Get To The Grapes

Do you log into Facebook from you cell phone? Were you aware all of the contacts you have stored in your cell phone show up on your Facebook’s friends list? The phonebook, now called Contacts has been around for awhile, but recently received attention after rumors began to spread claiming these numbers could be viewed by other Facebook users. Other Facebook users cannot see your stored phone numbers for your Facebook friends, but you can when accessing your account. In an effort to streamline communications and (once again) place Facebook in line for being the only platform you need to communicate with all your contacts online, the social media giant has taken the approach of creating a phonebook for its users.  The phonebook includes numbers that 1) you may have synced from your phone or 2) your friends have chosen to share with you via Facebook.

For reference, here is Facebook’s recent response to those rumors suggesting stored phone numbers can be seen by everyone:

“Rumors claiming that your phone contacts are visible to everyone on Facebook are false. Our Contacts list, formerly called Phonebook, has existed for a long time. The phone numbers listed there were either added by your friends themselves and made visible to you, or you have previously synced your phone contacts with Facebook. Just like on your phone, only you can see these numbers.”

Want to see how many of your contacts you have numbers for? Connect to your Facebook account, go to the top right of the screen and click on ACCOUNT. Click EDIT FRIENDS on the left side of the screen and then click CONTACTS.

Picture Source: Huffington Post

Convenient? Perhaps. Intrusive? Maybe. Whatever your comfort level, should you wish to remove this feature, you can take the following steps:  1) From the list of contacts, click on REMOVE ALL YOUR IMPORTED CONTACTS and follow the instructions. As an FYI, removed contacts will be re-imported automatically unless you turn off syncing. To turn off syncing, go to your phone’s Facebook App, click on FRIENDS and go to the SYNC feature (for iPhone users, this is located in the box with the arrow at the top right).

Follow these steps and you shouldn’t see any of your personal stored contacts on your Facebook’s Contact list.

What Facebook Privacy concerns do you have?

It’s imperative for companies to start integrating their marketing initiatives. Utilizing tags is just one of many ways to do this.  Many business owners are afraid to use them because “no one really uses those things.”  Really? According to publisher Conde Nast, Allure magazine had more than 400,000 interactions since January 2011. via The New York Times.

Not sure how to get started? Click Here for a Microsoft tag.

Or Here for a QR Code.

Are you using QR Codes? If yes, how have you used them successfully? And if not, why not?

Published: Friday, August 5, 2011, 3:00am PDT

Premium content from Sacramento Business Journal – by Debi Hammond , Correspondent

Wowing customers is within every company’s marketing budget

Almost every business owner envies Apple. And why shouldn’t they? The company has an amazing brand and even more amazing profits, and it’s doing it in the midst of the worst recession since the Great Depression. In fact, in 2010 Apple became the most valuable brand, surpassing Google , according to the sixth annual BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study published by global research agency Millward BrownbizWatch .

If you’ve ever purchased an electronic device of any kind, you open the package, pull out the product, toss the packaging and begin using your device. That’s it. The end. Your brand experience is completely unremarkable. However, when you open an Apple product, you’re enchanted by the feel of the packaging, the beauty of the graphics and the attention to every minute detail. But it’s just packaging, right?

Wrong. It’s a company that cares about every aspect of the customer’s experience right down to the expendable packaging. The magic that Apple seems to possess is simple: It shows its customers it cares. Where most companies’ attention to detail stops with the product, Apple begins and ends with the user’s overall experience with the brand. It is this care and attention to detail that inspires recession-weary spendthrifts to open their wallets on premium priced products such as iPods, iPads and iPhones.

I know what you’re thinking: I have a small business and can’t afford that kind of detail in my product or packaging. Even though that level of branding may be beyond your budget, it’s helpful to analyze companies of all sizes for the smart business decisions they’ve made and the exceptional reputations they’ve earned. Those lessons are often applicable to your small business.

Let’s look at another example of a top-notch company that has made a name for itself for customer service.

Read the rest of this entry »

Julie Fraga, Merlot Marketing Senior Account Manager and Public Relations Society of America (PRSA ) California Capital Chapter Board Secretary, served as moderator of the PRSA July Luncheon panel, which featured special-event professionals sharing their insights and perspectives on planning the perfect event. Panelists included;

• Rhianon See-Barnato – Partner, Bertolina & Barnato, Inc.
• Stacey Divine – CEO, Infuze Marketing
• Valerie Spake – Owner, Valeria Spake & Associates

About PRSA California Capital Chapter

Chartered in 1947, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is the world’s largest and foremost organization of public relations professionals.  Nationally, PRSA is a community of more than 21,000 public relations and communications professionals, from recent college graduates to the leaders of the world’s largest multinational firms. Our members represent nearly every practice area and professional and academic setting within the public relations field. In addition, there are more than 10,000 students who are members of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) at colleges and universities here and abroad.

Locally, PRSA California Capital Chapter (PRSA-CCC) draws members from a wide area of northern and eastern California, including the communities of Sacramento, Placerville, Roseville, Napa, Fairfield, Stockton, Lake Tahoe, Chico, Yuba City, Redding, and other nearby areas. The chapter is lead by a 9-member Board of Directors who are willing and able to help new members thrive in their careers, become more active in their industry and network with other like minded professionals.

If content is king, then conversion is queen”.
~John Munsell, CEO of Bizzuka

It is rare to come across a business of any size that lacks a website today because it’s a requirement for doing business and making your business available to others. The same has become true of social media.  Using Facebook, Twitter and other social networking tools to reach customers and engage with the audience are now all in a day’s work. Social Media is not going away, but will continue to expand and shift. People are in search of better information with which to make better decisions, creating social collaboration. This behavior is the underlying foundation of social media and social media marketing.

“Social is now a fabric of everyday technology and digital engagement. It’s is only gaining in momentum and permeance. Those businesses that miss this opportunity will find a slipping point that may eventually give way to Digital Darwinism, the evolution of consumer behavior when society and technology evolve faster than you.” ~Brian Solis

As more businesses jump on board with social media, they are beginning to focus on goals such as increasing brand loyalty and sales. One of social media‘s strengths is the potential to communicate with a mass audience instantly. Social media, if done properly, is the closest thing to a one-on-one conversation between a business and its consumers. An effective social media strategy involves knowing how to reach people where they live,work, and play, instead of expecting them to come to you. Although social media should be part of a broader marketing and business strategy based on your company’s goals and objectives, it is important to remember to keep the “SOCIAL” in social media.

All too often businesses are so focused on being heard and getting their message out, they forget to focus on content that draws their audience in and gives them a reason to engage in conversation. You may provide great products and services, but if that is all you talk about, your audience will tune you out. They do not want to be sold, they want to be educated and entertained, and they want to connect. Don’t be afraid to step outside the box and really get to know your audience.

The California Milk Processor Board altered a PMS-themed ad campaign after two weeks because of criticism to its subject matter.  The original campaign portrayed men as the victims of temperamental women who were well, “pms-ing.” The goal of the campaign was to highlight that milk can actually soften the effects of PMS symptoms, according to ad campaign spokeswoman Tatum Wan.

As a marketer, I found the campaign clever and humorous.  Ah humor… The Super Bowl is watched by millions of people, many of whom are not football fans. Why? Because of humorous, heart-warming and sometimes quite inappropriate (but funny) commercials.  It will be a sad day when ALL advertisers give in to the pressures of the very few overly sensitive consumers that take themselves far too seriously.  In fact, I thought AdRants did a pretty good job of summing it up in a July 22 post by Steve Hall who wrote: “Unlike many, we have no problem with this campaign. Why? Because if we can’t poke fun at ourselves, what’s left? If we can’t inject a bit of humor into our lives, we might as well all become monks. Oh wait, even they know how to have fun. If we can’t take a moment and just chuckle, we’re going to turn into a world filled with cause groups that will dumb us down to the point where we all turn into emotionless robotic automatons.”

The question we’ll soon be asking ourselves is “Got funny ads?”And the answer will be “No.” Because after all, great humor must have an element of truth and it seems as though the small but humorous element of “truth” hurts too much.  The original URL was www.everythingidoiswrong.org, but now consumers are being redirected to  www.gotdiscussion.org, which is meant to “encourage discussion of the issue,” which I can promise you is not nearly as funny as “everything I do is wrong…”

What are your thoughts? Humorous or humiliating? I’d like to know… See one of many articles here.

I am clearly not the only person who has noticed changes in our world. With the ever changing social networks like Facebook and now Google+ you sometimes forget the rules of use change along with it. You may already be aware of the topic on social media transparency which usually focuses on being forthright, authentic and honest when participating in social networking. However, what you may not realize, since the FTC issued its revised guidelines for online communicators, the issue of transparency is of even greater importance to businesses.  No longer is it simply unethical to withhold information about what product or company you represent, it may also be considered unlawful. It is important you identify yourself as a representative (employee, manager, or owner) when posting any content or comment in relation to your company or product. This transparency requirement is universally applicable, whether an employee posts content on his or her own personal social network channel or when he or she simply comments on others’ posts. Companies should require their employees issue a disclaimer that clearly states that personal views do not necessarily reflect those of the organization.

Now is definitely the time to re-evaluate how your business is handling its social media practices and consider implementing a social media policy.  Remember, there is no delete button for the Internet. Even if your company does not participate in social media, an innocent Tweet, Facebook post, or LinkedIn update by an employee on their personal accounts can have real economic and legal consequences for businesses.  The FTC guidelines state an employer should not be held liable in these circumstances if: (1) the employer had a social media policy pertaining to the “social media participation” of its employees; and (2) the policy adequately covered the employee’s conduct.  Unless you offer guidance for your employees you are putting your business and your reputation at risk.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably been on Facebook and seen a company entice you to “like” its page by giving away something like an iPad 2 or a vacation to Italy.  But did you know that depending on how this type of promotion is executed, that company could be in violation of Facebook’s updated Terms of Services agreement?

Recently there has been a lot of conversation on the Internet about Facebook’s “new” contest and promotions rules. For clarification purposes, Facebook considers promotions to be any contest, competition, sweepstakes or other similar offering.  Very few people realize this, but Facebook changes its Terms of Services very regularly.  By having a personal Facebook account, you agree to abide by that agreement, and same goes for any company pages or groups.

On November 6, 2009, Facebook launched its first attempt to establish control over what had become a free marketing platform.  It established guidelines for promotions to cut down on spam and misuse of private information.

These original guidelines required;

1.     Written approval from Facebook at least seven days prior to running your campaign

2.     Promotions administrator (Business) had to have an account rep at Facebook and meet the minimum ad spend of $10,000 per month

3.     Use of a third-party app on the Facebook platform.

About a year later, on November 29, 2010 Facebook changed the rules and lightened up the policy to allow individuals and smaller businesses the opportunity to run promotions without a lot of red tape. Many companies, brands and individuals are still not up to speed with Facebook’s Terms of Services or simply do not understand them. Facebook recently simplified the language to make it easier to understand and comply.

The current Promotion Guidelines include the following rules:

1.            Promotions must use of a third-party application administered on a Page Tab

2.            You must include disclosures/disclaimers within the contest verbiage that removes ALL association with Facebook. (i.e. “This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.”)

3.            Promotions may not use any of Facebook’s features or functions as the entry or registration mechanism; i.e. Like button, event RSVP, uploading a picture or video.

4.            Promotions cannot require participant to “Like” Page, like or comment on post, picture or video use the check in mechanism unless using a third-party app.

5.            Promotions cannot use Facebook features or functions as a voting mechanism; (i.e. Picture, Status Update or Video to receive the most “likes”)

6.            Winners may not be notified through Facebook posts, notes, messages, chats or status updates. Read the rest of this entry »

Last year, Merlot Marketing was hired by Smashburger to help launch the emerging “better burger” restaurants to the Sacramento region. Since then, the number of stores nationwide has eclipsed 100, and in that time Merlot has opened locations in Citrus Heights, Folsom, and as of this week, Roseville.

Using a combination of social media and public relations, the Merlot Marketing team helped turn Wednesday’s Smashburger grand opening in Roseville into a wonderful success!

On Tuesday, our team kicked off the grand opening festivities with Roseville Mayor Pauline Roccucci, city representatives and the Roseville Chamber of Commerce.  We abandoned the oversized novelty scissors and yards of red ribbon. Instead of the traditional ribbon cutting ceremony, we did a ‘burger’ cutting ceremony! And what better way to celebrate than with a bite?

Merlot Marketing also invited select members of the Roseville community to preview of the restaurant before it opened to the public. Nearly 250 community influencers, bloggers, neighbors and burger fans packed the restaurant to enjoy dinner and dessert!

Doug Branigan , VP Franchise Operations and Roseville Mayor, Pauline Roccucci get ready to enjoy a burger cutting ceremony!

Then, on Wednesday (6/8/11) morning, the official public Grand Opening, Merlot Marketing secured coverage on KCRA Channel 3’s morning show. KCRA 3 reporter (and resident good sport), Mike TeSelle, joined us at the restaurant and learned how we put the smash in Smashburger.

The segment with KCRA aired live with Smashburger’s own David Cannon serving as spokesperson, and even included some additional coverage (thanks to the news team back in the studio) for Smashburger’s delicious fried pickles.

It has been a whirlwind this week with all of the activities and success. As a reward, we may just treat ourselves to another Smashburger.  And maybe we’ll splurge on a side of those fried pickles as well. And for a limited time only, be sure to try the new Nutter Butter Milkshake. They are, well deliciously decadent!

Now that's the right way to celebrate a Smashburger Grand Opening!

Campaigns should be organized, engaging, meaningful and fun

Thinking about launching a social media program?

Start with a plan.

We’ve all heard the saying, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Yet that is exactly what most companies do when it comes to social media: They fail to plan.

You wouldn’t launch an advertising campaign without planning. And you certainly wouldn’t launch a public relations program without planning. Yet somehow many businesses, especially small businesses, launch social media programs without a plan. So, before you ask your intern or simply the person on your staff with the most free time, to start posting, blogging and tweeting on your behalf, follow these guidelines to get your program off to a successful start. Read the rest of this entry »