

Register  here.

Mesh Marketing Conference (November 7, 2013)

meshmarketing is the place to interact with digital marketing thought leaders, connect with peers and prospects, and get a better understanding of the impact new developments are having on your strategy, business and job. Get ready to explore topics such as content marketing, Website optimization, social marketing and digital tools.

Register here.

What’s your official job title, and where did you go to school?

I am the PRINCIPAL, HEAD OF MAGIC at the Toronto based innovation firm Kinetic Café and according to my Facebook profile I went to school at the RINGLING BROS. AND BARNUM & BAILEY CLOWN COLLEGE majoring in Mummenschanz but to be honest, it has been so long since I was in school so I can’t really remember if that’s accurate anymore.

Elevator pitch. Describe yourself in a nutshell (or sea shell, or any shell for that matter).

I am North America’s best word of mouth marketer specializing in big impact with low budgets…on top of that I am very handsome and my charm has no bounds.

Why did you pursue what you’re doing now? What was the inspiration?

I recently read an article that had the following description of the word Visionary, “a word that manages to convey both a capacity for mercurial insight and a lack of practical job skills.” I am not sure that accurately describes my career or personality but I did want to prove to you and your readers that I am very well read.

So to answer your question, I got to where I am not by pursuing a dream path from the beginning but rather identifying very early where my strengths were and focusing on being the best in the world at a specific skill (or big thing) instead of being OK at a lot of little things. By playing to my strengths instead of my passions I was always in a position to be successful and I never made my passions my job, therefore losing the love for the things I love. Hobbies should always be hobbies and separate because this is how you find inspiration and recharge.

What is the best part of your day-to-day?

Being creative and having people love me.

What’s the most challenging?

Convincing big brands that they should finance a re-imagination of the Harlem Globetrotters or Pro Stars cartoons.

If you took a look in the cliché crystal ball, what do you see for yourself?

I can answer this with absolute confidence because I recently had a tarot card reading and was told that in my near future my prominence will grow to a level of Oprah like beloved-ness, Seth Godin like respected-ness, Shawn Kemp like virility and Andy Kaufman like spectacle-ness, all to be followed by obscurity, irrelevance and a Howard Hughes like reclusive-ness.

How do you embrace disruption in your work and personal life?

Disruption is what I do for a living. Getting peoples attention and making people scratch their heads is that skill I referenced earlier as the thing I am better at than anyone, so you could say I embrace it with all my fingers and toes. Its what gets me out of bed everyday.

What is the most memorable moment in your career?

I don’t look back much and kinda keep moving forward so even though I have been featured in INC and Forbes Magazine for doing cool stuff and have spoken 6 years in a row at SXSW I am going blame my poor memory and say this interview is the most recent memorable moment right now.

Do you support any initiatives or charities?

I support a few charities financially (my schedule doesn’t allow too much hands on support) and while I am very proud of these initiatives I don’t talk about that stuff publicly for fear people will realize I am really a good person.

Tell us what you see yourself doing at 65 years old.

Running a school for retired print and runway models focused on teaching them the skills they need re-enter society and deal with common folks…and if that doesn’t happen I would like to be still doing what I do now because spending your days dreaming up solutions to complicated problems is pretty rewarding as well.

Just for fun: if you had to pick one app in the whole APPVERSE, what would it be?

Not sure I have a favorite app right now but I am most interested in trying out Felt App. I love the idea of handwritten notes to people.

Context is so important: it provides reasoning behind information or an event, while also allowing individuals to draw the correct conclusion about something. When it comes to marketing, context is all about being able to provide the right content, to the right people at the right time.¹ By providing a more complete picture of what a product/service actually is and the many uses and benefits it can provide, it enables potential customers more information to make final purchase decisions.

Contextual marketing is at it’s best when the content is personalized and relevant to the people looking at it. The best ways to figure out what your potential consumers want is through market research and identifying where they land in the buying cycle. If they are just starting to research purchasing a product, the information they’re looking for is vastly different than what they would require in other areas of the buying cycle (see the image below).

When conducting contextual marketing, here’s are 3 tools that you can use:

• Dynamic Calls To Action: telling people what you want them to do; i.e. “contact us for more information,” “buy now,” or “tell us about your experience.”
• Organized E-mail Blasts: don’t bombard people with information they won’t need.
• Smart Forms:  by gathering targeted data, you can personalize your interactions with past/present/future customers.

When it comes to online advertising, Todd Wasserman had this to say:

“…standard ad formats for TV, print and radio are pretty set, the Internet has viewed the social media and mobile revolution as a chance for a do-over in which the lines between advertising and editorial are blurred a bit…”

We’re all bombarded with examples of  targeted online marketing. How many times have you googled a product, and been chased by a plethora of banner ads (advertising that very product) with each site you visit? That’s another form of contextual marketing that uses behavioral targeting. Many search engines employ the use of adware (software that picks out key words from our searches) and display ads that are meant to be of interest to us. This technique could still use some improvements though, behavioural targeting still can’t decipher whether or not a consumer has purchased a product – meaning the banner ads still appear, even after completing the online buying cycle.

Whatever form it comes in, contextual marketing has become an industry standard – helping to provide consumers with products and services they actually “want”.

Sources:

http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33894/What-s-the-Deal-With-This-Whole-Context-Marketing-Thing.aspx

http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/56351/contextual-marketing

http://mashable.com/2013/05/03/contextual-marketing/

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Data Collection

The original idea for an infographic often comes from a question someone poses or a pile of information they have collected. After the original source of information/data for a potential infographic is identified, it is time to start branching out to other sources. The idea is to create the complete picture and landscape of the given situation so that there are no holes in the data. If a hole exists in the data, it is only going to frustrate everyone and waste time when it has to be filled in the future.

Formulating the Outline

The purpose of an infographic is to convey a story to the people who come across it. A bunch of seemingly unconnected facts and figures aren’t going to appeal to someone in the way the statistics behind one particular, central topic are. For example, we posted an infographic a couple months ago about the Grammys winners if awards were given out based on online/social media presence; there was a lot of information but it was all on one topic. The worst thing that could happen is having all the boring data translate to a boring infographic.

Here’s a tip: make sure you know the information & data backwards and forwards by the time you go and create the infographic, this will make it easier to flush out a story.

Trouble Shoot

So you know what you want the infographic to say but is it feasible given the data you’ve collected? The last thing you want to do is mislead people looking at the finished product by intentionally leaving out data because it doesn’t support the story. What you do want to do is present the data picture in its entirety and let the viewers and readers interpret it. You want their response to be, “I know what they are trying to say, and this is what I’m gathering from this infographic.”

Finding the “Hero”

You have figured out the story you want to tell with your data and if it is feasible or not, now to figure out which specific piece of information to make your ‘hero’ piece of data. The ‘hero’ piece of data is that one statistic or figure that will get people excited about the story. It will be the focal point that the other chosen data will revolve around to help communicate the narrative to the audience.

Building the Graphic

After the hierarchy for the data is determined, the visual representation of the infographic begins to take shape. There are many popular formats for displaying data, including the traditional graphs and charts. If the data merits it, you can choose to display the data using diagrams, flowcharts or maps. The deciding factor of how the data should be displayed in the final project all depends on the data itself and the story to be conveyed. To make the most of the visual appeal of the infographic, be sure to consider the colours and typography used.

A Thorough Going Over

So the design of the infographic is complete and all the data is displayed, you’re done right? Wait, slow down a little, there is one more step before your informative masterpiece can be unleashed to the masses: editing & revisions. Just like any good report, press release or company project, an infographic needs to be pored over by those who created it, and those who didn’t! The infographic should be made to fit in with any existing branding or identity; why would a company create an infographic that goes against part/all of their core message? Additionally, you want to ensure the data is presented in a way that is easy to read and understand for those that are unfamiliar with it. That is why you want those outside the creative circle who developed it to look it over.

Release the Beast

Finally, the time has come to unleash your infographic onto the public at large! Most infographics are released and shared online in some fashion, they may end up in a print publication as well. The advantage to this is that the audience of your work will be much larger and reach those both within your target audience and beyond. It is also easier to garner and compile feedback to the infographic in an online setting, often in a much timelier manner than print. Feedback after publishing can generate discussion & illuminate a different dimension to the data presented.

But once the infographic is published, don’t forget about it. You spent all this time and effort to create it in the first place, why let that go to waste if new data is released? Make sure you keep tabs on the important information and sources to update and revise the infographic as required. It’s easier to update than to create a whole to project!

So there you have it, a detailed, step-by-step guide to creating effective, appealing infographics to engage your audience. Now get busy creating!

In a world where interconnection is quickly becoming the norm, CrossMedia Toronto is here to showcase how to make the most out of crossover in platforms to build the best business and outreach possible. The showcase will present 26 of the most innovative firms from gaming to marketing, television to mobile. The event, which takes place tomorrow, February 21^st from 8am-6:30pm at the Bram &  Bluma Salon, will feature speakers, demos, case studies and networking opportunities for attendees.

The speakers for CrossMedia Toronto represent leaders in their fields and include:

• Roel Vertegaal, Director of the Human Media Lab, Queen’s University
• Erik Martin, General Manager, reddit.com
• Veronika Sonsev, CEO and Founder,inSparq.com
• Jamie King, Founder, VODO
• Veronica Holmes, President, Digital, ZenithOptimedia Canada
• Andrew Macdonald, General Manager, Uber Canada
• Mark Ghuneim, CEO/Founder of Wiredsetand Trendrr
• Rhonda McEwen, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto
• Brian Eoff, Data Scientist, Bitly
• Jeffrey Remedios, President and Co-Founder, Arts & Crafts
• Peter Vessenes,  Chairman & Executive Director, Bitcoin Foundation
• Rob Segal, Co-Founder, Get Set Games
• Deborah Hall, Head of Mobile, Torstar Digital
• Paul Kontonis, GM, Magnet Media Originalsand Chairman of the Board of Directors,International Academy of Web Television
• Ipsa Desai, Strategic Partnerships, Google
• Adam Clarkson, User Experience Lead,Chartbeat
• Corey Vidal, Founder and President, ApprenticeA Productions
• Hany Rashwan is the co-founder & CEO of Ribbon
• Asif R Khan, Founder & President,TheLBMA.com
• Tony Walsh, Founder, Exec. Producer & Creative Director, Phantom Compass
• Paul Sparkes, Executive Vice-Chairman and Co-Founder, Difference Capital
• Laurie Mirsky, President, 3DPhacktory
• Jeff Brenner, Co-Founder and CEO, Pressly
• Minnow Hamilton , Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder, SavvyMom Media
• Ross Davies, Director of Member Engagement, BBM
• Gavin McGarry, Co-Founder, Jumpwire Media

While this may seem like an impossibly long list for a single day event; CrossMedia Toronto is using a ‘quick fire’ method of presentation. Most of the speakers will have only 7 minutes to present their material to the audience. We’ll be posting a full run-down of the event on Friday, so keep your eyes peeled.

Here’s some more deets incase you’re interested in joining us there! 

What: CROSSMEDIA TO

Who: 26 top Digital Media & Tech Companies

When: Thursday February 21^st, 2013 8am – 6:30pm

Where: Bram & Bluma Salon, 789 Yonge St.

Why: Showcasing innovation & the future of crossover advertising and promotion

Simply put, Neuromarketing uses neuroscience to understand the ‘secrets’ of the human brain so that marketers can tap into the minds of the consumers to better market their products to them. In fact, 95% of a person’s thoughts, emotions and learning occur before we are aware they are happening. (Source:  Neuroscience Marketing, Fast Company)

So the truth is, before that celebrity even opens their mouth to tell you why their weight loss program is working for them, or how their new shampoo is, chances are your brain has already formed opinions on the celebrity, the brand and the products. The real question is, how do you combat something that is seemingly out of your control?

A study conducted by Neurolabs at Neurofocus offers the following insights:

• People prefer images with rounded edges to those with sharp edges.
• People don’t seem to like human images without a head so PLEASE find those mannequin heads and reattach them!
• Men are more apt to listen to the features a product offers, women want a deal (they are more sensitive to price changes)

People may seem like they’re into something but their brain tells a different story. They often don’t emotionally connect with ads even if they find them funny at the time; meaning the ad won’t be remembered after a short amount of time.

Fast Company recently published an article with their tips for better neuromarketing:

• Speak more to how a product will better a consumer’s life, then just why it is a good product
• K.I.S.S. Method – the tried and true method of ‘keeping it simple’ applies here. Short meaningful statements are better than pages of copy any day
• Visualize – people subconsciously connect with pictures and other visually appealing aspects of products/marketing before they read the words to go along with them. Make those visuals as appealing as possible.
• Start Strong, Finish Strong – Our brains pays the most attention to what happens at the beginning and at the end of a pitch, make those your strong points.
• Play on Emotions – tap into how consumers feel, that way any connections created will be more meaningful and deep as opposed to just a surface conversation.

So there you have it, some tips and tricks to make the most of neuromarketing for your business!

Bringing Product to its Target Market

YouTube is a haven for pretty much everyone who uses the internet. People are constantly posting a wide variety of videos from hair/makeup tutorials to product reviews/unboxings. So naturally, Nintendo decided to include YouTube in the marketing plan for the new Wii U console. The concept for the campaign is simple: Nintendo gave 50 Wii U’s to 50 well-known YouTubers, tasking them to create a video based on one of the games offered for the console. The videos must then get 10,000 views to be considered to advance to the top 12. The top 12 are flown to L.A. to compete. Four YouTubers will eventually be chosen to attend the Sundance Film Festival where their self made video will be shown. The winners will also be declared Nintendo Brand Ambassadors, providing Nintendo with on-going promotion.

Stealthy Marketing Tactics that Work

This marketing plan is a genius way to get Nintendo’s new product out into the minds of consumers. Who doesn’t spend far too much time on YouTube procrastinating daily? We all have YouTube channels we watch regularly and love to support, so helping them achieve something like screening at Sundance is engaging for both audiences and content creators. Additionally, by harnessing the creativity of 50 different people, Nintendo garners unprecedented creativity in appealing to potential buyers. Who better to communicate with teens, young adults and/or avid gamers than one of their own? It’s almost like a celebrity endorsement – but better because a YouTube celebrity is someone “just like us”. We know they actually used and enjoyed something if they make a video about it. They are a trustworthy source viewers are probably more inclined to listen to. The videos themselves are not presented as advertisements for the Wii U either, which is becomes even more appealing to the casual viewer. Who wants to watch an advertisement on purpose anyway? Here are some screencaps of video entries:

The cut off for views on the 50 entries is Friday, so it will be interesting to see the cumulative views vs. any correlations in sales for the Wii U. Overall, this marketing plan is a win for Nintendo – worldwide exposure for their product on the Internet for the cost of 50 units.

What other internet-based marketing plans have you noticed in 2012?

Hilarious, yes – and also extremely clever. You see, Outer Layer changes this sign regularly to reflect different quirky sayings and viewpoints directly from both their staff and product lines. To give you perspective: this is the store that offers products like Anne Taintor magnets/postcards, Kikkerland head massagers, and a variety of kitchy fun gifting options.

The real stand out here is that with signs like these, it almost begs you to come and explore what the store has to offer – while making a statement about the personality of the people and products that dwell within. In short: a fantastic way to convert foot traffic into purchasers.

Now: it simply wouldn’t be right of us to not relate this to digital marketing. It’s simple really, we all have an opportunity to create digital signs just like that of The Outer Layer. How you ask? By translating your brand in similar ways through Facebook and Twitter. It’s important to note that a clever post on a social network knows no bounds – and has potential to spread just about anywhere. So we challenge you – take a page from The Layer’s book, innovate and have fun with your brand messaging (whatever your format), it’s amazing where a little effort can take you!

There’s a lot of different tactics that writers can use to ensure they’re sharing subjects of value with their readers. The best insights will always come from your users – as a rule, make sure to check your stats daily, and see where the traffic is going when it lands on your site. See what readers are looking at most, and pay attention to the bounce rates. It’s simple really, identify the content that’s getting read and generate content that relates to the subject at hand.

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS

Consult Google Analytics (GA) when reviewing your content strategy. If you don’t know how to use GA, find someone who does – or email us to help!  The value of knowing how to operate and read GA is exponential, especially in today’s market.

LOOK AT TRENDS

Learn to love using Google Trends on a regular basis. Finding out what people are searching for most at a global scale, or at a more local level will help you formulate writing that people are looking for. Remember, don’t just write about a topic for the sake of writing – take a topic, and relate it back to your focus.

Check out what’s trending in Ontario, Canada right now (courtesy of Google Trends)

Writing and creating original content is much harder than it looks. Be sure to keep testing your ideas out, and remember that those tests mean absolutely nothing without fully understanding the data and results behind them.

Yes, it’s the oldest tactic in the book, but it still works. Think about it: we are alerted by social streams regularly, view banner ads on both desktop and mobile – but we also receive and check email all day (and night) long.

Recently a colleague sent over this INFOGRAPHIC that explains just how effective email marketing still is. Check it out below:

Last week, I was attending a book club meeting where we were discussing Eric Ries’ now famous novel: The Lean StartUp. In the book, Ries outlines all of the basic principles that a startup can put in place to achieve measureable success with proper testing and evaluation. The lean principles can merit their own blog post, so I won’t get too detailed today– but the idea of identifying precisely what your consumer wants came up in discussion.

We talked about making sure to listen to the consumer, and really take into perspective what they’re asking for. It was then proposed that the consumer is more likely to provide you with a complaint, or a desire that perhaps has nothing to do with the current product or service they’re using.

Let’s put this into context: back when VHS tapes were in their prime, one of the major gripes was that they took forever to rewind. Traditional thinkers would take this complaint, and try and design a faster VCR – when really, the customers were actually indirectly asking for a DVD player.

This concept (though simple) blew me away. I’ve always considered myself an out the box thinker – but to hear this put into such a simple example really resonated with me. One of the key parts of innovation is being able to hear feedback, and produce products and services that are able to better consumer user experiences. This was done ingeniously by the introduction of the DVD player, but has transcended into many different facets of technology to provide us with some of our now daily necessities.

It’s just a true testament to the fact that the consumer doesn’t always know what they want, but they certainly can identify what they don’t want. It takes great vision and foresight to look beyond the present day products, and create products or services from ground zero.

I’ll leave you with a quote from the late, great Steve Jobs:

“A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”

Fast Company (one of the only magazines I still buy a paper copy of) recently asked social industry leaders what they thought were the fundamental rules of social media. I loved how they presented the information found (pictured below), and these 5 really resonated with me:

#5. As monetization attempts to go up, consumer experience goes down. In my experience, it’s really important that social remains social. Not only does turning followers into dollar signs always backfire, but long-term relationships aren’t sustainable if you’re always looking for a buck.

#12. Not everything will work, and that’s fine. Embracing failure is such an important part of social. Be sure to test out your efforts on a small-scale before launching social campaigns – it’s ok to make mistakes if you’re learning what the consumer wants.

#14. EVERYONE’S an influencer. Whether a person has one follower, or one million followers – they’re still influencing someone. Remember that social is a public arena – and everyone can see everything.

#15. If fans distribute your content without permission, offer to help. This should be a no brainer, as a large part of this community is all about sharing content. It’s obviously preferable that your content is the stuff that’s being shared, and that turns into traffic, new fans, and new followers!

#35 Think past vanity metrics like followers. This can not be stressed enough. Quality over quantity – followers can be bought, but smarts and great content are the valuable metrics.

Image Via Fast Company

Nowadays, it seems as though public relations professionals are everywhere. From wine tastings to product launches, they are the ones connecting the dots and making sure goals are met on both sides: the business and the consumer. Here’s why it makes sense to hire a PR professional for your business or personal brand…

Connections
Public relations is all about relationships. Seasoned PR professionals know that it has, and always will be, part of their job to network with media and influencers. Journalists and public relations people, especially in the lifestyle realm, enjoy a reciprocal relationship with one another. They each have something the other wants and needs to effectively to their job. The public relations professional or firm wants coverage for its clients and the media outlet’s life is made easier when an interesting product, business venture or other story is provided to them, with all the information neatly outlined in press releases and fact sheets. Most of the time, PR people and journalists are even friends. Either way, PR people provide access to an outlet that you may not have so easily available at your fingertips.

Ability to Cross-Promote
Public relations people are strategic, with an ear to the ground at all times as to what is going on in your city. This means that they are in-the-know when it comes to opportunities for exposure, whether that means the sponsoring of events, presence at (and access to) gifting suits and ability to cross-promote with other clients or initiatives of people and organizations in their network. For example, if your business is a gourmet catering company set to launch in the city, and your PR firm also represents a popular art gallery that is celebrating its one-year anniversary, your catering provided at the event will now be exposed to all of the media and influencers gathered to celebrate the now thriving gallery’s well-attended event. Similarly, a well-known author could hold a book launch at your new clothing store, drawing journalists and influencers to the store and exposing them to the space.

Writing Capabilities
Public relations professionals are good writers – it is a part of the job requirement. Their talent in the art of writing, and subsequent way with words, can make anything (i.e. you, your business or your product) sound like the best thing the world has ever seen. PR people have a knack for marketing as well, and know how to strategically craft a release to capture the attention of journalists, in everything from the email subject line, title and subtitle of the release. Furthermore, journalists (often bombarded with multiple releases per day) have zero patience for poor grammar, spelling errors or amateur writing. In other words, just because you received an “A” in high school English class, doesn’t mean you are the person best suited to craft promotional material.

Makes Your Life Easier
Public relations people save you time in doing things that may take you a while. They can whip together fact sheets (whereas it may take you days), can access journalists with a quick phone call (when you will likely have to plough through red tape), and have relationships with suppliers like printing houses and graphic designers who may offer discounts. In terms of marketing initiatives, where you and your team may waste countless hours in brainstorm sessions, PR people are able to think creatively and “outside the box” when it comes to both long-term strategies and accompanying tactics. PR people have seen it all and, even if you think you have come up with the best idea to market your business, it may in reality be so three years ago in the PR world.

Damage Control
It is the professional job of PR people to manage the reputations of their clients. A seasoned professional knows that his or her job goes beyond promoting their clients; they need to protect their client’s image as well and have been trained in the art of damage control and how to effectively manage any negativity surrounding your brand. A poor restaurant review can be turned on its head by a stellar media event, a lapse in judgment by a public figure can be mitigated by a strategically crafted statement for the media, and an accident or safety concern in your establishment can be addressed through access your PR people have to the media in addressing the public and assuring them that measures are actively underway to correct the problem or concern.

To see the article in it’s original post on Notable.ca, click here. 

The achievements?

• 

  Jay-Z’s novel: Decoded

  Average time a person was on the campaign’s landing page was 11 minutes.

• Bing got 11.7% increase in visits to their search engine which finally tipped them into the Top 10 of most visited websites in the world.
• The campaign yielded 1.1 billion media impressions
• Jay-Z’s Facebook page grew by 1,000,000 fans
• Jay-Z’s book, Decoded was on the best seller list for 19 straight weeks.
• Every major news channel and newspaper covered the campaign.
• Large numbers of people started using BING for search and mapping over Google
• This campaign became part of popular culture for an entire month.

Watch this video, and learn about the magnitude of this wildly successful campaign:

Did you see this campaign in action, or follow it on Bing? Sound off in the comments!

Can you think of any brands that may not have chosen their colour so wisely?

Last month, I turned 25. Since becoming gainfully employed, I’ve made a lot of professional mistakes—and learned a few things, along the way. Here are 25 of them. Let me know if you agree, or what you would add to this list.

By 25, you should know how to:

1. Take rejection with poise.

By now you should’ve faced some sort of professional rejection. My favorite was having my résumé handed back to me after a job interview.

2. Do your own bitch work.

Empathy is an important trait for all managers. Knowing what it’s like to do the grunt work makes you appreciate those who have to do it after you. Assuming that you are not above anything will help you soar in your career.

3. Craft an appropriate LinkedIn connection invite request.

I don’t mind getting LinkedIn connection requests from random people, but it irritates me when they don’t have a tailored message and instead use the standard LinkedIn invite line. Here’s an idea for something that could work: “Hi Jenny, I noticed we both work in the Chicago marketing scene and wanted to connect with you. Maybe I could buy you a cup of coffee/tea in the near future to learn more about what you do?”

4. Ask for a raise.

When you’re worth more than you earn, you need to know how to ask for more. After being out of school for three years, learn how to broach the topic. Not sure how to do that? Read this.

5. Delegate work.

Delegating responsibility is underrated. By 25, you should know when it’s appropriate to delegate and how to do it. For example, if someone asks me to perform a task that is within my power, but I don’t have the time for it, I look for the colleague it makes most sense to perform that task regularly, and ask him or her to do it.

6. Pick your battles.

Not every battle is worth fighting; you should know which are worth your time and energy. Getting upset with the way someone sends incessant emails takes a backseat to someone who fails to communicate important pieces of information.

7. Unplug.

Once you answer that work email at 11 p.m., you set a precedent that you’re available 24/7. Unless it’s an emergency, try not to check your work email (or mark it unread and deal with it when you get to the office).

8. Put in your two-weeks’ notice.

If you’re lucky enough to have loved your first job out of college and are still there by 25, bravo! But you should know how to tactfully put in your two weeks’ notice, if you make a career move. This requires a written resignation. Here’s a great guide on doing the dirty deed.

9. Tactfully give your business card at a networking event.

No one likes the business card ninja who swoops in, throws his or her card at you, and leaves you stunned. First, have a conversation with someone. Find out stuff you have in common. Then offer your card as a way to stay in touch.

10. Avoid getting sloppy at a networking event.

An open bar doesn’t give you permission to act like you did at college frat parties. Have a few drinks to loosen up, but keep it professional.

11. Prioritize your time.

For example, tackle your bigger work issues toward the beginning of the day and save your smaller, less important tasks for the end of the day when you’re winding down. Remember: There’s always tomorrow.

12. Set professional goals.

You want accomplishments on your résumé, not just finished tasks. Setting annual professional goals will set you on track to advance your career. Meeting mentors in your industry through networking events and LinkedIn will help you realize what goals you need to prioritize.

13. Send an SOS.

Chances are you’ve felt overwhelmed by your workload at least once in your career. Knowing when and how to send a help signal to your manager and or co-workers is essential to preventing burnout.

14. Conduct an interview.

Knowing how to interview someone is an important skill. Not only does it teach you how to ask the right questions, but also it teaches you what skill set and personality you value in yourself and your potential co-workers.

15. Communicate.

Communication, when done well, sets you apart from other young professionals. Good communication is a strong asset, so learn it while you’re in the beginning stages of your career. For example, when emailing project specs, I copy as many people I think will benefit from the discussion. Bringing someone in during the later stages of development could mean painful—and unnecessary—back-peddling.

16. Handle being caught venting about co-workers.

It happens to the best of us. Your co-worker commits a major faux pas, and you need to vent about it to another co-worker. Then you get caught. Knowing how to turn it into a dialogue with constructive criticism—or knowing how to avoid it all together—is important.

17. Not sweat the small stuff (you’re not curing cancer).

Unless, of course, you are curing cancer. Then disregard. Ask yourself, “Will this matter a year from now?” If not, don’t sweat it. Acknowledge your mistake and learn from it.

18. Invest in your 401(k)—or at least think about it.

The numbers don’t lie. Someone who starts saving before the age of 25 accrues more interest than someone who starts saving at 30. Not sure how much to invest? This is a great guide.

19. Be a team player.

No one likes a selfish co-worker. Learn this healthy habit early in your career to get ahead of those who didn’t. You can operate under the “CYA” (cover your ass) mentality, just make sure it doesn’t turn into a “TUB” (throw under the bus) one.

20. Talk to the CEO of your company.

Get sweaty palms talking to authority figures? Nix those nerves now.

21. Lead a meeting.

You’ll need to learn how eventually, why not get it out of the way before you turn 25? Have a meeting agenda, and make sure you open it for discussion as often as you can so you’re not the only one talking. Also, you can take it one step further by following up with action items and decisions made during the meeting.

22. Ask for time off without feeling guilty.

You earn your time off, so it’s important to take it with a clean conscience. If you’re planning on having a “Treat yo self” day, look into local brewery tours, daytime trapeze classes, or some simple retail therapy.

23. Put together a visual report.

Putting information into a strong visual report speaks volumes more than just throwing the numbers onto a spreadsheet and clicking send. About 60 percent of people are visual learners, so it’s important to make your information pop with charts and graphs.

24. Give your elevator pitch.

Since I work for a small company, the question I get asked the most is, “What’s Ragan?” It took some practice, but I finally got my company’s elevator pitch down a few months after joining the team. Not sure what yours is? Listen to what your co-workers say.

25. Be a mentor.

By the time you’re three years out of college, you will have had at least one younger person ask you for career advice. Understanding the impact you have as a mentor is powerful, and the relationships you have with mentees can be some of the most rewarding ones you’ll have in your mid-20s.

Jenny Fukumoto is a marketing manager at Ragan Communications, which publishes PR Daily. She is also a self-proclaimed Mexicanese marketer, beer buff and networking nerd. A version of this story first appeared on Ragan’s Millennial Mafia blog.

Have you seen any stand out Pinterest contests/promotions? Share them in the comments!

1. Use WordPress: All in all, the options are endless with WordPress hosting. You get a fairly seamless user experience, and unlimited customization based on your theme choice. Google is your best friend when building out your first blog – any question you have will have an answer living somewhere on the internet.

2. Don’t Get Hung Up On Design: I could spend HOURS re-tooling my site, and certainly did. That said, once you have something functional and somewhat aesthetically pleasing, it’s far more important to focus on your content and iterate on design down the line.

3. Post New and Relevant Content: Don’t constantly talk about the same stuff over and over – that certainly won’t give your readers any reason to come back. Find your focus, but make sure you diversify.

4. Be Consistent: There’s nothing worse than an  ‘occasional’ blogger. As a reader, it’s easy to get frustrated and give up, or even forget about a blog if they aren’t posting regularly. Make your mark, and keep contributing to your audience!

5. Stick It Out: Consistent blog traffic is never built in a day. Sometimes it can take years to attract the kind of desirable traffic you’re after – so keep at it. The reality is, blogging should be something you’re passionate about – as with anything in life, if you’re passionate: success will follow.

Do you have any tips for bloggers starting out? Share them in the comments!

Source: Fastcompany.com

1. Fast Company

Fast Company is a full-color business magazine that releases 10 issues per year and focuses on technology, business, and design. Fast Company’s current editor is Robert Safian, who previously worked with Fortune, Time, and Money. The magazine has won numerous industry awards. (source: Wikipedia)

I really loved sifting through the pages of this magazine: it was a super easy read. Plus, it had a lot of great article insights on innovation in the tech and start-up world. Article of note? The Pivot.

Source: nymag.com

2. New York Magazine

New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New Journalism. (source: Wikipedia)

Being that New York is one of the handful of places that I think makes up the centre of the universe, it’s only natural that I would show huge interest in this mag. Not only are there pieces about NY culture and life, but also some great business articles and current events. Reader be aware – this magazine is TEXT heavy, so get your reading glasses! Article of note?  Hello, I Am Sabu…

Source: strategyonline.ca

3. Strategy Magazine

strategy™ uncovers and shares the “bold vision, brand new ideas” of Canada’s national marketing community. They deliver on this tagline via the monthly strategy magazine, strategyevents, as well as various initiatives with industry partners – from the CASSIES to their presence at Cannes. (source: StrategyOnline.ca)

This magazine is always delivered to my office – and I look forward to reading it cover to cover monthly. It’s important to keep an eye on all innovation within the Canadian market, and strategy serves as a great digest for all the hottest insights. Article of note? McDonalds Transparent Fast Food Mission.

4. Toronto Life

Toronto Life is a monthly Canadian magazine about entertainment, politics and life in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto Life also publishes a number of annual special interest guides about the city, including Home Decor, Stylebook, Eating & Drinking, Real Estate and Weddings.(source: Wikipedia)

A little under-rated, but a reading necessity for Torontonians – heck, for Canadians! There’s plenty of relevant content that’s focused on the ‘hub’ of Ontario, but also some great value for readers across the nation. Article of note? Trouble In Condoland.

Image Source: torontolife.com

Source: forbes.com

5. Forbes

Forbes needs no introduction – and I think we all know the article of note on this one.. everyone take a moment of silence, this marks the first time Justin Bieber is mentioned on Embrace Disruption. Read the article here.

What about you? Do you have any magazines you simply MUST read each month? Share them in the comments!

The experience was unparalleled and so much fun for me, mainly due to how kind and inviting Amber is. I have to say this was one of my favourite TV spots I’ve ever shot in my career with Shopcatch – and I definitely recommend following both App Central and Amber on twitter. Amber and the crew are consummate professionals, and churn out absolutely fantastic content.

The set was magical with all sorts of techy gadgets in the atmosphere. Being a closet geek, I was dying while watching as the hosts talked about all the latest and greatest in digital innovation. Amber was looking her best, while BFF Caron Court snapped photos with all the guests (see picture on the right). During our time there, everyone couldn’t help but comment about the Skinnygirl party at The Drake Hotel – we were living vicariously through twitter stream (yes, we’re all nerds). I’ll elaborate on my obsession with Bethenny Frankel another time.

I also took a blooper vid while I was there – Amber almost got hit by one of the gadgets they were showcasing!

To check out my interview (it’s episode 6.1), click here.

Have you ever watched App Central?

No need to panic yet….

What to do next:

 1. Locate the photo that you’re tagged in on Facebook and enlarge it.

You’ll see this option on the upper right hand side to ‘Remove’. The fact is: this will only remove the tag from your timeline, not the tag as a whole.

2. Hover over the image until the toolbar appears underneath it, and click ‘Options’.

Upon clicking, you’ll see there’s an option to ‘Remove Tag’. After clicking it, you’ll get a little menu that asks you what you want to do with this picture. Here’s where you can take revenge on your friend and claim harassment, or simply remove the tag. Hope this helps you take control of the tags you can’t bear to live with on Facebook, and tell me what you think about this system in the comments. Should it be less hidden/easier?

Until we meet again, evil photo.

Oh! And remember: if a photo is really bad, call up your friend – and get them to delete it. It could come back to haunt you.

1. CasieStewart.com

Nope, there’s no relation (besides maybe being members of IAA – Internet Addicts Anonymous). Casie is always on the cusp of digital – constantly sharing her perspective about product/conference/more. Her image heavy content is always a pleasure to sift through, and you can literally get LOST in her site for hours, so have some fun!

2. ListenToLena.com

A social media expert, lifestyle blogger, and mom. Lena always is able to take relatable experiences and share her insights with the world. She also has a great perspective on new products – and some sweet giveaways!

3. OnTheFourthFloor.com

This blog is run by rock-it promotions. The entire staff is dedicated to highlighting the best in lifestyle, fashion, digital, and more. Each day marks a new and exciting post into the world of this PR firm, and they continue to churn out great content for their readers! Definitely worth checking out, if only for the DIY tips.

4. BunchFamily.ca

A fab site for the foodie in me. I can always count on Bunch to serve up some delicious content, along with some family fun. A big shout out to Bunch recently for their coverage on LGBT parenting – this topic is often sifted over by some family-oriented sites, and Bunch makes a real effort to provide their perspective. Definitely a fun place to look for the whole family.

5. 12Most.com

The name says it all. The 12 Most ______________ – articles that are all based around lists of 12. From professional to ridiculous, it’s always fun to just explore what this team of bloggers have come up with each day. Caution – you will spend a LOT of time looking around on this page!

Also, I mentioned yesterday that I would be posting video of the FourPin+ presentation I gave today. Sadly, the video on my iPhone did not produce the quality I would’ve liked – so I’ll be posting an updated narrated version of the slides from yesterday. Look for that in the near future!

As I mentioned yesterday, I have the pleasure of speaking about Foursquare and Pinterest tomorrow for Torstar Digital’s University program! I’m taking this opportunity to provide you all with a sneak peek at the slides I’ll be presenting with. Have a look, and enjoy the case study videos! Tomorrow, I’ll have a video of the presentation for you to enjoy and learn with! Thanks for checking in, and let me know  if you have any questions about the deck below!

Also, keep your eyes peeled over the next 24 hours for a guest blog post from my dear friend, @shopwithrobin! She’ll be providing some great insights on interview attire!

Download the FourPin+ presentation here.

On Wednesday, I’m teaching a seminar on Pinterest for Torstar Digital’s University program. Because of this, I’ve revisited marketing tactics for the innovative, image based social pinboard, and I thought I’d share with you some key ways that you can use Pinterest effectively for your business, your brand, or even yourself!

“Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.” (source: About Pinterest)

A picture represents each unique pin. Popular subjects include recipes, memorable blog posts, craft projects and more. Once a post is pinned, others can see the pin and follow a link to the original source. The ideal scenario is that your pictures (ie. pins) will be re-pinned and shared by others!

First off, a quick video that shows some of the key info about this buzz-worthy network!

Isn’t it crazy that Pinterest generates more referral traffic than Google+, Youtube and LinkedIn combined?! Here’s a few first steps that you can take to get a piece of the Pinterest action:

Make Your Site Image-Friendly

Whether you’re blogging, or just enhancing your current website – make sure to have lots of images that are able to be re-pinned! Why? This will ultimately bring you more referral traffic (not to mention make your site a prettier place to visit) while people are looking through the infinite images on Pinterest. A big shout out to some of you readers who have already started pinning my images – THANK YOU!

Get The Browser Add-On

When using firefox, google chrome, or even explorer – you can download a simple add on that allows you to easily right click on images and share them on your pinterest boards, etc. Find more information on where to download these add-ons here.

Place Your Pins On Your Site!

This one seems like a no-brainer. I’m using pinterest for the business I market for (Shopcatch), and am in the process of building out Embrace Disruption’s pinterest page (stay tuned). There’s plenty of widgets out there that you can place on your sites/blogs/profiles that will help you drive up your follower number, and also your traffic numbers by displaying snapshots of photos you’ve recently pinned.

***UPDATE!! You can now FOLLOW EMBRACE DISRUPTION on PINTEREST by clicking HERE.

Get Your Comment Skills ON

Another really important piece to the Pinterest puzzle is engaging. As with any kind of relationship, it’s a give and take! Make sure to comment on others’ pins – and really do the job of listening and viewing other people’s content. This may take some time, but is a guaranteed way to get people ‘pinterested’ in you!

If you’ve still got questions – don’t fret! After my presentation on Wednesday, I’ll post the slides for you to look through for more info. Also, there’s some real crossover in terms of promotional strategy that you can employ from the Twitter Engagement post yesterday.

One of the first questions mailed in is one that I encounter more often than you’d think, so I thought it necessary to start here:

“How can I get my twitter following to engage more with my brand?”

To be honest, there’s no “right” answer to this question, but there are some suggestions I can provide you with to hopefully spark some conversation.

On the content side of things, I think the most important thing to remember here is that when representing a brand, you should not always be in “sell” mode. Tweets should be treated as a conversational tool, and if done properly can develop a more rounded personality for your brand. It’s important that when tweeting, you treat each one as though you were writing a headline on a national paper. Stay relevent, and always ask yourself if what you’re about to tweet would interest you if you saw it.

There are ways to really build out your content and make it “must-see” writing. Some of the basic guidelines around building out engagement involve sharing relevant and interesting articles, but also reaching out to your audience and participating in their conversations. It’s important to not only be a broadcaster, but additionally a fantastic listener. Some of the best twitter presences will often engage a lot based on the content their followers are sharing and really listen to what others are saying. It’s important to remember that even from behind the facade of the computer, all these tweets are coming from real people. Finally, if you’re still struggling – there’s always contesting. It’s an easy way to get the ball rolling – and everyone loves the chance to win something (no matter how big or small the prize value is). I will caution that although it can bring great success, contesting should not be your sole strategy to engage with an audience on twitter – it’s more of a complement to your everyday content.

I hope this spurs some creativity when you approach writing your tweets in the future, and thank you so much for writing in! For more insight on twitter, have a look at “Follower Count Is Wrong: 5 Steps To Measure Online Influence Properly”.

Do you have a question you’d like answered? Click here to submit one!

I found this little gem today in my travels – it’s probably one of the worst pitches I’ve ever seen done on Dragon’s Den. Have a watch and tell me: do you think this is a good idea? Would you buy it?

Enjoy!

Mint.com describes themselves as:

“THE BEST FREE WAY TO MANAGE YOUR MONEY
Mint.com allows you to track, budget and manage your money all in one place, so you can see where you’re spending and where you can save. Open an account, add your bank, credit, loan and retirement accounts and Mint will automatically pull in and categorize your transactions. It’s safe, secure and easy to keep your personal finances organized”

I’ll admit: upon first setting up, I was hesitant to provide my login information for my banking – but I’m here to report, there’s been no ‘fishy activity’, or withdrawals from a foreign entity. It takes some time to categorize all of your transactions, so I do recommend using their web version to sort through quickly.

Some other features include:

• View all of your accounts including: checking, savings, credit cards, investments, and retirement.
• Mint automatically pulls in and categorizes your transactions. No need to enter your own transactions.
• Easy-to-understand graphs show you where your money is going so you get a clear picture of your spending and your net worth. (iPad only)
• Know how much you have left to spend. Mint creates a customized budget based on your actual spending.
• Add manual transactions at the time of purchase so you can track cash spending.
• Avoid late fees and monitor cash flow — get bill reminders, alerts and advice sent right to your device.
• View your data even without a wireless connection. (iPad only)

You can download Mint.com for both Android and iPhone, or simply use their web version. Yes, it’s FREE!

Visit their site by clicking here.

What are your thoughts? Are you shocked by any of this info? Is there anything you didn’t know?

I’m here to tell you right now – that a simple cut and paste job into your status will NOT automatically re-instate your rights, or any other objective you have in your head. This paragraph is not legally binding and frankly, the fact that Facebook has gone public is completely unrelated to the privacy of your content.

The fact is: social networks are not made for private storage. What this means for you? That regardless of privacy settings, personal preferences and the like: you should treat every photo, sentence and your shared content as though your grandmother/mother/employer/future employer CAN and WILL see everything.

In light of this, here’s a few things you can do to clean up any questionable stuff you may have lying around in your past:

1. Delete Questionable Photos: If you’re emotionally attached to them, save them somewhere. Regardless of the privacy settings- there are several ways these can be accessed (including by that person who just interviewed you for your dream job).

2. Censor Yourself: Obviously these networks are all made for you to express yourself, but keep in mind that it’s possible that everything you say online can be publicly retrieved. Keep your controversial conversations to ‘in-person’ – it could be the difference between scoring a potential job, client or even a relationship.

3. Download Your Facebook History: This is easy to do by going to your general settings menu (see picture). Sometimes we forget just exactly what we have listed online, and this is a resource to really go back and decipher what should be edited or deleted.

4. Everyone and Everything Is A Brand: Everything you say, everything you do, and everything you endorse is a reflection of yourself online. Put thought into the future when posting in the present – you never know what tomorrow brings.

Do you have additional tips or suggestions to avoid unnecessary disruption? Share them in the comments!

As a young marketer in this space, I feel as though I spend a lot of my time just catching up on the latest buzz words, techy miracles, and filler articles on mashable.com. There’s nothing wrong with this, but I have to say: working in a strictly online world can be a huge mistake. Throughout time, we’ve evolved from the pigeon carrier, to telegrams, to sending letters by post, to email, and finally to tweets. But one detrimental piece is missing: good old fashion mouth to mouth. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met that preface their conversation with “Hi I’m [insert name here], and you can follow me at [insert twitter handle here]“. Immediately, that tells me a few key facts: a) I know your name, b) before we even begin to forge a relationship, you feel it necessary that I follow your minute by minute broadcasts to the world. Don’t get me wrong: twitter is a powerful tool, and don’t get me started on networking. But when did we reach the point that it was no longer acceptable to acknowledge each other, and really learn what the person before us was all about. Granted, I love following people- and I’m all for adding to the daily content I see when logging in for the day – but it’s the person behind the text that I find much more interesting.

Disruption is defined as:

dis·rupt  (ds-rpt)