Pissed off ghostwriter

Hiring a ghostwriter can be an attractive approach to social media, if you’re a business owner or marketer with little time on your hands to devote to keeping up with social updates on multiple platforms.

There can be some pitfalls to this approach, however – not the least of which is the perceived in-authenticity of the person who has someone else speak for them.

In the case of Mark Davidson, it would appear this morning that he’s been utilizing several ghost writers for his Twitter account, and one of them was just fired. The problem is this person still has access to Davidson’s account, with amusing results. For example:

And all the funny stuff that @markdavidson wrote, that was all me. The other 2 ghostwriters are really boring. Good luck, bro…

This situation taken on first look, the feeling I get (besides the ache in my gut from laughing) is that Davidson has been a little deceptive – or is it apathetic? While I understand the reason Ghostwriters might be used, knowing it still shifts my perspective to one of caution and distrust regarding this particular person. I have to wonder if this is true for all his followers.

Now I’ll admit, this could be a stunt. It could be fake. Maybe his account was hacked and someone is lying. Maybe he’s just having fun (in that case, well played, Mark). There’s no way to know at this point, but the lesson is clear: be careful when hiring ghostwriters – it could cause more problems than it solves.

What do you think?

Hiring Ghostwriters for Social Media is a post from: RSA Blog

hah

We just got added to the Alltop site, which is awesome. Apparently they’re letting just anyone in these days! I mean, nevermind that it took months of pleading and multiple bribes consisting of first-born children and/or large quantities of alcohol (note: we do not condone the use of children as currency).

In all seriousness, though, this is pretty cool! We’re all pretty excited to be included.

You can look up the RSA Blog in the marketing topic.

Alltop loves us long time is a post from: RSA Blog

You have to watch it on Youtube to even have a chance, and then only if you pause it *just* right. And where does it take you? A site that's only semi-mobile friendly!

It’s rare that I eat out, and one of those occasions recently found me at Buffalo Wild Wings.  If you’ve ever been there you know its loud and animated with 427 televisions all tuned to some sports program or one of those closed circuit trivia games. Try as you might you can’t help but glance up at the screens from time to time (I don’t know why I bothered trying, either).

The intense shredding of renowned surfer Dusty Payne caught my attention, so I paused from my water-no-ice-no-lemon and nachos to watch. It was obviously a commercial, but it was captivating just the same. Graphics were cut in between video of Dusty ripping the waves, appearing for microseconds – things like Volcom’s logo, website, Dusty’s name, board shorts, and a QR code. Wait, what? A QR code?

QR Code Fail

Okay, the ad is striking, I admit. It’s has some power. But placing a QR code in a 30-second ad and showing it for only microseconds…that’s a little perplexing. Sure, you might have your smartphone sitting on the arm of your lazy-boy recliner as you mindlessly consume electronic entertainment, but you certainly aren’t sitting at the ready waiting for a barcode to pop up, right? I mean, it takes half the commercial to load up your barcode scanner app! “Oh look a QR code – wait – hold on let me pull up the app…ok it’s loading…loading, wait wait! Crap!

If you’re thinking of doing something similar in your next television commercial, consider the user and how they might respond to seeing a 2D code. Recognize that while a lot of new technology is fast and convenient, it isn’t that fast and it isn’t always convenient.

Yes, new technology is sexy and you want to be one of the first to use it in exciting new ways. But exciting and new isn’t always effective. Users of mobile devices are generally on the go, a little too busy or engaged to be disrupted by ill-conceived and irrelevant marketing. Flashing a QR code at them on a TV screen is like putting up an electronic billboard in the middle of a desert.

QR Code Win

Tesco Home Plus of Korea understands mobile users. They realized, for this person, the weekly task of grocery-go-getting was time consuming and sometimes difficult to accomplish in a hurry. So they brought the grocery store to where their customers might have some downtime – the subway.

Tesco created a virtual grocery store on the subway walls, each item bearing a QR code allowing customers to shop while they waited. Tesco did their homework. First they studied their customers’ habits, then identified a problem the customer faced on a weekly basis, and finally devised and implemented a solution to their customers’ problem, ultimately increasing sales.

QR codes can be a great tool when used correctly. The next time you are at a creative meeting, don’t be afraid to suggest using them. Just be sure to use them in a way that engages people rather than just riding the novelty wave as Volcom did.

The Fail and Win of QR Codes is a post from: RSA Blog

When you’re searching the web for a product or service in your area, where do you go to find it?

Many people start with Craigslist, then check out the area listings on Ebay and as a last-ditch effort they might even browse the Facebook Marketplace. These services are all tried-and-true methods of person-to-person commerce because they are well established and used by thousands of people each day.

Now, lets take a look at Zaarly, a brand-spanking-new e-commerce site who’s motto is,“what you want, when you want it.”

I’m telling you, this could be the next big innovation in person-to-person selling, and with over $1 million in transactions in less than a month, I don’t need to explain why.

Zaarly is completely location based and has a super clean interface, unlike Craigslist, which is cluttered and unattractive. The social backbone of Zaarly lets you easily login with your Facebook or Twitter account and provides an internal means of communication between the buyer and seller.

Unlike other websites, Zaarly lets you do favors for people. This simply means that not all transactions that take place on Zaarly involve the exchange of money for goods or services.

Say someone needs a chainsaw but they don’t want to pay big bucks to buy or rent one. Well, just Zaarly it and see who will provide. You could say, “I’m looking for a chainsaw to use for three hours,” then add some details about the preferred chainsaw (engine size or blade length specifications), and post it.

The most frequently exchanged items on Zaarly are tech gadgets like iPods, but there are also some unusual requests, like a space suit or in-office concert.

What’s going on in South Dakota?

Zaarly action as been pretty limited in South Dakota, but that goes with the territory. It’s a common trend for new technology to start at the coasts and major U.S. cities before working its way into the Great Plains. Currently there and only a few dozen Zaarlyers, and most of those transactions are odd requests, like a Dairy Queen Blizzard delivery in Sioux Falls.

There’s no reason why South Dakotans need to be the last group of people to adopt a cool new idea. Make a listing on Zaarly today and see what can happen. Tell your friends about it and you might be surprised how quickly the idea can spread.

The goal of Zaarly is to make sharing your skills and resources easier; I don’t have time to wash my car, but maybe the guy just down the street would like to make an extra ten bucks. Take advantage of this new service and see what can happen!

What do you think of Zaarly? Will you, or have you tried it yet? Tell us in the comments section below.

Zaarly: Craigslist, only cooler is a post from: RSA Blog

There are all sorts of tools that you can use to help your start-up, small business or established corporation grow. Whether you want to improve communication with your employees or provide a better buying experience for your clients and customers, there is probably a tool for that.

It’s no secret, and you’ve probably heard it before – we live in an information age. There are always new gadgets coming out and it can be difficult to keep your business on top of the latest trends. We’re here to help!

These are a few tools that I have found most successful for social and business communications.

1. Skype: This application lets you easily connect with people that you would otherwise never see. Maybe you have a client that lives across the state. Use this tool to improve relations with customers, co-workers and even your distant relatives and family members. Most laptops already come with a built-in webcam and if your desktop computer doesn’t have one they can be purchased for less than $30.
2. Dropbox: If your business doesn’t already have an internal file sharing program you should give Dropbox a try. This application is free to download and super easy to use. You can create folders for different projects and share them with select people. The more you spend, the more storage space you will get. Try out the free version and you will get 2 GB storage space. If you like the program you can upgrade to the 50 or 100 GB plan.
3. Square: A relatively new product, Square is a miniature credit card reader that plugs into the headphone outlet of your iPod, iPhone, iPad, Droid or whatever smart device you have. The device is free and adding your personal or business bank account is easy. Now you can accept payments wherever you are, not limited by cash or check-only purchases. The cost of renting a standard counter-top card reader is expensive and takes up a lot of space. With Square, you can save money and have the option of mobility when going to trade shows and business meetings.

I would talk about Facebook, Twitter and other social media but by now I’m sure you already know the value of those tools.

Don’t be afraid to try something new. The tools listed above and many others like it are proven time-savers and moneymakers. You can maximize efficiency, gain new business, be social and have fun while doing it.

Tools to make your business blossom is a post from: RSA Blog

Scanning a QR Code with a smartphone

I first crossed paths with a QR code a couple of years ago. I was in the Denver International Airport, with a long wait ahead before my flight to Rapid City. Displayed at a huge size on a 1stBank billboard, and looking more like modern art than advertising, a beautiful blue QR code was accompanied by an invitation to get free books and Sudoku puzzles. Just what I wanted! Just what I needed!

But with no concept of how to proceed…no free reading materials for me.

By now you’ve probably seen QR codes.  They’re increasingly common these days – on billboards, in magazines, at websites, in malls and stores. With that eye-catching appearance, they look creative and artsy, but they originated for a more mundane purpose: to improve the scanning and tracking of inventory.

Japanese company DensoWave came up with QR codes (also known as 2D codes) as an improvement over bar codes. The more complex pattern can store more information for scanners to read. From there, QR codes quickly made their way into the advertising arena in Asia, riding the growing wave of smartphones with scanning capabilities. They’ve been slower to take hold here in the U.S. but with the smartphone market still growing swiftly, it’s likely you’ll continue to see more of them.

QR Codes and You

So let’s back up a step – what did I need to do in Denver to get free books and puzzles? I needed a smartphone with a camera and a bar code scanner.

Once you have a smartphone, you can download a bar code scanner app for free. Use the camera in your phone to scan a QR code, and the code’s message will be revealed by the QR reader. It’s usually a website URL, phone number, or a short text message. You might be directed to videos, coupons, maps or other kinds of information.

Advertising with QR codes has its advantages and its drawbacks. On the plus side, it’s inexpensive, cutting-edge, gets attention, and allows the quick communication of a significant amount of information. Museums, parks and libraries are using QR codes to provide detailed directional information. Rock bands have used them on their promotional materials, even on their clothing, to help connect their fans with their music. Creating your QR code is easy – there are many free QR code generators on the internet.

Drawback of QR Codes

The drawback, of course, is that there are still a significant number of people who will be as incapable of reading your QR code advertisement as I was of getting free Sudoku in Denver. You can’t rely on it alone to reach your entire audience. But with more and more people getting smartphones, QR codes should grow in popularity.

If you plan your campaign carefully and understand the audience you are going to reach, it might be a perfect time to use QR codes. It’s new enough to still have an element of novelty, and established enough to have a user base that will engage with it. RSA can help you with a creative QR code strategy.

It worked for 1stBank – their billboard campaign at DIA resulted in 25,000 scans of their QR codes, and won them an OBIE award for excellence in advertising.

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Photo courtesy of preetamrai

QR Codes…the medium is the message is a post from: RSA Blog

check in anywhere

Shades of The Island of Dr. Moreau! (hint: Google H.G. Wells)  Modern-day mad scientists (let’s call them “software developers”) have been merging social networking concepts with a range of other technologies and rolling out new hybrid beasts that could eventually change your marketing and public relations strategies.

One that we’re keeping a close eye on here is a species known as “location based social networking” (LBSN) – combining short message service (SMS), aspects of gaming, smartphone technologies and GPS capabilities.

Location-based Race

A number of competitors are active in this marketplace. You might have heard of or use Gowalla, Foursquare, Facebook Places, or forerunner Brightkite – free  services that allow users to “check in” and announce their location to others through an app downloaded to their phone or via SMS text message. Users can earn rewards for exploring new places and doing interesting new things, and can leave tips, reviews and recommendations for others who later check in.

Early on, some of these services were available only in the largest metropolitan markets around the world.  Successes there have caused them to open access to locations everywhere. They’re becoming more business-focused as well, seeing the huge potential to match businesses eager for customers with nearby LBSN members in the process of choosing their next stop.

Why you should care

Certainly, any business that would like to grow its reputation as a local hotspot or mustn’t-miss tourist destination can immediately see the possibilities here. Imagine a visitor to Rapid City relaxing in their hotel room and using Foursquare through their iPhone (or Droid or Blackberry) to see if people in their network have recommendations for restaurants or activities, and to look for discounts and incentives from places nearby.

And Foursquare might indeed be the one they’ll be using. Business buzz is that Foursquare is currently best positioned to break out of the pack and follow the Facebook and Twitter trajectory to “new household word” status.

Foursquare users earn points for checking in at locations and the person with the most points attached to a particular venue becomes its “mayor” – which affords them bragging rights and sometimes nifty rewards. Users can also find and unlock “badges” earned by checking in at various locations or performing certain tasks.

This is one of the fun aspects of the network and an ongoing incentive to stay engaged with Foursquare. In October of this year, astronaut Doug Wheelock unlocked the NASA Explorer badge by checking into Foursquare from the International Space Station. Back here on earth, you’ll see references to it popping up in a number of locations — like The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal websites, and your local Rapid City Walgreens.

So if you get a new smartphone, download a LBSN app and give it a try.  If you want to promote your business this way, give us a call.

(and BTW — if your brother-in-law soon smugly confides that Foursquare could just be the next Twitter – you can now yawn and say . . . “oh yeah, I already heard that.”)

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Photo courtesy of teamstickergiant

LBSN – What it is and why you should care is a post from: RSA Blog

Alert: Shameless self-promotion ahead!

In addition to web development, video production, print design,  SEO, and all the other creative services we offer at RSA, we also have a stellar event management team that spends much of the summer running across the Midwest to spearhead the Wyoming State Fair, Central States Fair, and South Dakota State Fair.

This year our newest RSA team member, Scott Bruce, pitched in to help our event management team with the wide range of duties we handle at the South Dakota State Fair in Huron. After providing transportation, helping with a political campaign video shoot, and serving as all-around good-spirited gopher, Scott was handsomely rewarded with this photo opp:

Scott with the lovely Martina McBride

The well-heeled Martina McBride hit the main stage as Saturday night’s headliner, where she played to a packed crowd.  A lot of sweat and hard work went into all of this year’s fairs, but our event management team pulled through with flying colors. Now they’re sitting down for a well-deserved breather before getting started on next year’s events…great job guys!

RSA rocks the SD State Fair is a post from: RSA Blog

As self-professed social media junkies, we have a pretty robust obsession with keeping tabs on what’s happening right now in all facets of the marketing world. We constantly have our eyes peeled for info about emerging technologies, new platforms, and most importantly, innovative campaigns that mix it up in new ways.

Take, for example, some of the inspiring (or at least creative) work we’ve been passing around the office this week:

• Omo detergent: This Brazil-based campaign is taking the marketing + GPS recipe to a whole new level. The company planted GPS tracking devices in 50 boxes of detergent, which activate when the consumer takes them off the shelf. A promotions agency will follow the lucky buyer home, surprising the family with a video camera and a day of “outdoor fun.” A bit on the stalker side, perhaps, but definitely a new way to reach the consumer.
• Levi’s Walk Across America: This two-minute stop motion commercial nixed the aggressive sales pitch and went viral. It’s a visually stunning piece, and we’re partial to the footage of good old Mt. Rushmore. YouTube views hit nearly 2 million in just two weeks.

  Click here to view the embedded video.

• Domino’s: The pizza chain’s rebranding strategy continues with the admission that food commercials may actually (gasp) doctor the product before filming it. The Show Us Your Pizza challenge encourages hungry people to upload their own pictures of Domino’s pizzas for a shot at cold hard cash. Simple concept, but we give it an A+ for engaging the audience.

These campaigns all incorporate a social element: from the Levi’s video that’s been shared and commented on thousands of times to a dedicated website that will feature footage of Omo’s winners and their stories, social media has become an integral part of the marketing mix for both big brands and small businesses alike. Traditional advertising continues to be a major player for most businesses, but combined with social, the results can be especially powerful.

Of course, social media is constantly changing, which is both exciting (for us) and intimidating (for some of our clients). We see a lot of small businesses that are interested in venturing into social, but they’re nervous about getting started. Should they be on Twitter? What about FourSquare, or LinkedIn, or Facebook? Should they start a blog? What crazy stunts do they have to come up with to be competitive? With new tools emerging as “the next big thing” all the time, businesses are overwhelmed and unsure how to spend their time and money.

Our advice? Don’t worry about tackling every social media platform or replicating million dollar detergent stalking campaigns. Start small – focus on your business goals and pick a tool that will best support your initial efforts.  It takes commitment to build a successful social media strategy, but it doesn’t have to be over the top. Provide helpful information, talk with (not at) your audience, and post often. It’s really that simple!

Still confused about the whether social is right for you? Take a look at the answers to some  social media FAQs Kyle posted awhile back.

Social Media Inspiration: Detergent Stalking and Other Stories is a post from: RSA Blog

In a brilliant and entertaining blend of traditional advertising and social media, Old Spice simply nails it here.  With a traditional TV spot posted on Youtube, they simply monitored comments on the video, as well as on Facebook and Twitter, and then shot and posted video responses to some of them.

Simply amazing. This has got to be the first time in a long time any advertising, by itself, has made me want to purchase a product!

And they’re still doing it. Prepare to waste your afternoon…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Old Spice Does Something New is a post from: RSA Blog