Pause for a moment and ask yourself, “Who could my man smell like?” Might sound ridiculous, but this question can lead you to a prime example of a campaign starting virally and becoming social; the current Old Spice video campaign. This series of videos feature former NFL wide receiver Isaiah Mustafa, known in these commercials as “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.” Haven’t seen the video, watch it and other now!

A recent Ad Age article released the available results (so far) of this campaign and how it has not only raised the sales volume of Old Spice, but how it has gained success for other Proctor & Gamble brands as well.  The popularity of these videos skyrocketed in just a matter of days.

“As of July 18, Old Spice, with 94 million views, had become the No. 1 all-time most-viewed sponsored channel on YouTube”… “Old Spice had eight of the top 11 most-popular videos on YouTube on July 16. In the six days following the start of Mr. Mustafa’s personalized videos, he reached more than 100 million followers.”

-Ad Age, July 26, 2010

This campaign is clearly a success, but it might be surprising to know that these results don’t take into account the recent social push of videos with customized messages. That addition would blow up these statistics even more.

Caroline Melberg, Marketing Maverick of the Social Media Incubator, has a theory about these results. “While the viral video was great by starting as a TV commercial and as a video on YouTube with people sharing, the social phenomenon began once they tapped into social media with the customized messages and the engagement factor,” said Melberg. “Yes, Mustafa is an attractive man wearing few items of clothing – so he would most likely attract attention anyway – but the point is that the social engagement is what really catapulted the success of this campaign.”

How can you tap into this type of engagement with your potential customers?  Social media allows you to have one-on-one conversations with your audience, which means that the days of “set-it-and-forget-it” marketing are a thing of the past.  With social media, you can create relationships with many people, one at a time, and that’s incredibly powerful for building your brand and growing your business.

In regards to last week’s Part 1 of “Social Goes Mobile,” it’s evident that having an unlimited amount of news and information at your fingertips has dramatically changed both social behaviors and business practices.
But why should a business owner care? Caroline Melberg explains more of exactly what mobile social media offers.

“For a location-based business, these services allow you to offer specials and promotions targeted at your ideal clients  (see, Foursquare business).  When I log into Foursquare, I see specials that are offered at locations near me, giving your business added promotion.  When I check in at your place of business, I can leave tips for my friends. Now all of my friends see where I’m checking in and what my “tip” is about your business. In effect, I’m promoting your business – for free!” said Melberg.

Melberg sees this as a great tool for businesses. “As a business owner, you’ll have access to specific information about who is checking in at your business, what they like and don’t like, and other places they visit, which gives you the ability to tailor your marketing to your ideal audience in an unprecedented manner,” said Melberg.

Using social media as a business-marketing tool is one thing, but what else do individuals have to gain from supporting these businesses via mobile? Melberg explains, “When I use Foursquare, I can earn “badges” for checking-in and other activities.  If I check-in at the same place often enough, I can become the “mayor” of that location. Many businesses offer special discounts for the mayor of their business, and they promote these specials throughout all of their marketing.  This encourages my friends to try to “unseat” me as mayor – but to do that, they need to come visit your business.”

Just FYI, these services aren’t just for location-based businesses. The Wall Street Journal has created custom badges you can earn on Foursquare by checking-in to specific locations around New York.  Also, Twitter has recently launched location-based tweets, and rumors are plentiful that Facebook will launch it’s own version of a location-based service in conjunction with your personal profile on the Facebook site.

So what do you think about social going mobile? Do you use it just to help you make plans with friends? Or do you see it as a valuable business tool?

If you’re making plans for a night out, why not let the plans come to you? It’s becoming quite evident that mobile is the new social, and location-based services are the bridge business owners are crossing to get there.  Location-based services include sites like Foursquare, Gowalla and Loopt.  As an article in Friday’s Star Tribune titled “Mobile is the Night” describes, visitors to local bars and restaurants use these types of services to “check in” when they arrive, letting their friends and followers know where they are.

You might find the idea of “checking-in” at a business or restaurant idiotic – laugh if you want, Foursquare is today where Facebook was just a couple short years ago.

Foursquare has become a leading social media site and has experienced impressive growth recently.  According to a TechCrunch article on July 7th:

• Foursquare will top 2 million users this week  (That’s up from just 1 million users last fall – they average

12,900 new users per DAY).

• Foursquare lists 5.6 million venues.
• Men outnumber women on Foursquare 2 to 1.

So what makes this social media explosion such a big deal? Caroline Melberg, Marketing Maverick of the Social Media Incubator, believes that these social sites will have a lasting effect. “This mobile-savvy generation in their early 20’s is just entering the workforce and will be driving adoption of these types of services, just like they’ve done with social media,” said Melberg.

According to Melberg, the explosion of smartphones, such as the iPhone, Blackberry and Droid, is creating both the desire and ability for people to access the web while mobile, and products like the Apple iPad are furthering that ability.  People search differently when mobile (vs. at a desktop PC) because they want instant answers – to know what’s going on around them right now or to find a location immediately. “With this demand for live information, having your business front and center when consumers are ready to buy is smart business,” said Melberg.

In the Star Tribune article, Marina Maric of ASI Communications commented on the fact that she uses social media as her party planner. ‘”I don’t have to go to 40 different places to find information,” Maric said. “It sort of comes to me. That’s why I love it.”’

That’s the reason people love these types of services – news and information that is relevant to them is delivered directly to them, meaning they don’t have to hunt for it.

Make sure to look for Part 2 of “Social Goes Mobile” later this week when we dig deeper into Foursquare to see more of what it offers for business owners.

Putting an ad on a billboard, on TV, or in print media can give your brand great exposure to a large market. But how much does that market actually trust your ad and its message? Yes, it matters how you’re getting your message across, but it also matters who is communicating to others about your brand – and what is being said.

According to a poll conducted last year by The Nielsen Company, consumers are more likely to trust consumer reviews that were posted online or opinions in a blog over traditional advertising ( i.e. TV, radio, billboard, and print ads). This means that even if you spend a large sum of money on a TV commercial to promote your company’s great customer service, the average consumer is more likely to trust a negative review online from an anonymous blogger than your pricey, creative commercial.

So what’s the solution? If you can’t beat it, join it – social media, that is. Nielsen reports that globally, time spent on social media sites has increased by 82% since last year. With this intense increase, it’s vital to make sure your company is taking advantage of all that social media has to offer.  By doing this, not only can you increase awareness of your brand, but you can also keep track of what others have to say about it. Look at it as another platform for you to get your desired message to an even larger audience.

Does it seem overwhelming? Or are you unsure of how to effectively break into the market? Thankfully, there are social media solutions to help you by creating a strategic plan that identifies the course of action, goals and outcomes for your company’s social media return on investment. But whether you try it on your own or need some advice, social media is a must!

This presentation was given by Caroline Melberg of Small Business Mavericks during a session of seminars on social media put on by the Wayzata Chamber of Commerce to help local businesses in Wayzata, MN increase their knowledge of social media sites.

This presentation was given by Caroline Melberg of Small Business Mavericks during a session of seminars on social media put on by the Wayzata Chamber of Commerce to help local businesses in Wayzata, MN increase their knowledge of social media sites.

I heard a news story on KARE 11 (NBC affiliate Minneapolis) this morning that made my ears perk up! Reporter Jeff Olsen talked with University of Minnesota law professor William McGeveran who said Facebook users should continue to be cautious about what they put online and how they control who sees it. He said that properly adjusted privacy settings are important for preventing identity theft and he offered some tips for protecting yourself and your children.

As the mother of a Facebook fanatic, I continually remind my daughter to be discrete about information she shares online. As a business owner whose staff educates and manages social media for clients through the Social Media Incubator, I felt compelled to share this informative news story.

McGeveran said that you should never include the year within your birth date. He also said that fun quizzes and entertaining games are set up almost entirely to get information about you and your friends, so beware!

As most of you probably know, a group of US Senators has put pressure on Facebook to change their privacy settings, which should help. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a blog about the changes.

Follow the yellow brick road, follow the yellow brick road, follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow brick road to Google, Kansas?

Last month, Mayor Bill Bunton of Topeka, Kansas declared that the city would be rebranding to be known as Google, Kansas. This decisions was made because of Google’s call out for cities who wanted to be considered for the new “Fiber for Communities” program. This past February, Google announced that it was going to create an experimental fiber network in one community in the United States.

Bidding to be that City ended March 26 and the winner of the pilot program will be announced by the end of the year.  While at first Google declined to comment on the Topeka rebranding, anyone who opened their browser today and went to Google was met with another rebranding:

What great exposure for the town that was formerly Topeka.  Though it won’t last forever as this was just a month long endeavor for the City, it may have really given them a leg up in the competition.  How many brands can say that they convinced a global web tycoon to change their name, like Topeka did?

If you opened your gmail today you were surprised with a new feature to your account – Google Buzz. Google developed an app that was automatically added to everyone’s gmail accounts that is a lot like Twitter but will, in our opinion, have mixed reviews. No setup is needed as it automatically followed the people you email and chat with the most on Gmail. It gives you security features that allows you to share publicly or privately and connects to sites you already use. This way you can share photos, updates and more!
We want to know what you think of Google Buzz!