Mediaboss Marketing

Social media has changed not only how we interact with friends and family, but also how we do business and interact with our customers. Companies of all sizes have joined in to see how social media can add value to their business and increase revenue.

Marketing experts believe social media helps grow business. However, it has been hard to quantify the direct effect on sales. In an infographic by Ad Week and Social Pro Daily titled Examining the current state of social marketing, written by Kimberlee Morrison, one challenge was linking social media campaigns to sales and revenue.

The report says that nearly half of top marketers could not demonstrate social media spendings effect on their business. Only 15 percent of marketing officers could demonstrate social medias quantitative effect on their business.

However, the evidence shows that social media marketing does work. Fifty-four percent of business-to-business marketers have generated leads from social media.

The conversion from Facebook likes to long-term customers has been hard to measure and track.

Social media credibility is the perceived image a customer gathers about a company based on what others are saying about it on social media.

This includes how the company listens, interacts and responds to customers requests and, above all, creates a buzz about its brand.

What does social media credibility do for you? While those who follow and like your social media page may not be your customers, they create a likability factor for your real customers to stay, interact and do business with you.

The real measure of your posts, likes and followers on social media is how they make new visitors feel about your brand. Today, before a company enters a contractual agreement with another company, its social media presence is one way of doing due diligence to take a social measurement of what people are saying about the company and how they are responding.

This gives a real-life profile of the company far better than any self-written corporate capability statement.

Social media credibility is what makes you want to go to the restaurant in a busy downtown, with a long line of customers waiting, while others with similar services have no customers. It is like a celebrity endorsement of a brand, but the celebrities are you and me, who used and experienced the brand. The endorsement is more credible since we are not being paid to endorse.

How do I measure my social media credibility? Here are some thoughts:

Professor Hari Sundaram at the University of Illinois is working on a study, using an app to study the behavior of people who want to adopt new habits, but somehow cannot seem to change. He gives an example on healthy eating: If you are about to go out for lunch and get an alert on your phone that seven out of 10 of your friends just ate salad, this may influence your food choice.

This will help motivate you to attain your desired behaviors by the choice of food your friends made. You are going to be influenced by actions (likes) that you saw or experienced, which will make you more likely to adopt a similar behavior.

We are influenced by decisions people make in the presence of social signals. Knowing what your friends or other people do will influence your choice.

In the context of social media, we are influenced by our perception of a product or brand by how others interact with it. We may end up buying an item even though the people who liked it on social media just liked it.

Akwasi Oppong is a digital marketing professional who helps small businesses develop their online brands and develop and automate their marketing processes. Akwasi is a SCORE Frederick certified mentor.

SCORE Frederick is part of a nationwide volunteer network of 310 chapters dedicated to the formation, growth and success of small businesses. SCORE Frederick provides free and confidential business advice and mentoring to start-up businesses and to established small businesses in Fredrick and Carroll counties. SCORE Frederick also offers business workshops for both start-ups and established businesses. For more information, go to http://www.scorefrederick.org. Once on the site, to register for mentoring, click on register for mentoring, fill in the request sheet and submit.

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SCORE Frederick: How social media credibility affects your marketing strategy - Frederick News Post (subscription)

When it comes to making our homes safe for those active babies and toddlers in our lives, we must think about childproofing furniture, electric outlets, small objects and more.

It can be easy to overlook something as simple as windows. But windows pose specific child hazards that are extremely important to address. Keep a few simple things in mind when it comes to windows and kiddos, and your little wild child will be safer.

Nearly one child per month dies from strangulation by cords attached to window treatments, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. These cords are one of the most overlooked hazards in the home. Take these simple steps to avoid this danger when childproofing, and consider these options when outfitting the windows in your home:

The safest choice you can make are window treatments without accessible cords, such as cordless cellular shades, spring tension roller shades, plantation shutters and drapes (without cords or ties). If youre looking for new or replacement window treatments, consider these the safest options.

If you already have window treatments with continuous cord loop lift systems, be sure that cords are properly anchored to the wall. If you do not have an anchor or tensioning device, contact the manufacturer to request one.

If you already have window treatments with exposed cords and are not able to switch to a safer option, keep cords out of reach at all times by wrapping them around cord cleats high in the window.

Keep cribs, baby beds and other furniture away from windows where cords are within reach of your baby or toddler, as these items can be used as step stools to reach cords.

Cordless window treatments (cellular shades, shutters and drapes) are most important in bedrooms or playrooms, where kids may be left unattended. However, the safest choice is to use window treatments without accessible cords throughout your home. Fortunately, safer window treatments are available in many styles and price points, so replacing window treatments can be a simple childproofing upgrade.

2. Window locks and latches:

Window safety goes beyond just the window dressings. After all, windows are made of glass and are essentially open holes in your home some of them high above the ground. Its important to make sure children are not able to open windows and push through window screens. Beyond just locking windows shut, you can also install window stops in the frame to regulate how far up the window can go just in case your crafty kiddo manages to get through any safety locks.

Of course, you probably dont want to leave your windows closed year-round, and you dont need to even in the name of safety. In addition to installing window stops, you can install stronger, sturdier metal window guards in windows on higher floors to safeguard against falling.

Katie Laird is the director of social marketing for Blinds.com, and a frequent public speaker on social media marketing, social customer care and profitable company culture. An active blogger and early social technology adopter, you can find her online as happykatie, sharing home dcor, yoga, parenting and vegetarian cooking tips. Laird wrote this blog for momaha.com. To learn more about the variety of shades and other window treatments like those highlighted in this article, visit the Blinds.com website.

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Must-know window safety tips for children - Omaha World-Herald

The Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game Division of Ecological Restoration is soliciting responses to pilot a Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM) approach to reducing household outdoor water use in 2 communities in Northeast Massachusetts. This pilot project builds on research conducted in spring 2016 that identified barriers and benefits for community members to reduce outdoor water use in the summer.

The Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) is interested in testing a variety of water conservation approaches to encourage community members to reduce outdoor water use, specifically lawn watering. While Massachusetts is a relatively wet state, a number of streams and rivers regularly experience below-normal flow conditions in the summer, due in large part to water withdrawals and impervious cover.1 The Ipswich River Watershed in particular has experienced significant flow stress, and estimates suggest that outdoor water use volumes roughly match volumes needed in the river to provide adequate aquatic habitat in the summer.2 Massachusetts is a leader in water conservation in many ways. Many municipal water suppliers in this watershed and beyond use summertime water use restrictions to limit seasonal increases in water use; many also use campaigns such as Greenscapes (http://greenscapes.org/), and a few use seasonally-adjusted water rate structures.

In 2016, DER funded a Community-based Social Marketing Benefit and Barrier research study in 2 communities in the Ipswich River watershed to better understand the social norms that drive current outdoor residential water use practices and to find ways to reduce the barriers and raise the benefits for community members to limit their water use in the summertime.

Those study data measured the current penetration (number of residents already doing the action), impact on wa- ter usage, probability of residents taking action, and applicability to the local community of a long list of behav- iors. The results of that research identified four behaviors as potential target behaviors for a water conservation program including reducing or stopping watering lawns during summer months. The research than determined the barriers and benefits for each of the behaviors and provided initial outreach recommendations to address the barriers and highlight the benefits.

With this bid request, they seek an agency to further develop and refine some of these water conservation strate- gies and to implement and test some of the recommended tools from this study in late spring 2017.

DER seeks a contractor who will help design, implement, and evaluate a pilot study of several outdoor water conservation campaigns, as informed by the Community-based Social Marketing Benefit and Barrier Research, focused on reducing residential outdoor lawn irrigation. They are interested in a Social Norms/Behavioral Feedback campaign as well as a Commitment Campaign but are open to other suggestions as well. Campaigns may include a subset of approaches (e.g. water use comparison, water use comparison and educational material, just educational material) to determine the most effective method.

Conservation Campaigns

DER proposes the expected scope of work below;

Develop Study Design including select appropriate sample size, develop baseline and identify control group

Develop all messaging and materials for campaigns:

Implement campaigns

Evaluate reductions in water use

Recommendations for next steps

Proposal due by March 3rd, 2017 by 3pm to:

Department of Fish and Game 251 Causeway Street, Suite 400 Boston, MA 02114

Rasky Baerlein & Racepoint Global have major Boston PR operations.

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Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game Seeks Social Media Marketing Agency - Everything PR

CHICAGO, March 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- PACO Collective (PACO) announced today that Flawless Beauty, LLC (Flawless), the new haircare line co-owned by Hollywood actress Gabrielle Union, has selected it as Social Media Agency of Record. PACO will be responsible for all social media efforts including social strategy, content management and creation, social engagement, and blogger management.

"PACO's findings, combined with their understanding of what women with textured hair seek in a new haircare product, as well as their expertise in multicultural markets in general, were key in our selection process," said Andy Rah, Vice President of Global Marketing for Flawless Beauty. "We trust PACO's insight and their ability to help position Flawless as a trustworthy hair care product in the market."

PACO developed its winning strategy using in-depth qualitative and quantitative research to develop compelling insights for launching Flawless into the market through all social media platforms. "At PACO we don't stop until we reach insights that lead us to strategies that make the strongest impact," said Ozzie Godinez, PACO CEO and Co-Founder. "This is the case with any campaign, but especially one that lives on social media because it helps create genuine and authentic conversations that lead to brand advocacy and ultimately sales."

Award-winning actress and entrepreneur Gabrielle Union partnered with Macadamia Beauty, LLC to provide multicultural women the freedom to showcase and celebrate their natural hair in all forms. Her massive social media following includes 7.6 million Instagram followers, 3.2 million Twitter followers and 700,000 likes on Facebook, proving to be a natural platform where she can introduce her product line and engage with customers. "She and her fans have formed a unique bond on social media, which is where we can create and leverage brand advocates," said Godinez.

Rah agrees: "We know that social media plays an integral role in this campaign because so many beauty consumers are looking to their timelines and newsfeeds first to research products and brands before purchasing them."

The complete product line includes a heat protection spray, blow dry cream, edge control gel, shine spray, hair repair masque, oil treatment, and two different shampoos and conditioners. Products are available online and will be at ULTA Beauty locations starting April 16th.

Current market data shows a clear opportunity for brands like Flawless that offer sulfate-free, paraben-free, gluten-free, cruelty-free and color-safe products for women of all hair types and textures.

Not only is the natural hair movement inspiring many consumers to pay close attention to the ingredients list and demand changes from haircare brands, but African-American millennials continue to outspend their non-African-American counterparts on haircare products by 16% **. African-American haircare sales in the U.S. reached an estimated $2.5 billion in 2016*, not including sales at independent beauty supply stores or the sales of wigs, weaves and extensions.

About Flawless Beauty, LLC Flawless Beauty offers premium hair care, treatment, styling and tools that address the unique needs of textured hair. Our products are color-safe and free of sulfates, parabens and glutens, and each contains a unique blend of Marula, Argan and Avocado oils to address the needs of all women with textured hair, giving her the versatility to create ever-changing looks without compromising her hair's health.

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Flawless Beauty Selects Paco Collective To Lead Social Marketing Efforts - Yahoo Finance

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Tune in April 7 and find out how to provide stellar customer care with social media in our free webinar. Register Now

Since the induction of the the new administration, brands have quickly realized that a single tweet from the commander-in-chief can impact their stock. General Motors, Lockheed Martinand now Nordstrom have all been subject to criticism and for better or worse, their share value fell for a time.

Weve watched several companies over the last few months learn this lesson the hard way. When the new immigration restrictions were announced, Uber learned its lesson through a series of missteps and communication lags,whereas main competitor Lyft donated $100 million to the ACLU and became a media darling. There is bad publicity in not taking action fast enough. In Ubers case, it led to a loss of customers and its CEOs leave from the presidents advisory council.

Uber made efforts to tell the public and its customers that it would support employees who were potentially subject to the travel ban, but it was too late.

Related: What Businesses Can Learn from #DeleteUber

Our point? Silence or poor communication timing can cost your brand more than just customers; it can cost you your reputation and image.

Leaders (thats you) must prepare for a new kind of market, where your brand will be scrutinized on everything, including your associations. This is why brands and their leaders must have a go-to strategy prepared in their back pockets in the event that customers and the community raise any concerns.

Luckily, there are two cornerstones of your business that can play an integral part here: public relations and social media marketing.While distinctions between the two are far reaching, they are also complementary. These combined platforms play a major supporting role in the time of a crisis.

Related: 7 Steps for Maintaining Your Composure in Times of Crisis

With activism burgeoning at the forefront of company priorities, consumers are looking to brands to ensure they follow a similar set of ethos. As of late, organizations are stepping forward and stating where they stand on divisive issues, putting a stake in the ground around topics of company policy and corporate responsibility. Why? Because customers base their buying behavior on what a company supports or doesnt support -- not on silence.

This is where social media helps companies tap into those vital conversations and connect with their existing and potential customers in a meaningful way. Since social media interactions typically occur in a public forum, your followers are the first to know about what you are backing and how exactly this is done. Whether its through an announcement to support a cause, a donation to a particular charityor a campaign to raise awareness for a particular organization, your audience will respect your brands active stance on key issues.

However, while this kind of goodwill is welcome,its not enough for a PR team to work with. Saying, Hey! We are doing this fantastic thing, appears self-serving, tackyand can backfire. Instead, work with your PR team to iron out specific messaging and a narrative on the topic. Should questions come up, both teams will have aligned answers for their customers and for the media.

Related: 4 Hallmarks of Leadership in a Time of Crisis

It is also important to be aware of and eliminate blind spots. If your company has vulnerabilities, inform PR so they can support you by determining how to discuss the issue. If your PR team has been working hard on maintaining your relationship with reporters then those reporters will be your lifeline when you need to manage public perception. On the other hand, if they are working in the dark, unaware of your vulnerabilities, then when a problem comes up they may not be able to react as quickly as you need, which will only hurt your company.

Once your messaging is in place, you can use social media to help your customers better understand your position. By leveraging the ability to have real-time conversations with your community, you can mitigate issues early on by addressing it through individual interactions (e.g. comments and DMs) and through posted public announcements on your social platforms. This way, you maintain control of your message, address customer concerns as they come inand foster vital conversations among your community that will enable them to advocate for your brand.

If the issue can potentially move beyond your customer universe and into mainstream media, it is time to consider PR and decide the next step. You will need to be agile and switch directions as fast as the news cycle.Public relations will serve as a lifeline, to clarify or explain things to your customers and the public. For instance, if you messed up, acknowledge it and disclose how you are working to solve the issue.

Business leaders should always be prepared to manage a crisis, so when it emerges there is a swift and deliberate action plan in place. During a crisis, reaction speed and tactics can run as the principal decision-makers for patrons.

Related: Why Big Businesses Must Proactively Manage Their Online Reputations

A companys reaction time increases when you have a proactive PR plan working to establish your message with customers and the public.

In order for brands to mitigate potential negative public sentiment and sooth any push back from customers, it is vital to have a well-balanced, collaborative crisis communications strategy. PR and social media must work in tandem in order to cultivate a 360-degree plan of action thatll help insulate your brand and maintain control over your brand message. By combining forces across all of your media channels, you will ensure that your business will ready to tackle anything that may arise.

Andrea Holland and Sarah Elder help solopreneurs, consultants and small business owners utilize PR to get leads and sales, without the five-figure a month PR firm price tag. http://www.prtraction.com.

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In a Brand Crisis, Should You Turn to Social Media Marketing or PR? - Entrepreneur