On my part, after reading about the campaign on Joe Pulizzi’s blog, I eagerly sought out the videos, rewatched both commercials, and scoured the blogosphere for more coverage. By the end of the day I had not only further publicized the campaign via facebook and twitter; I had physically told at least three people about it. That’s right, actual word of mouth!

But while the blogosphere, twitterverse, and facebookalaxy (too much?) were all buzzing about Old Spice, one burning question plagued every marketer. Will this actually translate to sales? Well, ladies and gentleman, the numbers are in.

Since the campaign launched in February, Old Spice sales have been on the rise. Brandweek reported that Old Spice sales rose 55% over the past three months, and 107% in the last month alone (stats published by Nielsen). Though it can only officially be called a correlation, I think it’s safe to consider this campaign a triumph in social media marketing. Mashable’s Stan Schroeder went as far as calling it “the archetype of a successful social media campaign,” and that was before any sales figures were released.

Will anyone be able to replicate this lightning-in-a-bottle campaign? Probably not.  There is a huge novelty element to this strategy that can’t be undervalued.  Old Spice was the first brand to tap into its social network in such a direct and, let’s face it, hilarious way. How then, can Old Spice’s success apply to you and your company? How can you translate it into your own content marketing efforts? First of all: don’t copy it. A lot of people are going to try and copy this campaign, and the public will know exactly what you’re up to.

Old Spice Guy is just one man, albeit an incredibly handsome one. He couldn’t possibly address more than a small fraction of Old Spice’s ever-increasing followers on twitter. But the mere possibility that he might led thousands of web users to jump on board and tweet their little hearts out.  In the same vein as the Creators Project, which continues to draw in hundreds of facebook fans daily, Old Spice offered the mere possibility of something great. In this case, being personally addressed before millions of online viewers… by an incredibly handsome man in a bath towel.

That is a tactic you can use. Provide the possibility of something incredible, but keep it limited. Make a demand for it. If you don’t know where to start in terms of devising that inspired must-have reward, why not ask your customers? What do THEY want? Tap into them as a resource, and then implement their ideas so they know they’re being listened to. Whatever plan of action you take, it should single out customers/readers/etc as individuals that are uniquely valued. It can be done at random, or maybe as a reward for loyal followers.

And if you can think of an angle that is really appropriate for your customers, why not create something that they will actually enjoy? Your marketing content should provide useful information for your clients, but you can also have a bit of fun with it. If you’re not sure you can pull it off,  consider hiring writers to create the kind of smart, punchy content that just might get your social network buzzing. After all, who doesn’t need a bit of light, funny, engaging fluff now and again?

Nicola Fairhead is an ideaLaunch editorial intern with a ferocious appetite for writing, editing, and consuming content.  She has quickly become a content marketing evangelist.

Image courtesy of http://www.shoppingblog.com/blog/3291015

Even Chris Brogan,  an undisputed master of social media,  admits to a few pitfalls as his operations have grown. “My first attempt at managing my inbox was a failure because I wasn’t very human about it,” says Chris.  And just by admitting his failure, he shows how great he is at being, well, human.

“In every case that you build tools and process into your business,” says Chris,  “work out how you’ll keep it a human business: relationship-minded, sustainable, and friendly.“

Wise words for any budding entrepreneur. But automated responses aren’t always the culprit. In an effort to gain credibility and come off as a no-nonsense professional, you may want to stay all business. Dry.  Formal.  Never erring from your corporate message. But social media in particular seems to reject that approach. In our last blog post, Dawn Alcott explained that heavy hitters like Seth Godin, Chris Brogan, and J. Money succeed because “they aren’t afraid to be themselves.” Platforms like twitter and facebook provide the means to establish a friendly face for even the largest corporation. Take advantage of these faculties. Crack a joke. Share a (relevant) anecdote. Sometimes all it takes is an appropriately placed “?!?” or even, dare I say it, a telling emoticon to show that yeah, you’re a person. A person who, apparently, when necessary, can  curl their mouth into the shape of an S.

This isn’t a new concept by any means. But it remains relevant whether you are a fledgling company preparing to hire your first employee, or a multinational conglomerate. If you are struggling to establish not just your company’s identity, but its personality, keep trying. Emote. Add a conversational tone to your auto-responses. Or, if either a) you’re a bit on the bland side yourself or b) you really don’t have the time to be human, try hiring writers (who tend to be bottomless pits of personality) for your content marketing needs.

And If you absolutely have to use  robots, why not use Wall-E as a model? Develop robots that will bring grown men to tears!

Nicola Fairhead is an ideaLaunch editorial intern with a ferocious appetite for writing, editing, and consuming content.  She has quickly become a content marketing evangelist.

image courtesy of http://www.hooversbiz.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/sadrobot.jpg

Even if you must hire a freelancer or pay an SEO writer a little extra to maintain your social media presence, the payback you get when these sites are properly maintained is worth the investment. What’s the best way to think of social media in today’s market is to view Twitter, Facebook, third party article marketing sites and other avenues? Do you view them as supplementals to your main site? Are they an end to themselves? Somewhere in between?

Social media sites are really just channels. CNN doesn’t have a single channel—they offer several stations broadcasting different content across their network. When you set up Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites, you’re doing the same thing on a smaller scale. Each one of these sites is a channel you can use to broadcast the brand, your message, and your products.

That’s why it’s so important to use consistent branding across all your channels. Your visual identity is an important part of the brand, and social media is used as another way to get that identity out to the public.

Joe Wallace has been a writer/editor since 1992 and is always open to fun new ways to market online businesses. In addition to running Freelance-Zone.com, he blogs about music at Turntabling.net and runs a small press specializing in snarky t-shirts.

Image from socialnomics.files.wordpress.com

Facebook Fan Pages

Even if your company’s fan page is mostly employees, customers, or old friends you are still getting your content out and reminding people of exactly what your company does. You never know when that guy you sat next to in algebra will wind up working for a major buyer in your industry.

Twitter

Twitter has become very popular. Many businesses that are not yet on twitter are wondering how they should do it. However, having a strategy is essential in successful marketing on Twitter. Have reasonable expectations and set the boundaries with the person or people who will be handling the company account or accounts.

Geographic Search

From Google Maps to Gowalla, there are many websites or mobile applications that offer businesses a chance to market themselves for free. Google maps local listings allow many features including keywords that you can use to align the listing with your website content SEO strategy. GPS based applications like Gowalla and Foursquare allow businesses to be listed and for users to give tips. Be sure to create the location, check-in and write a tip that targets the keywords your home page is focusing on.

Jennifer Gniadecki loves to write. You can find her on any given day writing lists, blog posts, articles, assignments, outlines or fleshing out story ideas on her laptop.

Image from thenewjew.files.wordpress.com

Tweet and they will follow. Sometimes.

Okay, we get it: Twitter’s here to stay. So instead of debating whether you should join, start debating what you should say once you’re on there. One of my favorite people to follow is BostonTweet. He gives great updates as to the goings on around town, great deals and even great giveaways. Local businesses love him as do his followers. How can you become so beloved?

Why Is BostonTweet So Successful?

1. He is a person and a brand. He tweets about his hangovers after a particularly busy night of pub crawling. In other words, he has a personality and a life, and he communicates that through his tweets. (Obviously, not everyone should tweet about their pre- or post-hangover experiences, but a little humanity goes a long way.)
2. He gets you involved. Everyone wants their 15 pixels of fame these days, and he gives you just that: every forum you participate in lands you on BostonTweet.com. He is the liaison, making it easier to join Boston’s conversation. How do you get your followers involved (giveaways, polls, links to discussions)? Are they responding?
3. He’s multimedia. Whether it’s through video, pictures or links, he’s always supplying us with something different. Mix things up if you want people to keep paying attention.
4. He knows you. He responds to his Twitter followers and engages them. (He even hangs out with a lot of them.) After all, social  media is a conversation, not a soapbox. Are you paying more attention to what you’re saying than to what you’re hearing?
5. He’s not selling anything. Most of the time he’s giving something away, which is a large part of what he does. The places he tweets about are the places where he drinks, he dines, and he gets kicked out at 2 AM. What do you do and how can you emphasize that over what you sell? Do you believe in the product or service enough to be believable?

Social media is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with. Are you?

(This was a blog post I originally posted here.) Image courtesy of problogger.net.

Image from Bun Buku on Flickr

Image from Lenyah on Flickr

Image from Coaxeus on Flickr

These serve as a good reminder that when it comes to content marketing and your online reputation, there also are no little jobs. Every piece of writing counts, whether it’s SEO content for you main website, blog updates or a quick mention on Twitter. It’s all public and it all says something about your business. Relevance, timeliness, intelligence, engagement, and proper grammar and spelling should never be shrugged off just to “get something out” on your website.

If you don’t believe that you, personally, can deliver the quality of writing you think your company should have and if you want to always feel proud about your online reputation, consider hiring a freelance writer or a content marketing agency. We can take your content to a higher level.

My kind of contest. Image from AustininTouch.com

That’s right, you heard me.

Clearly you are a grinch and a talentless hack who has never won anything.

All true – but, actually, I love some contests. Hosting a hot dog or pie eating contest? I am so there.

However – despite what my girth may indicate – my livelihood does not depend on how much food I can stuff in my mouth – and that’s a big difference between “for fun” contests and asking people to use hard-earned skills to do work for you (“Create our logo!” or “Develop our new slogan!” or “Write our theme song!”) on the chance that you’ll pick and pay them.

A contest is really just a hyped-up version of something most experienced creative types have learned to avoid: working on spec.

Working on spec (speculation) is when you’re given an assignment (complete with parameters and deadlines) but, unlike a writing contract, you’re not guaranteed to get paid. Just like a supposedly fun contest, the person “hiring” can review the piece and simply decide they’re not interested or that they like the work of another writer better (or worse, they like a lot of the ideas you presented and decide to essentially steal them and write the piece themselves / in house / with cheap labor). These contests and working on spec situations aren’t just posed to writers: designers, composers, photographers, programmers and so on are often asked to produce a product on their own time as well.

All the investment and risk is on the freelance writer or creative type. It’s their time (which could otherwise be spent working on guaranteed gigs) and talent that gets sapped up by these ventures.

The truth is, there’s a really simple way creatives can prove their talent: Have a portfolio of great work and gather glowing client testimonials. Boom. Done.

I understand how contests and spec work may not be ideal for creatives – but as someone who wants to hire a writer, this sure sounds ideal for ME. Why shouldn’t I?

Why not?

Because the final product will probably suck.

Here’s why:

• Most experienced, talented professionals avoid writing on spec like the plague. The majority of creative pros recognize contest “opportunities” as the earmark of an uninformed business – and uninformed businesses don’t make for good clients. This means the bulk of people responding to your inquiry are newbies or people who are desperate. (Sorry.)
• Prep work will not be as researched or thorough. Getting to the heart of your business, industry and customers takes time, investigation and some back-and-forth between the writer and yourself. Without that, any writing you receive will lack necessary strategic thought.
• Like cheap? You’ll get cheap, then. For example, no designer in his right mind would pay for a special font, research Pantones or purchase imagery in order to create a truly unique logo or web page for a contest.

The final word on this is just say no to contests and working on spec. In the end they’re just big wastes of time for everyone. Instead, learn some tips on hiring writers, read the tips on being a freelance writer or consider working with an established marketing agency.

We like you, but not for everything: Image from iStockphoto

Let me preface by saying there are some really, really good photos and illustrations available on stock photography sites. I certainly don’t fault people for using them – for (usually) under $100, you can get yourself a great royalty-free image that fits your needs. It’s easy, affordable and does the job. I think there are lots of instances in which using stock photography, like those found at iStockPhoto,  are worthwhile.

But rather than instantly head for a stock photo site to compliment your content marketing or any other marketing projects you’re taking on, you may want to think about some of the cons:

Your Competition Is Using The Same Images
This is a true story of one of those worst case scenarios:

A friend of mine works in a niche market. Her company decided to refresh their brand – new website, some microsites, new printed marketing materials – the whole bit, in preparation for a major industry expo and conference. Rather than go with a photographer to capture original images associated with their business, they went for royalty-free stock photography for everything.

Turns out, a few other companies had the same thing in mind. The *exact* same thing in mind. When my friend arrived at the expo, proudly hauling her new materials, she stopped in her tracks. Not only was the booth directly beside hers using the identical imagery, so were two other companies at the conference. Quelle Horreur! Apparently, it was just like that scene from Bring It On when the Kirsten Dunst’s squad has to go up and perform their supposedly-original spirit fingers routine after another squad had surprisingly just performed it at regionals (and don’t even pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about). There were literally two banners being hung side-by-side with the same picture but with different logos next to each.

That example may seem a bit extreme, but I’ve personally worked on campaigns where I’ve seen the same stock images our client insisted on being used by other companies all over the place. It really does happen all the time.

Your Team Looks Nothing Like This (And We All Know It)
Unless you work in a modeling agency, we’re pretty sure these aren’t the faces of your employees:

We’re not suggesting your company is filled with fugly, but we doubt you’re running a business where only beautiful, ethnically-diverse people with great teeth and smart suits are running the roost. If you have an “About Us” section on your website or in your marketing materials and you put up a picture that is not “us”, it may come across as disingenuous. Plus, it’s far more interesting to see the actual brains behind the operation – show ‘em off!

You Want To Be An Original
While there is certainly more and more variety out there, I can spot a photo from a stock site practically instantly. It’s like I have gaydar for images – and I’m sure I’m not alone. If you’ve put the time into developing quality, original content and developed a great content marketing campaign why not go the extra step and ensure your visuals are just as fresh and unique?

By going to a photographer, you can guarantee custom images that show off your company’s personality, capture the exact kind of image you need for your purposes and own them outright – no one but your company can ever use them. You may also want to consider an illustrator. Their work can sometimes make your content marketing and other marketing materials pop more than anything. Just take a look at the wonderful indie music website, Daytrotter, to see how it’s worked for them) – they’re known for it, in fact.

Regardless of what you choose, remember to optimize those images! Check out our content marketing tips on how to do that or speak with a content marketing company!

NameChk: We might have some work to do ourselves!

Fellas, zip those flies back up – that’s not what we meant.

In the world of content marketing, it’s important to establish your brand name and have consistency in how you use it. When you came up with your company’s name you were smart enough to capture a good url for it (uh, we hope) – but what about all those other social media platforms?

A great way to easily find out if your username or brand name is available on various mediums is to try NameChk. It’s free, simple and brings up 54 different social media websites in seconds. There, you can easily see if your desired username is available – and if not, you can click on the site and see how it’s being used (which is also a great way to keep tabs on any possible identity theft if you’re looking up your business name).

Do you need to go out and secure your username on all of these sites? Probably not – but it may be a good idea to secure your name on the big ones that you may use in the future – such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and blogging sites. This way, when you are ready to expand your content marketing efforts, the brand name is already taken care of (because nobody wants to be BrandName1 … or worse, BrandName2).