Eco-Friendly Digital Marketing Internship

Trending on social bookmarking sites and blogs is the subject of Facebook and women’s privacy. Mashable published an article last week on some shocking statistics found by Oxygen Media and Lightspeed Research. A study of over 1600 people was conducted regarding their social media usage. The company found that the majority of young women check Facebook first thing in the morning even before the bathroom and 42% of women feel it’s “okay” to post pictures of themselves drunk. With so much time being spent on the internet and the little effort to protect one’s own privacy, Facebook can ruin careers and reputations.

Last week I went to a networking lunch and met a very nice accounting student. She was friendly, intelligent and seemed like she’d be a great contact. I asked her name and told her I’d be looking her up online to connect later on. My first stop was Facebook. Her profile picture displayed ample cleavage, the page was littered with profanity and her photo albums included multiple pictures of alcohol and drugs… I went no further and decided not to befriend her online.

The Eco-Friendly Internship has put together a checklist to make sure your Facebook is not only clean, but also easily found. These tips are relevant to males too, but are geared especially towards young women.

The Facebook Clean Up Checklist

1. Get rid of all alcohol and drug related content.
2. Monitor pictures others are posting of you. Anything remotely questionable, delete.
3. Defriend anyone you don’t know personally. The use of fake profiles to steal information is growing.
4. Go through your applications and get rid of any you don’t need or trust.
5. Edit your interests to things that will promote your talents and strengths instead of hurt you.
6. Make sure all of your information is complete
7. Communicate with others effectively and professionally: People, brands, pages.
8. Keep notes and videos relevant and re-post worthy.
9. Create a URL tag that matches your other social media profiles (http://facebook.com/yournamehere.)

Photo Credit: Flicker user Marisa beth

Facebook is about marketing yourself and connecting, so do your best to advertise yourself well because all of the information is going to be shared (no matter what Facebook says otherwise.) Employers will be looking at this information so target to them as well. You wouldn’t show up to an interview drunk or in a micro-mini, so don’t let those images be the first thing someone sees. Once you’ve made sure your content is clean, ensure that you are found easily. Facebook pages are no longer just to keep in touch with John Wewenttopromtogetheronce. It’s an effective marketing tool so that you can promote yourself without a single word leaving your lips. Remember: first impressions are crucial and YOUR first impression may happen online without you knowing.

rAmmoRRison

Location-based apps are one of the newest frontiers in Digital Marketing. Google Maps, Foursquare, even Twitter are in on the “check-in” game. On platforms like Foursquare, users can see who is currently checked into a place, leave messages there, and receive incentives for checking in. Twitter and Google allow location broadcasting to approved friends. But where is this technology going? I did some deep digging to find out.

1. Tracking
Tracking on social Web sites is not new. We have all heard cautionary tales about Joe Inappropriate losing his job over an indecent picture his company found on Facebook or Jane Toomuchinformation missing out on a second interview because of too many updates on Twitter about how much she hates her current job. Location based tracking seems to be ahead. ZDnet suggests that insurance companies or assessors may be able to use your check in history to determine risk factors and rates. If you were to check into multiple bars every night for 2 months and you don’t own one, this might be an issue for you. It’s not all bad though, an auto insurer could set up a maintenance check-in program that tracks how often your car’s oil is changed or whether or if you check in to a car seat inspection station.

2. Real-time coupons
Some Web sites, like Foursquare, are already in the infant stages of adopting this technology. As a user checks in, incentives, or coupons, are shown for his or her presence. However, Mobile Commerce Daily has reported that Where, another location-based site has introduced location-based, real-time mobile deal alerts. “[Where's] deal alerts service pushes mobile coupons and discounts to consumers based on preference and location.” For instance, let’s say I have selected to receive alerts from Ingenex Digital Marketing on Where. 2 weeks later, I walk past Ingenex and my text alert goes off. It reads:

Hey there friend! Ingenex Digital is offering a free cup of coffee when you stop in and say “Hello!”

The text service is free but regular text messaging rates apply, but for most of us, that really shouldn’t be an issue anymore. Business owners could have the ability to schedule daily offer changes and control the amount of time the coupon is active.

3. Tourism
Why not make being a tourist a little bit easier. Gowalla seems to be the predominant player in this so far. Users can create “trips” with check in points. The site features sponsored tours by University of Oklahoma and National Geographic. Not many other players have embraced the tourism possibilities and with Gowalla’s page visits down approximately 45% in the past two months, the possibility of dying in the shadows of Foursquare and Google Latitude grows stronger. Roseindia, a leader in Web tutorials, offers a few points for utilizing location-based tourism. Based on your GPS, a platform that provides traffic information, weather updates, local information, city guides and check-in spots could possibly be available in the near future for tourists with smartphones.

The landscape of local-based applications is wide open for innovation. Tracking, real-time coupons, and tourism are all areas that apps are beginning to target. So, what would you like to see come to fruition?  Any ideas?

deanj

BP has been taking on a multi-faceted marketing campaign in attempt to offset the bad press as a result of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. Recently, BP began bidding on  keywords such as “Deepwater Horizon,” “Gulf of Mexico oil spill,” and “oil spill,” in which the landing page provides information on BP’s response to the environmental disaster. Visitors can click on video updates, pictures and news releases to get the company’s perspective on their clean up efforts and tactics. Yahoo!, Google, and Bing reveal PPC ads with links to BP’s response.

Social media sites have been targeted by BP in order to control the message being broadcast. To date, BP’s official Facebook page, BP America, counts 30,343 “likes.” Fans can read updates from the company as well as watch YouTube videos and review BP’s commenting policy. However, the majority of Facebook users have chosen to befriend BoycottBP with 694,898 “likes.” Facebook users have the ability to participate with the page instead of BP’s controlled approach that only allows the company’s commentary. The anti-BP page allows users to vent their frustrations and with over 8,400 photos being added by users of the aftermath and more than 51,000 links associated with the boycott, users are, indeed, frustrated.

BP has also taken their voice to Twitter. The company states:

Updates of BP’s ongoing response efforts are provided by our social media team as well as on-the-ground personnel working in the affected Gulf regions… From time to time, CEO Tony Hayward and COO Doug Suttles will be giving first-hand updates via this channel. These tweets will be identified by ^Tony or ^Doug.

Once again, BP’s one-way conversation with its followers are not doing enough to ease the tension. BP Public Relations , another anti-BP account takes a more whimsical approach as it weaves in dark humor and quips about the company’s response efforts. It writes:

My staff told me I shouldn’t wear my monocle in Congress but now I can’t read the lies they’ve written for me. ^Tony

and

We’re not blocking all reporters from the gulf – just the ones who aren’t going to say nice things about us.

The false BP Twitter account boasts 175,820 followers while the official BP America claims 15,735.

It seems as though what the world wants now is to be heard and have a discussion instead of being spoon fed information from a very intentional marketing strategy. Essentially, BP’s social media involvement and PPC ads are not geared toward a direct response, which is quantifiable. Instead, one must ask his or herself: When someone is searching the keyword “oil spill,” what is he or she looking for? The answer may be news, pictures, videos or what BP is saying in general. So, BP’s strategy is a successful one, albeit, a bit of a perversion of the point of social media and PPC ads.

Soccer, or football, is in season. This means, if you are a sports novice, you must struggle to maneuver through workplace conversations, small talk, and Facebook threads without revealing that your silent nods are really a desperate attempt to not let anyone know how clueless you feel. You wish you could scream, “I have no idea what round Brazil is in!” or “why does the United States refer to it as ‘Soccer’?” Fellow novices, choose to suffer in silence no longer, for today, I Googled it.

Property of FIFA

A quick search clarifies the soccer vs football query; the sport’s full name is Association Football. The US shortened it to Soccer from “asSOCiation.” But whether you call it “soccer” or “football” it is a sport that ultimately unites. Mike M. from Ann Arbor writes, “[Soccer] is a sport that everyone around the world plays, really, the only one.” The world coming together as one is something every one can get into; so, let’s get into it.

The Essential Facts:

• FIFA stands for Federation International de Football Association
• The World Cup occurs every 4 years
• The 2010 World Cup runs one month: June 11th- July 11th
• South Africa is hosting the event this year among 10 cities within the country
• 32 countries are competing for a top spot
• Soccer can tie and the completed games receive points:

Easy ways to get connected:

• Twitter offers a World Cup page with the most up-to-date tweets on all things World Cup 2010
• Mobile apps are now available for the iPhone, Blackberry, Android

Although you may still be a FIFA World Cup beginner, you now have a few talking points at the water cooler. Enjoy and relax, Soccer is for everyone.

The avid Facebook user is most likely aware of the recent switch from the “Become a Fan” feature to “Like.” What many users do not realize, as is common with Facebook changes, is that some of the original settings were modified along with it, which will now demand more attention.

If you are currently the administrator of a professional or businesslike Facebook page, it is important for you to know that your personal “likes” are now the same as the page you administer, whether intentional or not. Facebook now assumes that anything that you, as the page administrator, “like” your business page will “like” too.

Scenario:
You manage the Facebook page for your family’s local hardware store. You have found it to be a great way to stay connected with the community and keep them informed with your upcoming sales and promotions to attract business. You have the perception of a separation between your Facebook account and the hardware store’s, so you continue on your Facebook as usual. Before you know it, the hardware store “likes” your favorite TV shows and restaurants and your frequent customers make comments about these “likes” on your wall and in the store. While these examples may not be harmful, they may not be helpful either.

The world of digital marketing is becoming increasingly  important among the current client base of many industries. This glitch in privacy settings just may require a more professional attitude as you keep up with social media.

• Avoid “liking” controversial pages that will have negative affects on the Facebook page that you administer.
• If the page does not benefit your business, you may be best without it
• Consider creating a dummy Facebook account to administer any Facebook business pages that you may manage. This will eliminate any negative impacts you may find between your personal “likes” and their influence on your business page.

I started noticing the new Re-Connect feature on Facebook, that prompts users to reconnect with a friend that they haven’t spoken to in a while. Since Facebook doesn’t really “announce” new features, the recent addition didn’t strike me as a recent addition until after a couple days. Truthfully, I haven’t reconnected with anyone that has popped up, and none of my friends have ever mentioned doing it either. I’m curious to see how successful it has been?

Pete Cashmore recently posted some less than desirable scenarios that have been occurring because of the new application: “It’s recommending they reconnect with their (current) husband or wife. It’s even advising people to reconnect with friends who have died, causing obvious distress.”

Whether Mark Zuckerberg will correct the mishap is to be determined, but for now, I think we will all wait and see where this new accessory will venture to.

Without a doubt, one of Twitter’s most defining features is the @Reply, which allows you to in a sense “notify” another user within a tweet for the purpose of sharing information or just communicating a message. Just this past week, Facebook introduced a copycat feature by allowing you to “tag” other users in wall posts, links, statuses and even private messages. At first glance, one might say what is the use of this feature; I can already post directly on peoples walls. The biggest advantage of Facebook’s new @reply feature is the ability to share information more efficiently. You can in a sense now do mass wall posts in one status update by tagging multiple people and the recipients will all receive notification updates. The heart of social networking is the ability to establish networks and share information and Facebook really hit the mark with this latest update. Already in the week that this feature has been available, my friends and I have jumped on it. Not only is it a great way to share media with a multitude of people, its a fun way to to interact with people on wall posts and status updates. The only real difference between the reply feature in Facebook and Twitter is that Facebook actually posts the reply the tagged person’s wall, whereas Twitter merely notifies the user that they were mentioned in a tweet. Facebook has really stepped its game up in the past 6 months, shifting from being a site focused on finding people, events, and pictures to a real time source of relevant media and information.

Mutual of Omaha prides itself on being the official sponsor of the “aha moment”. I will be waiting patiently by the mailbox for my sponsorship check. I’ve never wanted to pull my all my hair out in frustration as much as I had this past week, – I take that back, I have, but that’s another story for another blog. After raiding libraries and bookstores looking for my answer my quest for the missing FBML code took me back to the Internet. Hidden in plain sight was my golden fleece.  While I don’t plan on changing my name to Jason anytime soon., I am positive I jumped at least a foot in the air of sheer pride after finding the correct code for a Facebook Page I was working on.

I used the Static FBML application to create boxes which can be place through out your Facebook Page via the drag and drop method. FBML: the four letters keeping me up late at night, -ok not really, but nonetheless interesting.

According to Facebook reference Wiki “Facebook Markup Language (FBML) enables you to build full Facebook Platform applications that deeply integrate into a user’s Facebook experience. You can hook into several Facebook integration points, including the profile, profile actions, Facebook canvas, News Feed and Mini-Feed.” This HTML language enables users and developers the tools to create ads and applications for pages and profiles. Call up your friends and bring your own extension chord it’s the makings of a party!

Using the Developers Platform you can create ads and applications and this test console will allow you to double check your code so that is up to snuff with FBML.

Since I’m sure I owe the universe a big thank you for this discovery I will share it with you. step by step

1. Download the “Static FBML” application for you Facebook Page

2. Chose edit and then this screen will pop up

enter your code in the provided space and don’t forget to include a title, this will be the title of your soon to be created box. Should you wish to create a hyper-linked banner ad like myself you’ll want to follow these guidelines in you coding

<a href=”Website you wish to link to ad” title=”Title of the Box”>
<img src=”Image you wish to use as banner ad”/>

3. Click save and your box will automatically appear to the left of the wall, should you like to move it simply grab the box and drag it to your desired location.

4. (Optional) should you need to create several custom boxes/applications you can organize them by utilizing the “Boxes” tab.
Facebook is no longer just a way to connect with friends and waste time when you should be paying attention in class. Its becoming a jumping point for interns the world over. Soon we will be able to create customized URLs make it that much faster to connect with users. Facebook was my best friend and the bane of my existence the past week, but I accepted the challenge and my confidence was restored.

PS click here to see the outcome of this process in real time and maybe learn a bit about Ingenex Digital Marketing in the process!

Michigan State University is now offering, to both undergraduate and graduate students, a new course on social media entitled “New Media Drivers License.”

The New Media Drivers License course, or NMDL for short, provides students with a comprehensive overview of new media and digital marketing, and the relevance and importance of each for today’s businesses.  The course is taught by Ingenex Digital Marketing CEO and MSU alum, Derek Mehraban, as well as professor and Chair of Advertising, Public Relations, and Retailing at MSU, Dr. Richard Cole.

NMDL shows students how to take social media, like Facebook and Twitter, normally used to communicate with friends, and turn it into a valuable commodity for companies and clients.  In addition to social networks, the course covers the use of blogging, podcasting, search engine optimization, and a number of other digital marketing areas, including the never-ending uses of Google.

Paul Kanan (me), an MSU alum and a passenger on the maiden voyage of the NMDL ship during the 2009 Spring semester, says of the course, “This class rocks!  I recommend it to anyone going into public relations, advertising, or simply wants to have their finger on the pulse of the future.”

This summer marks the second offering of NMDL at MSU with three full sections.  The class meets at the beginning and end of the semester at Walsh College in Novi, MI, with everything in between taking place online.  For more information on the class, the course site can be found at http://newmediadl.com or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

So that’s the official Eco-Friendly word, but like I said, this class rocks!  And another thing, it’s long overdue, so check it out!

Who am I? Who are you?

It’s an important question from Rishad Tobaccowala, CIO at Publicis Groupe Media (PGM) out of Chicago. He spoke at the University of Michigan earlier this month and had some interesting things to say about both the present and the changes even the near future will bring to the digital world as we know it. Just as a reminder, five years ago, no one had even heard of Facebook.

I remember being in the first 30 or so at Michigan State University to register on Facebook. It didn’t take long before that number grew, and then really grew, but in that early stage it was interesting to see how people were feeling their way around. There was a lot more random connecting, much less fear of being awkward, especially since most of us were freshmen and didn’t know anyone to begin with. In that time, I reconnected with my roommate from orientation, discovered I was pursuing a girl with a boyfriend, and found the kid from my class who I’d become close enough friends with over the next four years to be a groomsman in his wedding last summer. All of this is beside the point, but it’s interesting to me to see the way the landscape has changed in such a short time.

One thing Rishad challenged us, the future of digital media, to do, was to find three things: our story, our niche, and our voice.

So what’s my story? You’ve heard part of it, but my first week on Facebook — that’s just the tip of the tip of the tip of the iceberg. Everything — from an adoption I don’t remember, to a singing gig in the White House, to being in Ann Arbor to see my beloved Spartan football team crush the Wolverines in their own backyard after an eight year drought — everything I’ve seen and done has shaped me as an individual and changed the way I view the world today. As a 22-year-old senior in my last semester at Michigan State University, I am grateful for every experience, person, and switched major that has come through my life.

As for my niche? When constructing your own niche, think about what you aren’t — it will help you decide what you are. If you had to sell yourself in three words, what would you say? If you were a post on a blog, what would your tags be? Unless you truly know yourself (and have had some practice), it won’t be easy. I put some serious thought into my own niche, and here’s what I came up with — the three words that define the brand, “Nate Erickson”:

• Adventure – I want a little adventure in everything I do. We live in a global society now, and I’m more excited than ever that I can use that as a reason to escape my corner of the world and see things that most people only read about. Adventure can mean anything from simply getting a job in this fearsome economic climate to running with the bulls in Pamplona.  If you want it, go and get it.  Enjoy the ride.

• Fusion – “Mongrel” is a term I’ve recently started hearing and using for the first time. It’s someone who doesn’t limit themselves. Some people find it strange that I’m the Creative Director of a public relations firm — what do you need creative for when you’re writing press releases? My Answer? Everything. Creativity extends beyond pretty pictures and paintings. I couldn’t sketch to save my life — but when our firm needs a poster or a logo designed, they know they can count on me without outsourcing elsewhere with the fear of unreliability. How about clever or eye-catching writing? There’s a reason they put copywriters in the creative department in advertising agencies. And that’s not all, but you get the idea. I never want to pigeonhole myself, and I stand by that. I think when you can combine the best elements of many areas, you make them work together. When you specialize, you limit yourself, and you lose valuable insight that you could’ve gained by simply viewing what you do from a different perspective. Get a lot of different hats and switch them often.

• Payoff – I feel that results are the ultimate combination of talent and hard work. Talent is useless on its own and hard work without a little inspiration is just labor. To make truly great work, you need both. Set goals. You need to surround yourself with incredible people who believe in what you’re doing, and you need to have results you can measure. Did we succeed? Did we fail? Could we do better? (Hint: We can always do better.) That’s where I live. Set goals, never back down, change the world.

Now, let’s talk about voice. Where am *I* coming from? When you speak to me, or read what I have to say, what am I trying to convey, and how am I doing that? What is my voice?

• Passionate. First and foremost, it’s passionate. One thing Dave Regan, my ADV 486 professor, likes to remind us is to never be a bump on a log, a speck in the wind. Dave reminds us to speak up, always, and don’t be afraid to disagree with someone, even if they “outrank” you — but be prepared to back it up. I try to put passion into everything I do. Passion doesn’t just help you, it motivates the people around you, your team, and helps you create the kind of great work that can solve any problem. My personal motto, one I developed while spending most of my youth on Lake Michigan, is “make waves” — everywhere you go, and in everything you do.

• Optimistic. Second, my voice is optimistic. I’m not sure if the concept of “hope” has been completely bought, chopped up and resold by politicians, but if you don’t have it, how can you ever believe in what you’re doing? And if you can’t believe in what you’re doing — maybe it’s time to reevaluate certain aspects of your life. Always believe, dream, hope, and make an effort to leave the world better than how you found it.

• Unique. Third, my voice is unique. I’ve always tried to find my own way of saying and doing things. It’s part of my “brand”, you could say, as I make an effort to be memorable not just in what I say, but how I say it. I love conversation and I try to make my writing fit that, whether I’m being serious or trying to get a few laughs. Hopefully that comes through in how I write and how I speak. The best part about conversation is about talking back, so don’t be afraid to respond — I’m always listening.

nateerickson.wordpress.com