When crafting a Social Media Strategy, we often think about the people and who were are trying to engage and activate. So you look at demographics, what tools, apps and websites they are using; you begin to build out these utopian profiles for the people you feel your message will resonate with.

So how is this going to change moving forward?

Let’s take a look at the some of the recent news in the area of “location-based services“:

• Twitter turns geo-location on - read more
• Facebook enabling its 400M users to share their location - read more
• Google dilutes its efforts between Buzz and Lattitude - read more
• Foursquare is testing its new business analytics dashboard - read more
• Gowalla inks deal with Travel Channel - read more
• SXSW becomes global battle dome for location-based Davids competing against the Goliaths - read more
• Loopt in chats with Facebook and repositioning around check-in specials for consumers - read more
• Plancast seals its future with funding - read more

So what does all this news mean?

Well you better be aware of what is out there because the social media strategy you spend 4-6 weeks crafting better include location-based marketing tactics, metrics and the ability to scale as these services continue to offer the end consumer more game-like features to keep them engaged and business owners a suite of tools to connect in real-time conversations both unobtrusively and geographically.

It’s not just Who Am I. It’s becoming Where Am I.

What a year last year was and as many award programs start their push, we find ourselves in the midst of one. I actually found out while we were at TECHCocktail that we were nominated, which at the time was an honor. You work so hard day-to-day that it’s great to see appreciation from peers within your community. As much as this nomination is great for Digital Operative; it’s even better for the people on our team who bust their butts day in and day out to make sure that our strategies, marketing, design and development work is exceptional. So big pat on the back to our team and we’d love to invite our friends to give us a vote if you think some of the work we’ve been doing exemplifies what the following description is:

“You are a San Diego based agency or consultancy that has made new media a differentiator in your service offering. You have run successful campaigns that have shown expansive growth. Your creative is shareable, your concepts are viral, and your execution makes you the agency of the year.”

One of the greatest fulfillments is to see someone believe in something you also believe in and give a small, growing organization a shot. Luckily with tools like HARO (Help A Reporter Out), I was able to connect to Debra Atlas, an environmental writer/blogger. The idea that both people and companies could look into their closets, warehouses and garages for used items and donate them to teachers around the US resonated with Debra. So I connected her to Jerry Hall, Executive Director at iLoveSchools and the rest was magic.

Debra not only blogged about iLoveSchools, but she also happens to get coverage on Redding.com -”Distinctly Green: Web site links schools in need with donors”

If you’re wondering if you have time to read every HARO email that you get everyday; you may not. BUT my advice is … MAKE THE TIME. You never know who is looking for great stories or content. And as they say, “You’d never know if you didn’t try.” Isn’t that the essence of social media? Connecting with others to share stories, create a connection or bond and build upon something that could be long term. Put yourself out there, take a chance and be human.

Find $100k+ jobs

What catches my attention?

• Find $100k+ jobs in your area - Who doesn’t want a salary at that level?
• A map of the US - I love my country and this makes it easy to scan.
• Pinpoints listing titles and salary levels - I can browse to a location that interests me plus see sample salary levels. A kind of buffet for finding a new job.
• Find a great job now - A simple call-to-action always tops off great creative.

So I click through. (Contributed to the campaign’s click through rate)

I come to the following Landing Page.

The Ladders - Landing Page Audit

Are MY expectations met as user once I land on this page?

• I can search for 54,749 jobs at $100k+ salary level - Numerical data points add value for users.
• I see the same US map creative I just saw in the ad - consistency is great!
• I can search around my own area - zipcode searches are simple for users.
• I can select my field - filters are good to avoid overwhelming users.

So The Ladders is doing well so far. Let’s take a look at what I didn’t like as a user.

• Form fields - If they’re not required, why are they there?
• Personal Information - Why do you need/want my information?
• 54,749 jobs text should be visually different from $100k+ text as it blends together.
• Job categories - why are they on the right? Seems random. Why not follow top to bottom form progression, ending at call-to-action with a button?

So I started to fill out the form fields that I thought would get me into some search results, which is really all I wanted to do. Then I get this.

The Ladders - Landing Page Audit w/ Bad Form Flow

Dear Ladders UX Design Team and Marketing Team,

Please don’t show non-required form fields and then display a message like the above. I’m leaving your landing page, you didn’t capture any of my information, you left a bad taste in my mouth as a user and I won’t see anymore of your ads when I’m browsing.

So some quick lessons and tips for Creating Landing Pages and Meeting Users’ Expectations:

• Set expectations - If you tell me I’ll be able to do something, then let me do it
• Be consistent with your creative - pull in similar elements to continue that user experience
• Avoid unnecessary form fields - they’re an eye sore
• Don’t Trick Me - Avoid trying to get users to create accounts covertly - not nice
• Visual Hierarchy is important - separate important data elements, so they stand out to users
• Quick Interaction Points - Make it simple and fast for me to perform the action I intend to
• Smooth Form Flow - Top to bottom is standard, don’t get all creative
• Testing - Use a tool like Google Site Optimizer to test creative, messaging and form completion to see what actually works … this one didn’t.

I hope these Landing Page Creation Tips help. Keep your eye out for ads that interest you and see if they meet your expectations as user when you click through. Have fun browsing the web!

Tip #1: Be consistent.
Just like stay at home moms get addicted to Oprah at 4pm every weekday, there are people reading your blog entries who appreciate your advice, opinions and news updates and check daily for new content. The goal is to have people regularly visiting your blog and following up with comments and questions. However, if you only blog sporadically and neglect your blog frequently, it’s pretty much the equivalent of Oprah being replaced by white noise at 4pm on a Tuesday. You can only imagine the uproar. The longer the white static continues, the less frequently people will visit your blog. Put in simple terms, buckle down and get it done. Not all your blog entries have to be long. You can add short blogs and even borrow interesting videos from YouTube that you can attach to your post. If you’re running really short on time - try adding a poll or just ask a question and have your audience comment on the blog post with their answers. If you can commit to blogging a few times a week, your audience will appreciate it and probably even recommend your blog to others.

Tip #2: Be yourself.

Try not to get stuck too long on one blog entry.  You should be writing about what you’re passionate about.  Don’t try to package a promotion into a blog entry.  People can sniff those tactics out almost immediately.  If you really want to showcase something about your business - go for it, but try to do it in a way that’s exciting, newsworthy or informative.  Try to blog as though you are speaking to a friend or a group of people at a cocktail party.  You may want to include a short anecdote to keep them interested.  Put yourself in your reader’s shoes - what would make you want to read a blog?

Tip #3: Put together a list.

Not only do people like to click on lists such as “top 10 tips” or “do’s and don’ts” for any particular topic, lists are also easier to write.  If you’re the type of person who gets lost on tangents while writing, lists will help you organize your thoughts.  If you can think of 20 tips for one topic, try breaking up your article into several different blog entries.  This way you have content for more than just one day and you won’t end up with a long-winded post that no will finish reading.

Tip #4: Leverage Social Media.

If you’re producing content, don’t be afraid to put it EVERYWHERE.  Post a status update with Facebook and attach a link to your latest blog update.  Set up a Twitter account and post a link to your blog updates as well.  Participate in other blogs by leaving comments, answering questions and if it’s relevant, post a link to your blog.  If you’re brave enough, try video blogging, people will get to know you through video and you might make a more personal connection to your audience which will in turn give them more reason to trust in your product or services.

Tip #5: Be Like-able!

People enjoy doing business with people they like.  Some people will drive an extra 15 minutes out of their way to drop their clothing with a trusted dry cleaner or drive 30 minutes just so they can gossip with their favorite hair stylist.  Remember while writing your blog that the more you educate or help your readers, the more they’ll trust you.  If your blog is only concerned with showcasing new products, sales or events, people won’t keep checking back.  Don’t be afraid to give some industry inside information.  After all, no one is going to learn your entire business by you giving away a few tips.  Think about it this way…if your tire blows out on the freeway and a mechanic stops to show you how to put your spare tire on, who’s shop are you going to visit to buy your new tire or get your oil changed with?  Capiche?

Hope this helps…and Happy Blogging from Digital Operative!

- @LittleMissJacob

Here are some videos I found that might help too!

bjcook.gooruze.com

And the DO-ey Goes To…

Mr.Clean Code
Danny Ginn

The Biggest Brain
Mike Riley
@yelirekim

I’ll Be There In Five Minutes Award
Mark Begin

Rockstar Hair-DO
Kaan Suersan

Rockin The Baby Bump
Erin Levenson
@erinlevenson

Intern Of The Year Award
Bryan Monzon
@byranmonzon

Interns Intern Of The Year Award
Ryan Sisson
@ryansisson
Needs Her Own GPS App
Ariadna Jacob
@littlemissjacob

Most Metaphors In One Minute
Adam Levenson
@adamlevenson

Most Likely To Be On The Computer Late Night
BJ Cook
@bj

2. Give Gifts People Actually Want

Blasting  information out to Facebook and Twitter in the form of advertisements is the social media equivalent of giving someone a bad tie or a gift set from Bed Bath & Beyond.  It’s been done. Those are gifts nobody wants or needs, not only will you not be popular around gift giving time, but your gift will probably be thrown out or forgotten.  If you’re trying to get your business’ message across, why not give back while you do it.

Let’s say you’re in the business of selling pizza. Why not tweet throughout the week the top 10 strangest topping combinations and give a free pizza to the customer who came up with the combination that people re-tweet about the most.  If you’re a hairstylist, why don’t you tweet the top 10 hairstyle trends of the month.

3.  Don’t Be A Greedy Scrooge!

As you Twitter and Facebook away about your business and promotions, don’t forget that it’s not all about you and your business.  Read tweets and respond by retweeting (RT) useful information or responding to people who @tweet to you.  If you’re just taking in all the social media love, then you most likely won’t gain many fans.  As you tweet, tweet like a celebrity.  Talk about your fabulous products, events you attend, what other  businesses you work with, things you endorse etc.  But remember, you can’t be a celebrity unless you sign autographs, shake hands and take pictures - which in the Twittersphere means retweet (RT), answer questions and solve customer service issues with personal care.  It will go far and you’ll no longer be saying, “bahumbug!” to your social media efforts!

4.  Put your elves to work! If you’re going to put efforts into social media, make sure your staff is on the same page.  Some of your staff members might not even know how to use Twitter while some of them may already have huge social media networks and a following.  Have a staff meeting to talk about goals and promotions that everyone can Tweet or Facebook about.  If there’s things you still don’t know about Twitter and Facebook, check out the hundreds of “how to” videos on YouTube that walk you through the process.  Feel free to copy the links of your favorite “how to” videos and send as an all-staff e-mail.

5. Stuff Stockings with Discounts & Sales

People are really looking out for coupons and discounts this holiday season, so take advantage of social media to run a holiday campaign.  Consider adding a contest to your Facebook fan site.  You can add a tab with the title of your campaign using the FBML application which lets you put html within Facebook.  Within this Facebook tab you can add coupons for people to download and print.

6. Are You On the Naughty List?

Top 10 Lists and Tips are a good way to get some attention.  Give your content a good title and write about things people are interested in. You want to give out such good content that your audience is excited to share the information to their friends.  Make sure when you write blog posts that you “Post a Link” to your blog via Facebook or “add a Note” within Facebook.  Then get a bit.ly link and post your content on Twitter!

6. Reconnect with all the Whos’ from Whoville

Reconnect with ALL your clients and let them know how you appreciate them and perhaps how you can help them with other needs they may not even know you offer.  Send a personalized holiday card or greeting through Facebook or e-mail.  You can even add your personality by turning on your web cam and recording a short message. Then upload to YouTube and send the link along with your holiday card.

7. Your gifts will stand out with bright wrapping paper and bows.

To get attention in social media during the holidays, try editing your profile photo for Twitter and Facebook.  Start with a square image of yourself or your logo and put a border around it in red and green or add a bow.  Small touches can make your profile photo stand out.  You can also change your Twitter background and add photos of any promotions, gift ideas or just a holiday message.

8. Rudolf the red nosed reindeer, you’ll go down in history!

If you’re feeling like Santa staring into the social  media fog, don’t be afraid to call for backup. Either hire a digital agency, read up on blogs, case studies, watch videos and ask for expert help.  It’s better to do things the right way before wasting precious hours setting up social media platforms that you don’t know how to leverage.  The more you know about how other companies are using social media, the more ideas you’ll get for your own.  The best digital agencies will walk you through the process of social media.  Beware of companies that want to “tweet” in place of you - didn’t you hear how much bad press Britney Spears got when the public found out she had a P.R. agency tweeting for her?  So unauthentic. You don’t want to go there, believe me.

9. Make sure Santa knows where to find you!

Don’t forget to add links or badges to your website that connect to your Facebook, Twitter & YouTube Channel.  Your customers may not be checking your website every day, so if they know they can check you out on a website they use daily, you will have much better visibility and outreach.  You can also put a link as your e-mail signiture and in company e-mail newsletters.

10. Holidays are about GIVING.

Give content. Give tips. Give useful information. Give discounts. Give prizes. Give Give Give!  And you will GET how social media can help you thrive this holiday season!

Hope this helps…and Happy Holidays from Digital Operative!

- @LittleMissJacob

thanks

BJ

So with about 3 days notice I had the opportunity to submit a piece to the 4th Annual Customer Engagement Report for 2010. What most folks won’t see in my submission is the balancing act of working on my laptop and interacting with my daughter every 30 minutes in between. I’d say most parents reading this can appreciate that situation, where you almost zone out and don’t realize what the output actually will be. I lucked out and was very happy with the end result. You can find my piece on page 18.

This report, put together by Richard Sedley, Customer Engagement Director for cScape, and Econsultancy features some of the industry’s top minds in customer engagement. There are actual customer engagement strategies and tactics used by some of the top companies and experts in this field from Microsoft to Eric T. Petersen to Andy Beal to Becky Carroll and more.

I’ve included the Issuu widget below as well as some links to the report. Enjoy and look forward to hearing the feedback.

Purchase the Customer Engagement Report 2010

If you loved that demo, then go try it for yourself! my.IKEA viewer