Colin Alsheimer

Four Ways Foursquare Can Survive the Facebook Onslaught

Colin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:00:38 +0000

With Facebook’s recent roll-out of Places, many have posited the beginning of the end for what had been everyone’s LBS darling, Foursquare. After all, Facebook’s built-in user base of over 500 million people they could dwarf Foursquare’s user base of about 3 million with even a modest rate of adoption (about .6%.)

Facebook also has the benefit of an interface that people are not only accustomed to using, but that all their friends are on as well. As one middle-aged woman pointed out, she wasn’t going to use Foursquare on her iPhone because none of her friends were on it. But would she use Facebook places? Of course! Her friends were already on Facebook.

With all that Facebook Places has going for it, how can Foursquare possibly compete?

1. Improve business offerings

While current business offerings are good, they won’t be enough to make up for Facebook’s larger user base. Foursquare needs to prove that spending time on their platform is worthwhile for a small business. Improve analytics and the ability to interact with users who check in to a location. Could you imagine the ability to offer behaviorally targeted specials to users? For example, a user who regularly checks into bars might appreciate a half priced cocktail more then free appetizer.

2. Drastically improve customer service

On a recent project for a client, it took approximately four months for our location claim and special to be processed. In today’s environment, a four month response time is unacceptable and sets a poor precedent for Foursquare’s relationship with their customers. You can bet after that experience, if Facebook’s response time is even a fraction of Foursquare’s, I’ll be a happy customer.

3. Facilitate discovery

Make up for Facebook’s numbers by being better at discovery. Help users find new people and places to connect with. At this point in their development, Foursquare must have enough user data to make this happen. This way, even if your friends aren’t yet on the network, you can still find value

4. Make the application simple to use

Let’s be honest. The Foursquare interface is a bit clunky. For a non-technical user it might even be downright baffling. And the issues Foursquare has with uptime doesn’t do it any favors. Since the interface behind Places may even be worse, Foursquare has a real opportunity to gain users if they strip down and simply how the application is used. Why are services like Tumblr and Postures able to steal users from Blogger and WordPress? Because they’re dead simple to use!

Do you think Foursquare should be concerned with Facebook’s entry into the LBS market? Or do you think there’s room for multiple players? How do you think Foursquare can improve their service?

Ten Tips for Using Brand Ambassadors in a Social Media Campaign

Colin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:34:59 +0000

Lately, it seems to be all the rage (+1) to create social media campaigns for companies that feature influential brand ambassadors.

These campaigns, which typically come in some form of contest, can do a phenomenal job of creating awareness and interest for a brand or product — so much so, that when done properly, it can be many times more effective than a traditional media blitz.

And with the visibility provided by social media, it’s easier then ever to identify who the influential people are within a given community or geographic area.

That said, there are some guidelines brands should follow when deciding to implement one of these campaigns:

Don’t take too much of your ambassador’s time
Your chosen ambassador’s likely have other responsibilities outside of the campaign. Be mindful of this to avoid overstepping any boundaries. The last thing you want is a time-strapped and stressed ambassador, who can’t fully participate in the campaign.
Make the scoring mechanisms fair & easy
If your social campaign involves a scoring element, be sure that the mechanisms you choose are simple for your ambassador to obtain. Make this too difficult, and your ambassadors will tune out. Also, be sure the mechanisms are fair to all competing parties. For example — if your campaign targets general audiences, don’t rely on emerging technologies and services that have not yet reached critical mass.
Don’t request too much from your ambassador’s network
One of the benefits of running a social campaign with influencers is that you then have access to those influencer’s networks. Be mindful of what you’re asking your ambassadors to do — too much network outreach is liable to do more harm than good. Social media etiquette generally entails giving more than you take. If your social media campaign requires that your ambassador take too much from their network, it could foster ill will towards the ambassador and the associated brand.
Compensate your ambassador fairly
Remember to compensate your ambassadors fairly for their work. Social media campaigns are not an excuse for brands to get free or low cost labor. Use a creative incentive package, featuring a mix of attainable awards and monetary compensation, if necessary.
Communicate proactively
These campaigns tend to have a lot of moving parts. And as most marketers know, risk is near proportional to complexity. Frequently, however, issues that arise during a complex campaign can be corrected through regular and proactive communication. Address issues as you see them, lest they spiral out of control and reduce the effectiveness of your campaign.
Be transparent
For this style of social media campaign to be successful, your ambassador must be 100% on board. They’ll likely notice problems before you do, so you’ll need to be fully transparent. If a part of the campaign isn’t going as planned, be sure to communicate what went wrong, and how it’s being fixed.
Create a compelling incentive
Make sure your incentive (if you have one) is compelling enough for your ambassador to want to promote your brand. While this may be an expensive proposition for some, the ends will justify the means (and still come in cheaper then a traditional media blitz!)
Make it fun
This one should be a no-brainer. If your campaign isn’t fun, your ambassador won’t participate at a high level. Your campaign should be structured in such a way that your ambassadors are consistently engaged and interested.
Provide ample support
Your selected ambassador will need help bringing your brand message to life. Make plans to provide your ambassadors with all the resources they’ll need to succeed.
Integrate other media channels
To really shine, your social media campaign needs to be supported by other media channels. If your budget allows, try to find ways to incorporate content marketing, public relations, paid search, and even traditional advertising in the mix. By integrating several different channels into your mix, you’ll not only expand your reach, but if done strategically, you’ll maximize your return as well.

How would you run this type of campaign? What would you do differently or change? Are these types of campaigns still effective, or have they mostly run their course? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

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You Can’t Own Social Media

Colin — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 10:00:18 +0000

Ok. This is a tired discussion, I admit.

But yesterday, I came across an article by Shel Holtz which stated, “PR trumps marketing when it comes to controlling the social media budget and strategy.” The statement originated from new findings released by the Communication and Public Relations Generally Accepted Practices (GAP) Study, a study released every other year by the Strategic and Public Relations Center at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism.

Read Shel’s post for the full breakdown (or better yet, read the full study), but boiled down, organizations are mostly turning over strategic control and oversight of social media initiatives to traditional PR departments and agencies.

This tends to happen for two major reasons:

The close alignment of many social media objectives with those of PR.
PR professionals are generally more skilled at measuring social objectives.

I’ve said for awhile now that I thought public relations was the natural home for social media services, at least in the agency world. Many of the goals of a social campaign do align with services already offered by PR firms.

I do think that public relations agencies have the edge when it comes to measurement. Social media measurement, without the right tools at hand, can wind up a messy slush of educated guesses and incorrect data.

But I believe that no single marketing practice can truly own social media, and that we’d be doing the field a disservice if we allowed public relations (or advertising) firms to take over the bulk of social responsibilities.

In the three years that I’ve been engaged in the social media community, I’ve learned that social media is a very nuanced tool that can be used to solve or improve many different types of business problems. You can use it for lead gen, reputation management, direct sales, SEO, customer service, product research, and more.

This is why social media requires agencies and departments that look at social media from more than just the public relations angle. Social media is not a pure form of marketing, it’s a hybrid approach that blends together the best of many different marketing activities and that can be applied in many creative ways.

This is why I suspect that as the social sphere evolves, we’ll see migration from social as a PR tool and begin to see more dedicated social agencies like Powered and New Marketing Labs, or, dedicated digital teams of large full-service agencies like Fleishman-Hillard and Edelman Digital.

How do you see social media fitting into the agency spectrum in the future? Is it destined to become another service offering for public relations agencies, or should it be left to more dedicated entities?

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Don’t Be a Tool

Colin — Tue, 25 May 2010 02:54:23 +0000

Do you read The Oatmeal?

Recently, the often humerous website featured a new comic called, 8 Websites You Need to Stop Building.

Number five on the list was social media websites. I mean c’mon, who really needs another site to keep up with their friends, right?

But at this point the the comic struck a bit of a nerve. In the strip, the author creates a staged conversation between a “social media expert” and an average Joe.

Social Media Expert:
Hey, welcome to my social media blog! This is where I’ll talk about wishy-washy concepts like community building and participating in the conversation.

In order to be an expert at social media, first you need to write “social media expert” in your bio on twitter. After that you need to tweet a lot and update a facebook fan page. It’s really complicated stuff. You should buy my ebook.

Average Joe:
I don’t get it. How do you “do” social media?

Social Media Expert:
Well it’s all about the ROI of course! I engage with the community to monetize my social presence.

Average Joe:
Oh I see, so you’re a talentless D-bag! You’re like a webmaster from the 1990s, except you can’t even code HTML.

Social Media Expert:
Exactamundo, my friend!

Read the full comic.

Humor aside (it is funny), I think it’s important to note where many people are with their social media exploits.

As an industry, I think we’re seeing two classes emerge. The professionals and the experts.

The experts are those who have associated themselves with a set of tools. They’re the Twitter person, or the LinkedIn person, or the Facebook guy. They might help you get the most out of your Twitter presence, but they won’t take you very far beyond that.

The Experts are quick to tell you how much more they know about social media and are the ones putting “social media expert” in their Twitter profiles. Eventually, however, they’ll become commoditized and outdated.

The Professionals have moved beyond the tools. They already know what the tools are and what they’re best at. They’re more focused on the strategy and how social media fits into the greater Internet marketing puzzle then how to maximize followers on Twitter.

Because social media (and Internet marketing) is changing on a daily basis, it seems foolish to focus so much on the tools. I say, don’t be a tool. Learn them, understand how they work and what they can help you accomplish. But focus on the strategy. A hammer won’t build a house, but a hammer, saw, and some nails might get you there.

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The Dangers of Foursquare Badge Fatigue

Colin — Thu, 06 May 2010 05:22:13 +0000

One day it will happen.

You’ll get tired of collecting Foursquare badges.

It may not happen right away, but with new badge releases and major brands jumping on the Foursquare bandwagon left and right — the tiny shining symbols of geek cred will ultimately lose their luster.

Some questions to consider:

How long do you think a Foursquare badge for Starbucks will bring people in the door?
How about a badge for Bravo? Is that going to get people tuning in to Real Housewives of New Jersey?
Right now, it’s kind of sexy for marketers to suggest that brands get custom Foursquare badges. But since a custom Foursquare badge can be mostly bought, how long until it reaches a point of saturation?
What happens when your corner market forks over the cash for its own custom badge — would you care?

And what will that mean for Foursquare?

Sure, the power users who have been on Foursquare for the last year or so are having a much different user experience then those who just joined. But the folks who just joined will eventually catch up.

In order to keep the game mechanics of Foursquare (and user interest) rolling long term, the geolocation app will need to figure out a new social play.

What drove the initial appeal of the badges was the scarcity of the item and the hoops you had to jump through to get it. As the scarcity and hoops decrease — where’s the appeal?

Call me crazy, but I say that Foursquare badges go the way of POGS, Tamagotchis, and Farmville — interesting ideas that captivated our attention for a time, but ultimately lost out.

Will you ever get tired of Foursquare badges? How can Foursquare overcome badge fatigue?

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A Missed Opportunity for Mobile Giving

Colin — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 05:01:26 +0000

Last night, I was fortunate enough to see Spring Awakening at the Margot and Bob Winspear Opera House. If you haven’t had a chance to see the play, it’s essentially about the turmoils of adolescence, set to the musical stylings of Duncan Sheik.

Reviews of the show aside, what really struck me was the missed opportunity at the end of the night. After the third curtain call, a member of the cast walked to the front of the stage to make an announcement.

She was there to represent a non-profit organization known as Broadway Cares, who’s basic mission is to support the fight against AIDS. The young cast member gave a brief pitch to the audience for donations as they exited the theater.

Despite her convincing argument, how many people do you think actually gave? At 10:30pm on a Thursday, most people are fighting the crowds to get home as quickly as possible — stopping to give money to a non-profit is the last thing on their minds.

But what if she didn’t ask for money on the way out, but said instead, “All you have to do to give is text PLAY to 44144 with the donation amount”. Given the general demographics of the audience, I’m sure most had cell phones with messaging plans and many would have pulled out their phones at that very instant to give. Or at the very least remembered to do so before bed that night.

Text messaging is convenient, safe, and easy. As marketers, we know that If you want people to take action, be that a donation, blog comment, or online purchase — you have to make it simple, right?

How much money do you think Broadway Cares left on the table that night? How much do they leave on the table each time they ask for a donation from the audience? If you were in the audience that night, and asked to donate through text message — would you have?

A Conference Like No Other — Key SXSW Takeaways

Colin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:58:37 +0000

Gowalla and Foursquare were the most useful and the most frustrating apps of SXSW.

During SXSW, I used Gowalla and Foursquare more frequently then I ever had in the past (and I’m a heavy user). Not only was I checking in to every room, bar, and hallway I stepped foot in, but I was also using it to keep up with my friends and keep track of where the conference hot spots were (this became particarly useful during SXSW’s night time activities). That said, neither app could keep up with the volume, which led to many an application time out and restart.

And on a side note — Whrrl was the dark horse mobile app of the conference. It re-emerged from the mobile application graveyard with a quiet but smart conference promotion that emphasized new functionally and encouraged immediate usage. Friends Cameron Gawley and Eddy Badrina got a chance to speak with the founders and they have some very interesting ideas in the works.

Interesting fact — I used these mobile apps much more than I used Twitter.

Where’s the meat?

For the most part, SXSW panels were disappointing.

I think this is the problem with SXSW’s Panel Picker voting system. It seemed as if everyone spent so much time crafting perfect titles and subject pitches that they forgot to create a compelling presentation to go with it.

I’ve had my fill of high level theoretical strategy — I want to learn how to actually do the stuff.

Where’s the innovation?

Have we run out of new ideas? It seems like most of the social speakers were still spending more time trying to convince you that social media is important (and how to communicate that to your boss) then trying to challenge us. I don’t know about you, but I want to be challenged!

The many faces of SXSW

Many people echoed this sentiment (another hat tip here to Eddy & Cameron), but as a first time SXSW participant, I thought it was particularly evident. There’s two very different faces to SXSW — there’s the clean cut academic (panels) and the urban socialite (parties). Both are useful in their own rights, but I feel like I should have listened to Chris Brogan’s advice early on and skipped the panels.

The top dogs aren’t that different from the rest of the pack

If you know me very well, you know that I’m driven to be as successful as many of the SXSW headliners. So it’s no surprise that I look towards them for insight on how to get there. But if there’s one thing SXSW taught me, it’s that we all get it, and we’re all thinking the same things. In my case, the A-listers have just been doing it for longer, so they can bring a bit more insight and experience to the table.

Step outside your niche

I avoided almost all of the panels about social media and how to use it for your business. I came to the conference to learn new concepts — not be re-exposed to material I already knew. I got more value out of panels that were outside my niche then from those within.

Gary Vaynerchuk and Chris Brogan deserve to be at the top

I’ve had more of a chance to talk to and interact with Chris Brogan then I have with Vaynerchuk, but each are very genuine in their actions. They definitely practice what they preach.

By the way — make it a point to see Gary Vaynerchuk present live — he’s every bit as good as you might think.

The best panels were on the last day

Is Too Much Math Killing Marketing?, Web Video Thunderdome and Twittering Through Chemo all knocked my socks off. I wish the rest of the conference had been this good.

Long live organic networking!

What is it with conferences and forced networking? You know what I’m talking about — it’s when you’re supposed to get up from your seat for some pre-ordained length of time for forced socializing.

Forced networking has never worked for me — I prefer the organic nature of SXSW, where networking just kinda happens. In fact, I’d say that the networking was the most valuable part of the conference for me.

Connectivity surpassed expectations

There was plenty of power, wifi, and AT&T network coverage to go around. Kudos to SXSW, the Austin Convention Center, and AT&T.

Austin taxis are way cheap

You can take one around town for less then $10. This is a steal compared to what I remember in the North East.

The Salt Lick is every bit as good as everyone says it is

Delicious BBQ. Worth the trip to Driftwood, even if it added an extra 2 hours to our drive home (Austin traffic is that bad).

Dallas needs a Halycon, pronto

At the end of a long day — who doesn’t like a coffee inspired adult beverage and a plate of DIY smores?

Top 5 SXSW Moments

Having Gary Vaynerchuk pour me a glass (or two) of wine.
Awkwardly pitching Pete Cashmore on writing for Mashable (like hundres of other schmos must have done).
Presenting at arguably the biggest conference in my industry (Team CJ rocked the house, by the way).
Seeing Michel Gondry & Robert Rodriguez talk
Meeting tons of new people and spending more time with those I already knew

Did you go to SXSW? What were some of your takeaways and favorite moments?

Behind the Scenes of the Ford Fiesta Movement

Colin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:20:48 +0000

Two weeks ago, myself and Alyssa Gardina were selected from an application pool of over 1000 people to participate in the Ford Fiesta Movement program, representing the city of Dallas. I’ll explain the program in more detail if you’re interested, but if you’re short on time — over the next four months, we’ll be counting on participation from you to make this program a successful one.

About the Fiesta Movement

If you’re not familiar with the movement, this will be the second chapter of the campaign. In Chapter One, Agents (as they’re referred to) were given European Model Ford Fiestas to drive for 7 months. They had to complete a variety of challenges and keep track of their adventures online.

The first edition of the campaign was a huge success, resulting in over 6,000 reservations (the car doesn’t actually launch in the US until this Summer), and thousands more who expressed interest in hearing more about the car when it launches.

In this second edition, Agent teams will also be given Ford Fiestas to drive, only the challenges are slightly different.

Over the next four months, we’ll be executing challenges that serve to bring the local community together and highlight each city’s unique artistic communities.

By executing these challenges, teams are able to earn points (collected through event RSVPs, Foursquare check-ins, SMS interaction, and more). The team that earns the most points by the end wins a pair of Ford Fiestas. Pretty cool, especially given that I’m in the market for a car!

About the Challenges

The challenges are one of the most exciting aspects of the movement, and it’s something everyone can have fun with.

Challenge #1

For challenge number one, we have to work with a local artist to create a wall size mural of the ten best locations in Dallas that really showcase the cities spirit. The mural will be featured in a prominent outdoor location, and will also be reprinted in a major Dallas publication. At the end of it all — we throw a rockin’ party.

If you have any ideas for locations to feature in the mural — by all means, leave them in the comments, or fill out our survey!

Challenge #2

Dallas probably isn’t known nationally for its music scene. When it comes to Texas cities and their music, we all know Austin usually takes the cake. But Dallas is home to some truly fantastic local music, and this is our chance to showcase it.

For this challenge, we need to select three local musicians who could use a little exposure. At the end of the challenge, we’ll throw a battle of the bands style concert for this band — accompanied by promotion over local media outlets. The bands that are selected for this challenge does have a chance to receive national exposure through the Fiesta Movement program.

Challenge #3

It’s a mystery. You’ll know when we know!

Challenge #4

Challenge #4 is the one I’m most excited about. For this challenge, we get to work with a local filmmaker to create a short film that features the Fiesta. When the film’s done, we throw a premier party. Given my previous life as an aspiring filmmaker — I’m eager to get started on this one.

Flash Challenges

In between the main challenges, we’ll be given smaller Flash Challenges to complete, giving extra opportunities to earn points. For example, our first Flash Challenge is to design a new graphic pattern for the Fiesta.

This is a Community Project

Since coming to Dallas almost two years ago, we’ve learned that the Dallas community has much more to offer then what is typically associated with the city. This is our chance to showcase the real city of Dallas, which is why we see this as a community project. Local artists involved in the missions will have chances to receive exposure for themselves and their work through the program. People in other stats will get to learn more about the city of Dallas, and we all get to have a great time.

If you think you might be interested in helping out with one of the challenges — let me know! Team Dallas’ success will rely on the involvement and participation of the entire community. Feel free to contact me if you’re interested. Otherwise — stay tuned for more updates!

You can follow Team Dallas by checking out our official Fiesta Movement page (you can do us a real favor by clicking in the “follow us” button there).

And oh yeah — I have a disclaimer about all of this in my disclosures section.

Peer Inside My Google Reader Account

Colin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 02:59:35 +0000

Recently, I was asked by a friend to create a bundle of the Internet Marketing blogs I subscribe to. I figured there might be one or two other people out there who may be interested in discovering some new blogs to read, so, I’m sharing the bundle here:

About the Bundles

Internet Marketing is exactly what it sounds like, a list of the Internet Marketing blogs that I read. Some are high level thinking, others how-tos and tutorials. They cover the gamut in topics from Social Media, to SEO and even a little PPC.

View my Internet Marketing bundle here.

Mobile is a new folder for me. I’m trying to learn more about mobile marketing (you’ll probably see a few more blog posts on the topic here), and figured this list was a good place to start. A note about this group, most (almost all) of these feeds were recommended by the Mobilisms blog. I haven’t been reading these for any significant amount of time — so if they stink — you’ve been warned!

View my Mobile Marketing bundle here.

Friends is my folder for friends’ blogs. If you’re an IRL buddy, and and a blogger to boot — you’re probably in this folder. Have a blog, met me in person and not in this list? Just leave a link in the comments, and I’ll check your site out!

View my Friends bundle here.

Do you have a particularly good bundle of blogs? Leave a link to your reader bundle in the comments!

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The Time Strapped Professionals’ Guide To Blogging

Colin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 11:00:36 +0000

If you’re anything like me, you’re constantly looking for ways to save time.

As a professional in the digital sphere, work is a 24/7 undertaking between office hours, networking events, social media participation, and ongoing education. For most digital professionals, one thing that often falls to the wayside is blogging. Blogging is generally a time consuming endeavor requiring research, multiple edits, and creativity. But blogging is one of the most important activities any of us can be doing online.

A blog that’s regularly updated can:

Provide highly qualified search traffic
Be a source of quality backlinks
Prove thought leadership
Demonstrate technical knowledge to potential clients
Provide traffic from social media sites
Become a source of leads for your business
Increase customer satisfaction & brand retention
Create brand evangelists
Increase your digital footprint

But when you’re on a busy schedule, how do you keep it up?

1. Learn to Batch Process

Most elements of blogging can benefit from batch processing. I like to sit down for a few hours one day a month and brainstorm a couple dozen ideas for posts, mostly consisting of the title and a few sentences about the idea. I save all of these as draft posts. Then, on particularly productive days, I’ll sit down and write 2–3 posts at a time. On a once per week publishing schedule, that gets me pretty far.

2. Create an Editorial Calendar

Have problems coming up with ideas? Think of this as your road map to blogging. Take the batch processing idea above, and apply it to a 6 month, or even a full year’s schedule. Come up with one topic per week, or even a new theme to explore each month. This way you can deliver timely and seasonal content, and be prepared for it ahead of time.

3. Automate Your Promotion

While not a tactic I would always recommend, it can be a significant time saver. Use a service like HootSuite to automatically publish your new posts to your Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn accounts. You can also use HootSuite to push out to Ping.FM, which can update any number of sites.

4. Become a Digital Collector

Inspiration can strike at any time, and anywhere. Capture that inspiration by becoming a digital collector. Anytime I see a piece of content online that inspires me — be that photo, video or blog post, I’ll save it to my Evernote Notebook. I then tag the clipping with “blog idea” for future reference. You can do the same with services like Instapaper, or even through your Posterous blog. This can also help when you need to find support material for a blog post that’s in the works.

5. Experiment with Other Formats

Maybe writing isn’t your thing. You might be a better public speaker then a writer. As Gary Vaynerchuk might say, “Find what fits your DNA.” Go ahead and experiment with video blogs or podcasts. Then, when you post to your blog, include a paragraph or two of text content that describes the video or podcast. This way you’ll get the benefit of search traffic for the content you created.

6. Recycle Your Content

Are you creating presentations, white papers, or other forms of content for your business? Many of these can be recycled into quality blog posts. If the content has been published online in other places, make sure you vary up the text to avoid pesky duplicate content penalties from the search engines.

7. Learn to Leverage Mobile

Create content while you’re on the go. The iPhone and other mobile devices include features like voice recorders and video cameras. Use these to capture your thoughts and ideas while you’re on the go. You can also draft entire blog posts through Gmail, and depending on your set-up, post through e-mail, or post when you’re able to access a computer.

What About You?

What tricks have you discovered for saving time while blogging?

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