Sharing Print and Social Media

Have you ever come across a print ad that was very ‘loud’ in regards to spreading their social media seed? Yes, we’re fully aware of your widgets that let viewers know that your business is on every social media outlet known to man. In all honesty, what is the best way to promote your social media pages through your print work without looking desperate or downright over the top?

Soshable.com posted an article suggesting different ways to complement your print marketing with your social media marketing efficiently. If you know me, you know that often times I treat Soshable somewhat like my social media bible, but this time I had a little trouble believing exactly what the article states.   Even though this article was posted on January 4, the advice appears to be a little outdated…

Last time I checked, QR Codes were becoming more and more a thing of the past.  Am I right?  I uninstalled my QR Code app several months ago… I also have a love/hate relationship with contests. I want viewers to be intrigued by my business and the good work we provide, not by the opportunity to win free stuff. (Believe me, I love free stuff just as much as the next guy girl, but I more times than not I don’t end up using the business from which I won the free goods.)

Check out this article and decide for yourself whether or not it’s fully beneficial. The One-Two Punch: Print and Social Media Marketing found on Soshable.com. Don’t get me wrong, a great majority of the article is excellent but a small portion I disagree with. “To each his own.” Right?

What are your thoughts on QR Codes?

Have any of these suggestions really worked for you?

Can you go an hour without your smartphone?

Would you be willing to admit that you feel a sense of anxiety when you’re without your cell phone?  (Shamlessly raises hand) I’ll openly admit that I even sleep with my phone on my nightstand. If you’re anything like me, you consider your smartphone a type of security blanket. No, not only because their could be an actual emergency…but because I fear a certain cut off from the outside world.

Granted, I primarily use my phone for social media/business purposes–but I can also text like my life depended on it.

A recent survey concluded that 63% of you are without your phone for only an hour during the time you’re awake throughout the day…Is this the new ‘norm’ or is it just plain sad?

Check out these stats:

Read it and weep, friends.  A quarter of you admit that there’s never a time when your smartphone isn’t within reach.

Are you guilty of this?

Marketing Potential for 2014

Are you curious about where advertising/marketing is headed once we hit the end of 2013?  Wait a tick, did I just mention the approach of a new year…where has the time gone??

Soshable.com has recently posted an article discussing the potential of marketing throughout the next year.  Check out 2014’s marketing potential:

Is Social Media Erasing In Our Future?

When on the brink of graduating college, I remember having several lectures over the importance of having a clean and appropriate social media page. At the time, I was a naive 22 year old with a pretty squeaky clean background.  I had a tendency to laugh off those wasted hours with my college BFF, but I’ll admit something in those lectures always seemed to haunt me… No matter what you’ve deleted from your social media outlets thus far—they’ll never truly be erased from the internet.  Basically, there’s no possible way to delete those hideous ‘duck face’ photos I was tagged in circa 2008 (okay, okay 2012).

I failed to mention the fact that before I took my job here at PRA, I was a licensed teacher. Long story short, I was unhappy with ‘teaching to the test’ and I ended up following another passion of mine…online shopping computers.

As a potential educator, you’d imagine that an appropriate Facebook or Twitter page was imperative in regards to wanting to get hired.  Whoops.  But I couldn’t be the only one with embarrassing photos on page 3,486,094 of the Google search…could I?

But thinking back to those pre-Bachelor’s Degree lectures–I wish someone would’ve given me this tidbit of information back (gee I dunno) when I actually created these pages! I do believe I started my social media addiction in 2002.  Damn you, Myspace!

Unfortunately, the infamous photo of me at a ‘CEOs and Office Hoes’ party may always float on in cyber space but there’s hope for our future generations!

Say What?

Currently, legislators in California are working towards creating a GIANT eraser button to help teens and young adults (minors only, sorry) delete unwanted information/photos on their social media platforms. Check out the entire article here: Social Media ‘eraser button’ law would let kids delete web history.

Social Media Hiring

The days of filling out resumes and applying for jobs online are becoming a thing of the past…well technically.   You may still be searching for jobs online, but are you aware that employers are now searching for perspective employees through social media? Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are becoming more and more popular for companies looking for new and social savvy employees.

Mashable.com states, “What might be surprising is social recruiting is more likely to get you hired, plus it can help you stay employed longer.”

Have you been hired through the powers of social media?

Are you more likely to use social media to get hired now? 

Read the full article on mashable.com here!

We’re Celebrating 25 Years!

FORT WAYNE, IN – August 22, 2013 – Patterson Riegel Advertising, Inc. is celebrating 25 years in business this coming week. Matt Henry founded Patterson Riegel on August 26, 1988 and continues to serve as the agency’s president and CEO. Henry founded the agency after realizing that there were only a few local, full-service ad agencies interested in serving small, start-up businesses.

Henry believed that he could fill that void, and his quarter-century of success confirms his intuition.  “Initially we specialized in desktop publishing,” he recalled. “In the mid-80s we were riding the wave of the new industry created when personal computers became affordable and readily available.”

Since then, PRA has grown from a handful of clients into a full-service ad agency specializing in all areas of marketing services including public relations, image campaigns, communication and service planning, creative, media placement/buying, research, ad specialty products, web design and social media.

“We help our clients identify their advertising needs and determine their target market,” says Henry. “And from there we develop an advertising campaign that addresses those marketing goals and fits within their budget.”

For more information about Patterson Riegel’s 25 years in the advertising business, contact Matt Henry at 260.422.5614.

Plastic Surgery for Facebook?

I usually spend my first hour of work everyday catching up on articles and postings related to digital/social media.  Most some articles I skim, others I truly take the time to dissect and summarize for your enjoyment.  Yesterday I came across and article on Mashable.com that floored me…I think I literally had to pick my jaw up from the desk! Here’s a tid-bit:

 “For some (or arguably all) of the above reasons, keeping up appearances is a social media consideration. Obviously, you choose how you represent yourself. And perhaps for that very reason, profile pictures on the free social network are getting more complicated — and much pricier — in India.”

Much pricier?  Does this mean that people in India are buying profile pictures from others? (If you’ve seen the MTV television show ‘Catfish’ you’ll understand the creepiness.) But unfortunately, profile picture purchasing isn’t what’s making Facebook users in India shell out the big bucks…it’s Facebook Facelifts!  Yes, you read that right.  Social media users are spending thousands of dollars for plastic surgery to make themselves more presentable on Facebook?!

Now I’ve heard it all. Isn’t match.com a much cheaper alternative to finding a date? Read the full Mashable.com article here.

What do you think about this new trend?

Would you ever go under the knife just to help find a mate?

Your Social Strategy

I found a phenomenal article on mashable.com that I wanted to share with you all!  I don’t think it’s necessary to summarize this particular article because the title itself (9 Key Elements Missing From Your Social Strategy) will clue you in on just how long the segment is.

I recommend….no, I beg you to read this article!  It will not only help you re-energize your social media strategies, but it might also give you some new pointers!

Read the article here! 

Weekend Social Media Posting

I came across another fabulous article on soshable.com this week that I felt too good to pass up.  This article discusses the tricky situation regarding responding to your social media posts or messages during the weekend hours.

To respond or not to respond?

Think about this…

If you’re the type of company that takes pride in the fact that the fans on social media are actually faithful patrons, then you should try your best to return the favor.  If you have an unhappy but loyal customer messaging you about a less than pleasing experience you should respond…and hopefully you respond promptly.  There’s a misconception about responding to messages and that’s: “Oh I’ll just respond when I have time.”  Frankly, if you care enough about your customer’s you’ll make an effort to respond the moment you come across the message.  This will show your customer that you’re concerned with their issue and that you care about their business.

If you don’t have the luxury of spending the weekend at your desktop, then there’s a solution for that!  I downloaded the app, Pages to my Smartphone.  Pages helps alert me when activity happens on my social media accounts.  It works just like a text message.  The beauty is, I can respond just as easily as text messaging too. Now the customer is at ease and you can get back to your weekend happenings!

The moral of this blog is, don’t leave your customer’s out to dry too long.  You don’t want to make a poor impression. Even if you can’t get their problems solved as quickly as they’d like, at least they’ll know you’re trying your best!

Read the entire Soshable article here!

Who’s Reading Your Posts?

I recently came across this article on Soshable.com that discusses the ultimate social media dilemma: How to keep your fans and followers genuinely engaged.   In the article, a potential client was curious as to why their daily social media posts weren’t getting any feedback.  They posted questions on their page on a daily basis but failed to ever get any response whatsoever.

I, myself struggle with this sometimes (especially on Twitter).   I try my best to find engaging information to post…but it’s meaningless (and frustrating) when nobody is listening. Personally, I blame this on the fact that the majority of my clients are small local companies…but that’s not always the case.   There can be several different reasons as to why no one pays your posts any mind.  In the article it mentions issues involved with cross posting the same material on several outlets and ‘spam bots’ posing as more followers.

Even though the article fails to give a real solution to the ‘MIA followers’ they do provide a little encouragement.  Basically, keep making an effort to provide those who do listen with engaging information, photos and videos and your following will eventually increase.

Read the Soshable artile here: http://soshable.com/never-ask-a-question-in-an-empty-social-media-room/#more-9688

**photo provided by futuristicallyyours.com

 

What are your thoughts?

Do you struggle at finding meaningful information to post?