After we thought about it, here are 3 things your brand shouldn’t do in regards to social media….

Do NOT try to Use Social Media Without A Plan

Before you do anything online, you MUST have a plan of action. You cannot simply assume “If I build it, they will come.” Just because you have an account on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or anything else does not mean that more people will respond to your brand. Set goals for how you want to manage your brand online and what you want to achieve, because if you do nothing, then your brand will quickly be forgotten. It is hard to measure success without clearly defined goals.

Do NOT Post Sporadically and Don’t Get Boring

Maintain a good schedule of monitoring your accounts. Whether you make a post once a month, week, or day, make sure your customers know when they should expect something from you. If you fail to post on a regular basis, people will not see the point in engaging with you. Focus on quality content that is relevant and keeps engagement up. Understand that Social Media is a marathon, not a sprint. One post might have a high response rate, but that by no means guarantees people will respond the same way in the future. Also make sure you post a wide mix of content from videos to pictures to graphics to keep your networks interested.

Do NOT Spread Your Brand All Over the Web

Success is not measured by the number of likes or followers you may or may not have. If you focus directly on your initial target market and consistently engage and answer questions, then your networks will grow on their own. If you attempt to attract as many followers as possible by posting something meaningless every chance you get, your customers won’t feel valued. You do not have to answer every single post or tweet that comes along, but as long as you can show your networks that you care more about them than the actual numbers, success will be there in the long run.

We hope this gives a clearer picture about some of the mistakes brands make when using social media.

As always, if you have more in-depth questions about social media, we'd love to chat. Feel free to contact us any time.

The reason we’re talking about Social Media “REVOLUTIONIZING” your brand in 2012 instead of it being another “RESOLUTION” is because we believe it’s finally earned a seat at the table.

In 2010, Social media would have been at the kids table at Thanksgiving at the Marketing house with QR Codes, SEO, and other strategies, but in 2012, it’s finally earned a seat at the Adult Table.

For a few reasons….

Social media gives brands a new opportunity to gain influence.

The reason that many brands are hesitant to start using social media is because they are afraid that they’ll loose total control over their brand’s perception. And to some point, that’s justifiable. But, we explained that brands can either view that as a threat, or as an opportunity.

Social media allows brands to influence consumer’s perception in a new way, by listening to the conversation and reacting.

It’s a Pull, not a Push

Social Media is different than any other way we market our brand. For the past 40 years, it’s always been about who can yell their message the loudest and clearest. We were trying to push our message to as many people as possible. Hopefully if we yell loud and clear enough, people will choose us.

Now with social media, it’s changed. We’re trying to pull people into our product.

Social media is a lot like dating. You don’t go on a first date and boast about how awesome you are (well… some of you might, but that’s why you’re not getting date #2). No, you go in and talk about the other person. Ask them questions to see what their interested in… Be entertaining, be fun, be engaging. Create a brand people fall in love with.

Social media has changed consumer’s expectations

The third reason Social Media has earned a seat at the adult table is because it’s changed customer expectations of brands. Consumers EXPECT brands to interact with them in social media.

If you want an example of a brand doing a horrible job at this, just check Netflix’s Facebook page. The only use Facebook as a one-way communication tool. Could they have possibly avoided some of the loss of 800,000 subscribers when the increased their prices if they would have portrayed a little more sympathy through their social media…. Probably.

Combine these reasons with the exponential growth of social media since the beginning of 2011 and we think you’ll see the potential for it to revolutionize your marketing efforts in 2012.

Here is our complete presentation: The Social Media Revolution

What are we covering at our next DIG? Check out our complete 2012 DIG schedule.

Have Questions? Feel free to contact us any time if you’re interested in discussing how to use social media for your business.

At Werkshop, we stress from the very beginning of our  strategic planning process that businesses should consider all marketing tactics and be mindful of which brand building tools they choose to utilize to promote their product or service,.  One tool that is continuously used, is Public Relations. No matter your product or service, effective public relations is key to telling your story. If you are managing your own marketing planning, it is key is to recognize that PR has evolved to include much more than media and community relations.

The New Way to Manage Public Relations

Just 10 years ago, PR was very linear. A brand or agency would pitch an editor or reporter with a story that would interest the audience. It was the same process and message almost every time.

Now, with the evolution of technology and addition of other media outlets, the PR process has become molecular. The way brands and agencies pitch has adapted as well. You would not pitch a reporter the same way you would a blogger and you would not pitch a blogger the same way you might pitch a thought leader in a particular industry . There are so many new “rules” to PR because there are so many new players. Another notable difference in today’s PR is that with the addition of many new media outlets, your audiences are receiving their news from multiple sources, which is great news for all brands!  i

Essentially, the change that we are witnessing in the public relations process gives the term grass roots a whole new meaning. Content is still king, but context has become god. You must still share interesting information in order to grab attention, but the context in which you share that information is more important than ever.

It’s the reason we refer to it as “strategic communications” instead of simply public relations. 

Remember, as you continue to determine the best tools to use to build your brand, PR isn’t dead. In fact, it’s more alive than ever.

If you’re interested in learning how to utilize strategic communications for your brand in 2012, feel free to send us an email or call 615.579.1502.

At Werkshop, we believe social media is another valuable tool for building a remarkable brand. We’ve seen the value in investing time and resources in the medium through various industries, whether the business was using it to increase brand awareness, generate leads, excel in customer service, or develop positive brand equity.

One recent example comes from a Facebook Ad campaign we ran for one of our client’s, Joe’s Crab Shack Eat at Home Meals. With the launch of the brand’s, new Facebook Page, we decided that utilizing ads to build a solid fan base and determine which target demographic is most susceptible to respond to Joe’s Eat at Home advertising. We recently shared an in-depth commentary of our strategy and resultes in this two-page Case Study here> 

Blueprint

After launching Joe’s Eat at Home’s new Facebook page, we hovered around the 30 “like” mark for a week or two (a feeling I’m sure some of you have experienced the same lull when launching your brand’s page, too). In an effort to increase brand awareness, we allocated $200 to run a set of Facebook Ads for 5 days.

By leveraging the popularity of the Joe’s Crab Shack Brand, and creating a customized landing tab, we we’re able to capture the attention of Facebook users in specific markets and propel them to “like” the Joe’s Eat at Home Facebook Page.

Results

• At the end of the week, we jumped from 37 fans to 1,057 fans.
• Through the Ads, we we’re able to increase brand awareness on Facebook by 21,200%.

• We spent an average of  $0.19 per fan.
• We established a solid target demographic of women, ages 35-44, who are most likely to respond to our advertising call to action.
• We generated sales with customers who were previously unaware of our brand.
• 
• We drove 241 visits to the Joe’s Crab Shack Eat at Home Meals website.

This campaign is just one of a thousand examples to exhibit the value of social media.

If you’re interested in a detailed report on the campaign or other want to see more of our work, you can check out the new Case Studies section on our website. 

I noticed that decorating a Christmas had quite a few similarities to building a brand. Each element on the tree represented one of the tools we use to build brand. Here’s what I noticed:

If there is one thing that’s true about our team here at The Werkshop it’s that we love this time of year. If you visit our offices this time of year, you’ll likely be welcomed by Holiday music, Christmas Trees on chalk board walls, and the smell of cookies (and / or doughnuts)….

Taking a note from one of our favorite Christmas movies, we wanted to pass along our Christmas Cheer to as many of you as possible. However, after trying to perform “Silent Night” with a  three-part harmony and rounds, we decided that probably wouldn’t bring cheer to anyone.

So, we decided to do something that we are pretty good at — Design. To help you get in the Christmas spirit, we created a Holiday Desktop for you to enjoy this Christmas….

Werkshop Marketing Holiday Desktop Background:

1024×768 | 1280×1024 | 1680×1200 | 1920×1080 | 1920×1200 | 1440×900 | iphone | 2560×1440

Photo by Matthew Wilson

Other things we’re thankful for……

Pretty paper, inspirational sayings, tasty holiday treats,  time with family, chalk board walls,employment, anti-depressants, a baby named Jack, Pinterest, our wives, our husbands, our parents, nieces, blackberry tea from Spencer’s, life, generosity, moccasins, sushi, camping,  Tim Burton, the axis of the earth that makes the seasons change, spotify music, the alligator paper weight that protects Kianne’s desk, Oscar, the beach, sunsets, sunrises, and chapstick…..

With all of the hustle & bustle of the upcoming Holiday Season, we wanted to take a second to pause and reflect on the things, both big and small, that we are thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What are some things you’re thankful for?

Here are a few photos from the event:

The School of Rock isn’t your typical music school and the grand opening showcased just how extraordinary this establishment will be for the young musicians of Middle Tennessee. The School prides itself on teaching kids how to not only play and perform, but also to be responsible young adults, to treat others and their instruments with respect, and that a lot more goes into music that getting on stage and playing. The kids carry and set up their gear for shows. Kids at the performance level will play free shows around town. School of Rock gives kids a chance to learn to be an artist by giving them first hand experience.

Here’s to a rockin’ week……

To celebrate the best season of the year. Our team decided to bring together all of the quintessential elements of Autumn for our first ever Fall Fun Day. Here’s how we spent our afternoon….

The Spread: Chili, Chips & Dip, Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie Cookies, should we go on?

What’s a Fall Fun Day without a little friendly competition? After stuffing ourselves with amazing food, our team embarked on a old-fashioned double-elimination cornhole tourney. Here’s Kaycee giving her best shot.

Getting crazy on the infamous Cider Slide at Jackson’s Orchard.

The Crew:

To check out all of the Fall Fun Day activities, click here>

What’s your favorite way to celebrate Fall?

QR Code Idea from a Recent Macy's Campaign

With so many questions, we decided to take some time and answer some of the most common ones we hear.

What is a QR Code?

A QR Code, abbreviated from Quick Response Code, is like a barcode. The difference now is smartphones can now read the barcodes and perform certain functions, like allowing someone to add contact information or visit a website on their phone. Think of them as an alternative way to get text into the phone so someone doesn’t have to manually type it out. They bridge the gap between the real world and the digital world. They allow consumers to interact and engage with your brand on a very personal device which they have with them at nearly all times.

Are QR Codes just a Fad?

QR Codes really started to become a serious marketing tool in the past couple of years with the rise of smart phones. According to many experts, smartphone sells will reach 468 million this year (if they haven’t already), and by 2015 smart phone sales are expected to pass the 1 billion mark.  Combine those number with other statistics on how frequently smartphone owners use their devices to search products, and you have a serious case for invest in mobile marketing. As smartphone sells continue to sky rocket, more people will have the ability to use QR scanners on their phones. It seems like it’s a tool that is here to stay. And just like many of it’s digital marketing counterparts, QR Codes make it easy to track and measure results. We believe that QR codes will only become more popular as the trends continue towards digital devices.

Is it only for young audience or all adults?

The short answer for this question is… No. QR Codes are for anyone who has a smart phone & has downloaded a QR Code Scanner. Granted, younger audiences are quicker to adopt new tools such as QR Codes, but they are by no means limited to that demographic.

Can you change the link or do you have to create a new QR code?

So you’re running a long-standing ad & you want to change the promotional link of the QR Code, you can do that.

Can you change the color of a QR Code?

Maybe you want to integrate your QR code with the same look and feel as your ad, or you want your QR Code to “pop”, or you just hate the color black. Whatever the reason, you can change the color of your QR Code. In fact, you can also make your QR Code stand out without affecting scanability.

In fact, the QR service we use, bit.ly makes it easy for you to change the URL any time you want right at the top of your QR code generator.

How can my business or organization use QR Codes?

QR code engagement could bring a unique experience that has the potential to create buzz, word-of-mouth marketing, and ultimately new leads. They can also create customer loyalty when you meet consumers where they are: on their smartphone. QR codes have breathed life into print. Think about the buzz that could be created and the story you can plant in the minds of your customers. Or maybe you want to tell your story through mobile video and QR codes and turn people into brand advocates because they realize the deeper meaning behind what you’re doing. Mobile technology and QR codes make that possible.

How much does it cost?

What if we told you a lot of this  you can create for free? You can. We’re so used to paying for things… but disruptive business models and open source is changing the way we think about the tools. Facebook? Free. Twitter? Free. QR codes? Aha, free (unless you need custom work and/or want convenience/simplicity in QR code management).

We’ve used QR codes for several clients and it has proven to be a valuable tool. If you’re interested in talking about QR codes for your brand shoot us a message & let’s talk shop.