Case Studies: Social Media Driving Real Results - Part I (Jay-Z and Ashley)

The music soften, the audience quieted and the lights dimmed.  The keynote speakers were about to start and I could not wait.  One by one millionaire entrepreneurs, best selling authors, marketing innovators and thought leaders hit the stage giving us new perspectives, ah-ha moments, and delicious tidbits. 

Then Nick Parish, the North American editor of Contagious, spoke about social media. My hope was that he would NOT talk about how to get more followers, make money or anything remotely related to building awareness.  I wanted to hear about innovation--and something that businesses can really use to drive measurable (hard) results.

And Nick delivered:

• Bing/Jay-Z Decoded Campaign - When hip hop mogul Jay-Z launched his book Decoded, Bing and Droga5 came together on an amazing campaign that used Bing's search to help drive an international scavenger hunt for pages of Jay-Z's new book. For a month, there were pages from the book referencing Jay-Z's life around the world, covering hundreds of thousands of miles.  Clues were released through radio, Twitter, and Facebook.  On Bing.com/Jay-Z, people could put the pages of the book together digitally and win prizes. This campaign helped Bing to increase relevance to younger, more urban groups and drove awareness of Bing's search features. It helped Jay-Z build up tremendous anticipation for his book and drive sales. See more the about the campaign. 
• Theashes on Twitter - A Massachusetts woman who tweeted about knitting and Glee now has over 10,000 followers because cricket fans in Britain and Australia confused her handle with a cricket match and started to send her messages about game.  Annoyed by the barrage of tweets, Ashley responded "I am not a freaking cricket match" which caught on like a wild fire.  Vodafone, the official sponsor of The Ashes, saw an opportunity to leverage Ashley's popularity. They gave her tickets to the match.  Qantis flew her over and Ford gave her a car.  This was a juicy and cheap PR opportunity that created good will and engaged fans across continents.  As for Ashley, she got a free trip, new experiences, a lot of media exposure and now sells T-shirts with her famous tweet.  

The success of both of these campaigns were (apply these to your own business):

• Timeliness and relevance to current events - As the sponsor of The Ashes, Vodafone leveraged Ashley and her followers to help boost exposure for the tournament.  Jay-Z's book was about to launch and Bing used it to help them gain relevance with a younger audience.
• Social media was used to connect and engage - If it was not for the fans' passion about cricket, Ashley's story would have never happened because she would not have had 10,000 followers annoying her with their cricket-related comments.  In the case of Decoded, Bing and Droga5 were able to keep folks engaged by connecting online and offline experiences through Bing maps, bing.com/jay-z and clues through Twitter and Facebook. 
• Social media was only a component of a larger campaign - Traditional marketing media still matters. If The Ashes did not have PR and television as part of the advertising mix, Ashley's story would not have hit the masses.  If there were no out-of-home (OOH) and radio for the Jay-Z campaign, the scavenger hunt would not have been as successful.
• People actually cared - Jay-Z has a huge following because of his celebrity and cricket is a big deal in Europe and other parts of the world, so it was easy for them to gain momentum.  While many businesses and people may not have that same star power, there are opporunties to leverage the events, places, emotions, and causes that people care about to create the same kind of engagement. 

More case studies showing how to use social media to make a real impact coming soon in part 2 of this blog...

Increase Your Twitter Followers, Facebook Friends, and Linkedin Connections

Over the last year, I've grown my modest online community by over 100% to ~700 on Facebook, 600 on Linkedin, and 150 on Twitter--with very little overlap in connections.   Now that I am trying to break 1,000, I decided to do a little research on how to further increase my online audience.

A few tips (and I am trying all this stuff realtime):

• Bring social media into the physical world - In Tech Crunch, Kevin Rose, founder of Digg, says  "Every time I give a talk, speak on a panel, shoot a podcast, present slides, or hand out business cards, I figure out a way to broadcast or display my twitter account." More...
• Put your handle or profile everywhere - Kevin also recommends that you "Link it [Twitter] on your Digg, LinkedIn, Facebook, blog, email signature, and everywhere else you live online."   
• Look to connect with people you know - It sounds simple, but most people don't exhaust their personal contacts online first. Dust off the business cards, pull out your BlackBerry or Android, and search for your connections.  See Wikihow and Linkedin Answers for other tips.
• Get involved in online communities - For bloggers and Linkedin.com, joining groups and being "social" online are big parts of building a base. Participate in discussions, find commonalities, follow them and ask them to follow you. See more social media karma tips.
• Have an event or contest -  People love to be a part of something--especially if they can win a prize or be recognized. You can organize events or run contests leveraging social media, which can really give a boost to your online base. 

I hope this helps you grow your social media connections.  And, in the spirit of everything I just wrote, follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook and subscribe to my Youtube channel :-)

Direct Selling, MLM, Multilevel Marketing -- Important facts before you make a decision

Recently I had a conversation with a successful Latina woman about multilevel marketing (MLM). I’ll call her Maria. She is first generation corporate (meaning no one else in her family has worked a white collar job), has an MBA, worked her way up the ladder and now has a six figure salary. She is pretty proud of her accomplishments—and rightful so.


After she told me about her job, we begin to talk about how she could increase her income by leveraging her skills and network to create multiple income streams. I suggested exploring a multilevel marketing or direct selling business that she could work in her spare time.

Her response was that she does not have the time, does not believe that they work, and feels funny about asking others to help her build a business. When I asked what MLM opportunities she researched, she said none. Then I asked her how she formed her opinions, she told me that she heard some stuff from different people.

Maria is like a lot of people. When it comes to MLM (also known as direct sales), they have already made an opinion-based decision and it is very hard for them to see the value in getting the facts.

• According to the Direct Selling Association,  MLMs have $25.6 billion in sales just in the United States.
• Women are over 80% of direct sellers. This is completely opposite of corporate America where the sales force is dominated by men.
• Business ownership in most MLMs require far less money than starting a brick and mortar business.  If you browse the hundreds of direct sales opportunities, many are below $500.
• Like any other business it takes work, 92.5% of direct sellers work their business in their spare time or part time. However, just like any business, you get what you put into it (little time may equal little money).

If you are already in or are considering an MLM or direct selling business:

• Make sure you are ready to commit for at least a year.
• Get to know your up line and other leaders.
• Expose your business repeatedly to everyone you know.
• Understand how to maximize the compensation plan (VERY Important so that you make money).

If you are interested in creating multiple income streams, email getstarted@theturnerconsulting.com for an excellent MLM opportunity.


Source: www.dsa.org and http://www.directselling411.com/