British Social Media Blunder

One of the major rules of business: Do not pass off your mistakes to someone else. 

Last week, when British Gas raised their prices by 9.2% then decided to host a Twitter Q&A using the hashtag #AskBG, the topic received an influx of negative tweets. The majority of the tweets were customers bashing the company for their greediness.

In response to these tweets, British Gas replied with excuses for their price increases. They said things such as, "We have cut prices four times in the past five years but the general wholesale energy trend is upwards." and "every £1 a customer pays us, we make 5p profit." This only fueled the fire. Customers were incredibly unhappy with the way the company dealt with the whole situation. The combination of the price hike and disastrous social media campaign will likely cause a sharp decline in British Gas' profits. 

The Lesson Here

When you make a mistake, apologize. That's all people want. When a mistake is made, there is no way that everyone will forgive you but it is important to minimize the damage. It should be clear to a company that a price hike will never come with a positive response from customers. It would be a smarter decision to let customers know about the price increase with a formal apology letter explaining the reasons for the increase. 

It Wasn't All Bad

No, British Gas did not handle this situation correctly in the slightest. However, Q&A sessions are a great tool for social marketers to use. It is important to know when to use them. Question and Answer sessions give a wonderful opportunity for honest conversation between a company and its customers. It is important to stay in touch with them and build loyalty. By doing so, if something like a price increase is necessary, having a strong customer base will lessen the impact.

Zippo: Olympic Controversy

The Sochi Olympics are approaching for the Winter of 2014 and companies are already doing whatever they can to cash in on the many marketing opportunities. There are a countless number of things that companies can play off of to market their business. 

Currently, the Olympic torch is making its way around the globe and a small mishap turned into what Zippo saw as a great opportunity. As the torch made its way through the streets, it went out. A man in the crowd took out a lighter and reignited the torch. While there is no evidence that the lighter was a Zippo, they used the event to bolster attention for the company.

Shortly after the post, Olympic officials forces the makers of Zippos lighters to take down the photograph. While they did take the photograph down, there is a chance the company could be in for some legal action. There is a law in Russia banning the use of Olympic symbols for advertising without the proper approval. 

Was it worth it?

Social media marketing is all about the risks. Companies have to constantly try to outdo one another in an attempt to keep their brand fresh and interesting. There isn't a lot of time for teams to get together to research and analyze the costs and benefits of a move like the one Zippo made. This is where a marketer has to use their gut and hope for the best. If the campaign is a success, the company makes money. If the campaign is a failure, you risk hurting the company's reputation and possibly losing your job. It is a tough decision, but it's one that needs to be made. 

Go for it.

Yes, there was backlash. Yes, they got in some trouble. However, what Zippo also did was get a conversation going. Unless you think there will be a massive outcry against a statement, you have to take the risks. Especially if you are a company that does not do so often. It gives people more respect for your company, they like to see new, edgy ideas. A company that is constantly hiding in the shadows can never hope to overtake one that is going to constantly. Success means risk. 

#mydunkin To Spotlight Real Customers

What are they doing?

Dunkin Donuts is introducing a new advertising campaign using social media content submitted by fans. They will be using thousands of posts from Facebook and Twitter to get customers to feature in six new television commercials. Fans have been posting using the mydunkin hashtag and the best posts are being chosen by the company. This is a multi-million dollar advertising and marketing campaign for the company.

Putting the customer first

Before the ads have even been launched how is it so clear that these ads are going to be a huge success for the wildly popular brand? They are putting the customer first. Dunkin Donuts has always done a fantastic job with all of their advertising. This new campaign is keeping up their long tradition of focusing on their customers ahead of anything. 

The focus on 

• Loyalty
• Forging strong relationships
• Authenticity
• Enthusiasm

between the Dunkin brand and their customers in this new campaign is going to make it immensely successful. Customers will love to see that the company is making a genuine effort to include them in all aspects of the business. They are showing that customers' Twitter and Facebook posts are not going unnoticed by the company. This will keep people, and even encourage more people to post. 

As you look to create new social media marketing campaigns keep these ideas in mind. Make sure you are always putting the customer first. The whole point of social media marketing is to be able to not only reach a whole new portion of your target market, but to reach out to them individually in a more personalized way. Following the lead of Dunkin Donuts will be a good place to start, everyone knows America Runs on Dunkin. 

Jimmy John's: The Twitter Guru

The cult-like following of Jimmy John's gourmet sandwich shop has only grown over the past few years. This growth is due much to the social media presence of the company, particularly on Twitter. The geniuses behind the chain's Twitter account constantly tweet at customers whether they are apologizing for a mistake or simply engaging in conversation. 

This social marketing plan has given the brand a personality, rather than it simply being another boring chain. Their approach to Twitter has helped to set them apart from other companies. Being a smaller sandwich chain which has to compete against the powerhouses like Subway and Quiznos it is important that they do something to garner some attention.

There are a few key points from the way Jimmy John's handles their social media marketing that you should be trying to use in your own business tweeting:

• Tone- Know your target market, talk like they talk
• Personality- Be a person, not a computer
• Customer Service- Admit your faults, people will respect that
• Speed- Answer quickly and often, it keeps people tweeting at you

Another useful thing Jimmy John's uses which sets them apart is their use of hashtags, specifically #freakyfast. Jimmy John's prides themselves upon their convenient, fast service. By getting people on this "fast" bandwagon and getting them talking, other customers become interested. This will continue growing the business. 

As a company, decide what sets you apart from everyone else. Play upon that. This will help you to grow your business and expand your customer base. 

Pinterest

The Next Great Opportunity: Pinterest Ads

What's the deal?

It's no surprise, Pinterest, one of the leading social media networks on the web, has decided to introduce ads to its site. They are starting off slow; there will be no payment made by companies use the ads yet. As of now, Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann said in a blog post, "Nobody’s paying for anything yet — we want to see how things go and, more than anything, hear what you think." While some may be surprised by this new undertaking by the social media giant, many are not. The company has been hinting at something like this for a while.

What does this mean for you?

With a whole new social media site to get your business' name or your new product out there, this opens a whole new world of opportunities. Pinterest has skyrocketed in popularity over the last few years so it is essential to make use of this new feature while the company is still rising. Currently Pinterest has over 70 million users!

Businesses with target markets including:

• Women
• Stay-at-home mom's
• Suburbanites
• Upper-Middle Class

would really cash-in from this advertising opportunity. 

Here are a few fun facts about Pinterest to help you see what you can get out of adverising on the site*:

• 80% of Pinterest users are women
• 20% of internet using women in the US use Pinterest
• Average time per visit: 14.2 minutes
• Amount per order that Pinterest shoppers spend: $140-180

*All information comes from Pinterest's own reports

Small businesses, make sure you take full advantage of this new development in the world of social media. This could do wonders for the success of your business.

Twitter IPO

Twitter IPO: Advertising may never be the same.

As you've probably heard by now Twitter announced they are going public last Thursday. They unveiled the news with none other than a tweet from their official account. This will change everything about the way companies use the site for their advertising purposes.

                                                                                                                  source: NBC

What does the IPO mean for advertising?

Up until now there haven't been a lot of different opportunities for companies to utilize Twitter in order to promote their brand. Most advertising on Twitter comes in the form of either the company's own Twitter page or through promoted tweets. Promoted tweets allow companies to pay to have their message show up on users' timelines regardless of whether they are following them. With the new IPO there will be pressure on Twitter to offer more ad options to businesses in order to keep investors happy.

Why is this good for you?

With this pressure, Twitter will be rolling out new ways to advertise. They recently released a "keyword targeting timeline" which gives the opportunity to send out ad tweets by

• Interests
• Hashtags
• Previous searches
• Accounts they are following
• And more

There is also now less pressure on the kind of promotional tweets you send out. Before, competing against all other businesses posting their own tweets was tough. How do you grasp the customer's attention? Now, the game is changing and Twitter advertising is being revolutionized. You need get on the bandwagon quick! Don't let the new opportunity pass you by!

Sources

Where do I get my information?

Through my own personal use of social networks and news sites I can stay up to date on today's most influential marketing campaigns:

My personal choices on social media happenings:

• Social Times: Latest news in the world of social media
• Pushing Social: Tips for social networking
• Danny Brown: Up and coming movements in social media marketing
• Buzzfeed: A unique look at today's headlines and pop culture trends

Don't forget to look around on social networks! Users of Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, and the like are constantly giving their opinions on things (especially products and stores). Interacting with people is a surefire way to capture attention.

#embracethehashtag

Tori Hancock

A Little Background

So you've stumbled across this blog, maybe somebody sent you here, maybe it showed up on your Internet search, or maybe you've been aimlessly browsing for hours and somehow, this is where you ended up. Whatever it was that brought you here, you're here, and you are likely wondering what this thing is all about. So, without further ado...

Who Am I?
Tori Hancock: Social media enthusiast, employee of XYZ Corp. (similar to Firebelly and Ignite Social Media), and lover of all things Boston. 

Who Are You?
Anyone is welcome to read getmoresocial, but if you fall into one of the following categories:

• Small business owner
• Advertiser
• Fellow Social Media Enthusiast

You'll probably get a lot more out of the site.

What Am I Talking About?
Each week I will be looking at a new, different social marketing campaign from a well known company. From there I will analyze what they did and how it was percieved by potential consumers. These campaigns may be successes or failures, the goal is to see what works and what does not work in today's exploding world of social networking. Hopefully I can help you learn more about this field and how to get the most out of it. Advertising on social media is new and exciting, it can be a gold mind for your company if you learn to use it correctly. There is so much to learn in this ever changing industry

(source: http://smbp.uwaterloo.ca)

Happy Networking!

Tori Hancock
(Sophomore at Bentley University)