So this sweet new gadget costs a bit of a pretty penny ($40) but you can’t put a price on a good laugh or attention grab when you’re a ham. Sit back, relax and use your lifeline (cough..your phone) for just one more thing … to open your beer. Drink on and prosper.

Opena – iPhone Bottle Opener from Annex Products on Vimeo.

Dreaming of your perfect date this Valentine’s Day? One of our newest clients, I Dream of U, is here to make those dreams into realities. Kiss your lonely Saturday night goodbye, click off that Lifetime flick, and get the heck out of that overcrowded club. Don’t worry; you don’t even have to relax your grip on that pint of Ben and Jerry’s. Not only can you find your dream date, but you can do it from the comfort of your own home. Just sign up, answer a few simple questions, and start building your dream person. You’ll be well on your way to adding in another spoon to that ice cream carton in no time.

I Dream of U is now holding a pre launch Facebook contest where five lucky winners can each win $500 toward their ultimate dream date! Just “like” the I Dream of U facebook page and write a quick blurb about what’s a deal breaker on your first date.  We’ve all been out with a few bad apples, so remembering why they never made it to date #2 should be a piece of cake. Maybe they felt chivalry was dead and picking up the check was so 90’s. Or maybe they took you to McDonald’s because hey, there are a lot of options on that dollar menu.  Whatever the case, take a second, think back, and submit something clever.

Enter your response before the contest closes and we might just kick in $500 to fund your Ultimate Dream Date.

Dream. Build. Connect.

By Matt M.

Around the time that the topic of social media arises in a business marketing discussion, comes the ever-present question of what businesses or brands can expect from their efforts focused within the social territory of the Internet. Though continuously reported financial success is simply found most anywhere social media marketing is case studied on the web, there seems to remain an outspoken, superfluous stigma regarding social media as an unproven, unpredictable dark horse of untraditional marketing media.

There is one thing for sure. If social media died today and was labeled with a legacy, I am sure that it would be nothing short of revolutionary.

It would most likely speak of a communication revolution; a revolution that has begun to build momentum toward a seeming destiny of corporate transparency. The world of brand image and controlled communication is changing. Today’s quickly evolving, content generated and viral spiraling communication cycle has accelerated through and beyond traditional communication’s capabilities. Consumers find themselves empowered with the ability to influence peers over all facets of contemporary business/consumer interaction. Businesses have never seen a market whose consumer feedback holds such high authority and been so readily available.

Seemingly, it is only through embracing social media that companies can merely hold on as the communication bull rips them out of the gate. However, through developing strategic social media marketing goals and objectives, new brands will learn that there is much to gain; and evolving old business practices may be the key to success.

You’ve heard the warm and fuzzy concepts of establishing a happy and helpful community of brand advocates. You also know that through social media, you provide a space for them to speak freely about your products and your company. What you’re really concerned about is your bottom line and where you can expect increased productivity. One measureable example of this exists through the use of social media marketing in customer service.

Energizing Customer Service

Begin to count the average amount of customer complaint calls your business receives on a daily basis. Also, keep track of the average amount of customer calls one representative can handle each hour. Over time, as your social presence builds, do you begin to see a decrease in the average call amount your business receives? Do you see an influx of customer complaints via social media? This can mean that customers have taken to the web to voice their complaints rather than call your representatives (It doesn’t mean they’ve stopped complaining).

Most often, it’s easier and quicker for representatives to address customer issues online than over the phone. For example, if in one hour a customer service representative averages 6 customer calls, and a representative online can average 8 customer complaints, you have increased the productivity of your customer service immensely. This statistic is easily measurable and will continue to grow throughout your social media marketing efforts.

Continue to measure the total amount of calls your customer center processes as well as the amount of online issues you begin to address. Understandably, this number will grow as a result of incorporating social media customer service. This means that you’ve begun to resolve preexisting customer issues that were now found via your social platform. It does require processing more issues in total, but that leads to increasing overall customer satisfaction and retention.

Creating happy customers is only bested by retaining current ones. These new found “brand advocates” are the burning heart of your brand’s social community and all social marketing initiatives you begin will see greater success. It all begins with embracing social media marketing. Remember to take measurable, strategized actions towards each objective. Social media is not about business marketing unless it can be strategized and measured.

Sources:

1. Falls, Jason, and Erik Deckers. No Bullshit Social Media: The All-Business, No-Hype Guide to Social Media Marketing. Indianapolis, IN: Que, 2012. Print.

By Nicole Fletcher

It looks like Twitter is getting an updated look! Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey says the goal of this redesign is to have “Twitter [be] more accessible for all 7 billion people on the planet”. Beyond that, Twitter wants the site to be “simpler not just for people already engaged but easier for new people to discover it and find value in it. It’s the best place to represent yourself on the Internet.”

They’re introducing 3 new buttons on the home page: Home, which will appear similar to the Twitter we all know and love, Connect and Discover. Home will appear in a slightly smaller view than vintage Twitter but will also incorporate a cleaner display of embedded content with respect to images and videos. Connect shows you who has mentioned you and who you might want to follow while Discover shows whats trending and directs you to stories you might care about.

Beyond that, Twitter is launching new, Facebook-esque brand pages! Brands will be able to customize the headers at the top of each page and the ability to select which tweets stay at the top of their feed.

It’s pretty clear that in doing this major re haul, Twitter is trying to discourage the use of third party aps and attract tweeters back to home base. We’ll see how this change takes flight in the months to come.